"Dance on and be happy, dance, dance on, and be free!" (Michele's song)

Here's a pop quiz and a trick question. What do little children do whenever they get real happy? What do most cultures do to celebrate? What do most of us not do anymore? Jeopardy music, please. And the answer is: they all, but we don't, dance!

Spontaneous movement is often the instant reaction to joy. And, since many of us haven't danced for a while, maybe we haven't been joyful for that long, either. Let's change that, starting right now. If you can't get up, and just dance a few steps, at least wiggle in your chair! As John Milton said, "Let's trip the light as we go, on a light fantastic toe."

A hair coloring commercial shows a beautiful woman, who at that moment, feels even more beautiful. She had just colored her hair, obviously to her delight. Overcome by the emotion of the moment and believing she was alone with her joy, she bursts into song and dance. The commercial fades as she pummels her husband for covertly viewing and enjoying his partner's serendipity. Embarrassment, or the thought of it, probably keeps many of us from dancing.

"What do you mean dance? I can't walk and chew gum at the same time. I've got two left feet. I trip myself all the time." We're not talking about becoming competitive dancers here. This is more a call to reacquaint yourself with a part of you that is often forgotten and neglected: your body. Research has clearly shown how positively our bodies respond when exercised. Even if the routine begins when we are in our seventies, the results are positive and immediate. And dance is a form of exercise.

Let's be practical. How do we get from where we are now to someday looking like the cartoon character Snoopy as he dances to the music of the piano playing Linus? Paws out to the sides, and ears straight up in the air. We do it slowly and with a plan.

1) If you dance now, good. Do you do it as often as you like? Do you know all the steps you want to know?

2) Dance can be as simple as just moving around any open, safe space to a tune in your head or one on the radio. It doesn't have to be a specific dance: a waltz or the "electric slide." Modern dance is the free form type of movement for those who want to express themselves in a nonconventional way. Modern dance is like coloring outside the lines. So, there is a way to express and move for everyone.

3) If you want to learn to do traditional dances, look in the yellow pages under Dance. There will probably be several dance studios listed. Call them and ask about their programs and costs. Check with your city recreation department and see if they offer dance lessons. Country line dancing is popular and obviously fun from watching the faces of those "in the line." So is ballroom dancing, based on the popularity of Dancing with the Stars. Call the senior citizen's center or local university; they might have a dance program.

4) No matter how you decide to dance, do it for fun. Do it to allow you and your body to reacquaint themselves. Do it to try and feel joy as an entire "being experience," with body, mind and heart all feeling good together.

In this time of hyperstress, with change occurring in seconds instead of years, we need ways to help us maintain a sense of control. We can do that by developing ways to experience joy in the midst of what often feels like chaos. So, get up and "dance on and be happy."