Moving through Life
Moving through Life
Essential Lessons of Dance
A story of resilience, joyful creativity, and the empowering potential of dance
Moving through Life traces the journey of influential dancer, teacher, and choreographer Naomi Goldberg Haas. Sharing her lifelong love of movement, her experiences as a dancer with chronic health conditions, and accessible exercises from her work with dancers of all ages and abilities, Goldberg Haas encourages readers to integrate dance into their lives and to move with awareness, creativity, and joy.
Goldberg Haas describes her early years as an emerging dancer at the School of American Ballet and how she explored and reveled in many dance forms throughout her career. She takes readers from a focus on fundamentals such as balance, strength, and flexibility to a deeper understanding of dance as a transformational community practice. With a unique perspective informed by navigating a degenerative neuromuscular disease, Goldberg Haas conveys a positive message: dance is an opportunity for renewal and growth at all stages of life.
Alongside Goldberg Haas’s story, this book provides insights and step-by-step instructions from the MOVEMENT SPEAKS® curriculum developed by Goldberg Haas for her nonprofit Dances for a Variable Population, a program that brings dance to older adults in New York City. Readers will learn from Goldberg Haas to exercise both their bodies and minds in ways that work for them. They will discover for themselves what Goldberg Haas’s life illustrates—the value of dance in improving physical, mental, and social wellbeing.
In a memoir of personal struggle, resilience, and celebration, Goldberg Haas portrays many of the changes that can come with aging and embraces the empowering potential of dance. From childhood memories to moments of epiphany later in life, this account from a leading figure in the dance community shows how movement can enrich and improve the lives of everyone.
“Moving through Life highlights Goldberg Haas’s groundbreaking contributions to dance education and her unwavering commitment to making dance accessible to all. Her story is a testament to the profound power of movement. A compelling read that inspires and uplifts. Goldberg Haas reminds us that ANY BODY can dance . . . that bodies MUST dance!”—Jody Gottfried Arnhold, founder, Dance Education Laboratory, 92Y
“Full of insight and encouragement, this book is a gift! An authority on moving through aging and physical restrictions, Goldberg Haas uses stories from her dance career to illustrate and illuminate complex ideas about the body-mind connection. A seemingly simple read, the book delves deep into complex ideas about moving through life gracefully.”—Lois Welk, cofounder of the American Dance Asylum Inc. and former director of Dance/USA Philadelphia
“Combining elements of memoir, codifying her MOVEMENT SPEAKS® technique, and sharing knowledge gained over a lifetime of rich, embodied practice, Goldberg Haas’s book offers essential lessons. Moving through Life appeals broadly to every generation, from those new to dance to those of us who have been working artists for decades. Touching, vulnerable, and highly recommended for dance teachers and dance enthusiasts.”—Seán Curran, artistic director, Seán Curran Company
“Naomi Goldberg Haas shares her compelling life story in dance. Her insights and personal discoveries will resonate with readers who are dancers and the exercises from her impactful educational practice with senior adults make for a joyful way to physicalize the text.”—Miriam Giguere, author of Beginning Modern Dance
“Tells the fascinating story of the author’s transformation from a student at the School of American Ballet into a devoted teacher of dancers at all levels and ages.”—Vivian Delchamps Wolf, Dominican University of California
Naomi Goldberg Haas is the founder and artistic director of Dances for a Variable Population, which received the 2024 Outstanding Dance Organization Award from the National Dance Education Organization. In a career that has spanned concert dance, theater, opera, and film, Goldberg Haas danced with the Pacific Northwest Ballet and founded the intergenerational/mixed ability dance company Los Angeles Modern Dance & Ballet. A leader in the field of creative aging, she also received the 2023 Lifetime Impact in Dance Education award from the New York State Dance Education Association. Mikhaela Mahony is a Brooklyn-based director of theater, opera, and film as well as a faculty member at the Mannes School of Music at The New School.
