How do you make a modern dancer breathe? That is a very good question. In my modern dance class we are working on a few different concepts, one concept being breath. Breathing is essential to any dancer, athlete, or person for that matter. Ask any runner, or weight lifter. They all know there's a skill to breathing. Our bodies have this quick impulse of tightening up when we don't breathe, hoping that holding our breath will give us more strength. When holding your breath really just does the opposite, it limits your full range or motion. Without breathing in a dance sequence, the body will naturally tire faster. Have you ever just sat quietly and heard yourself breathe? Breath is what gives life to the body. The chest rises, the chest falls. It is the first thing we do in this life when we come out of our mother's womb, and the last thing we do on this earth before we die. I feel like after many years of dancing at BYU I understand this concept a lot better th...