Muita diversão! Today we learned Afro-Brazilian dance from instructor Denilson José Oluwafemi. He began by giving us a brief history of the Afro-Brazilian dance being derived from African dance in Angola, the Republic of Congo, South Africa, and Nigeria to name a few. Before we began any dance movements, Denilson stated “we dance for our health”. This statement is very impactful when thinking of dance as a part of cultures around the world. As a public health professional, I view dance as a way to increasing physical activity among those who view physical activity as a burden. There is a holistic nature to African dance focusing on the spiritual and physical. There is also an emphasis on mastering more than one art form of dance. This is the opposite of training in Western countries where focus is placed on mastering on dance form.  African dance allows for self-expression, improvising, and connecting with your body. In connecting with our bodies, each movement focused on a different area of our body as the central focus. There was purpose for each movement we were learning, whether it was elongating our back or curving our spine. Allowing your body to naturally follow the rhythm of the music are the main elements of African dance and rediscovering your body. As I lay on the stage at the end of class, taking in deep breaths, I reconnected with my body and identified the different muscles that were used to create the dance movements. At the end of class, we danced in a circle and sang in Portuguese asking God to bring peace and health to our friends. The thought of wanting good for those around you is a perfect reflection of what I have seen of the Brazilian culture since arriving in Salvador.