Jamie Kellenbach
Jeremy Engels
CAS 201
November 17, 2014

“Dance enables you to find yourself and lose yourself at the same time” are the wise words of dancer and choreographer Peter Townsend. Throughout my life dance has always been my coping mechanism and my own form of meditation. When I am confused or feel lost I can always turn on any song and the music will consume me. Foucault puts great emphasis on “attending to yourself, not forgetting yourself, and taking care of yourself” (Foucault 5). Even though I am fully committed to school I have to find some sort of way to incorporate dance in my day because recently I have not felt like myself. Before I left for school I felt whole; my family and friends were there for me and if they weren't dance always was. My dance studio was my second home and I never felt more comfortable to just be myself somewhere. Being away away from home has been a struggle in and of itself, but not dancing is the worst of all. Although I may not completely know who I am yet, knowing how to move my body in ways that can display my emotions is getting there. “The care of the self implies a certain way of attending to what we thinking and what takes place in our thoughts” (Foucault 11). This is exactly what I do when I dance. I am telling my story through movement. There is no handbook to being a whole and happy person. Some are weak in the sense that they cannot find pleasure in the daily aspects of life. Some are broken, and some have the inability to be fixed. In understanding this, I have found that the ability for me to care about myself is there. Dance has become my foundation for being a happy person. Whenever I feel lost I can feel the music throughout my body. I realize that being happy isn't a guarantee in life. We are put on this earth to find our happiness, and we are lead to believe that