About Ann
Ann Smith started dance training with her mother (an interpretive dancer of the Isadora Duncan period) and other dance teachers in suburban Chicago. At Miami University in Ohio, she majored in education before concentrating on ballet and modern dance.
Her teaching began in the Chicago area and continued in Milwaukee, New York, Philadelphia and the Washington, D.C. area. At age 70, she received her Master’s Certification for an independent study she completed in Physical Fitness and Aging at American University in Washington, D.C.
In 1969, she wrote the first book on Stretch Exercise, then had four more books published on the subject before putting her system of stretch exercise on video in 1997. She has been featured on many radio and television interviews, including a live global simulcast for The Voice of America, and was invited to Iceland to give a week of guest classes.
For the past ten years, Ann has been teaching guest classes throughout the U.S. as an Ambassador for the 50-Plus Fitness organization of Palo Alto, CA, part of a national effort to get people over 50 moving. She continues to do lecture/demos and guest classes, including an annual “Moving to Mozart” class each year on January 27th, the composer’s birthday.
Dear Ann, (PLEASE get this to her-if not directly here) i want to say THANK YOU!!!! sister of soul. i am consecrated hermit in the Catholic church for nearly 20yrs now at Starshine Celestial Hermitage in Angel Fire NM (it is a guest & retreat hermitage inspired in sacred architectural form and would happily be available to you for seminars or small group retreats if you should ever desire or even want to take a holiday in the Southwest. My secular professional career (CA and Switzerland) was as classical solo cellist specializing in the solo Bach suites. i just turned 64 and have been dealing with some hip arthritis a year or so which a series of PT exercises last fall helped somewhat because of the strengthening aspect. As musician in my soul and totally sensitive to sacred form and ‘line’, i always had the inner sense to want to move the entire body aesthetically even if the PT exercises were pretty soldier-like for the will! Needless to say, i was absolutely overjoyed to watch your ‘Stretching for Seniors’ VHS tape. ( Ashamed to say although that i found it on my video shelf having bought it many years ago and not having even watched!!!!! we humans can be sooo stupid sometimes!) My entire life in my subconscious i always attended ballets and yearned so that if i were not born into a 5’9 large-boned body i would definitely have wanted to be a ballerina. Not overweight, but with cellist’s ‘marshmallow-no tone legs’ my entire adult life, i am sure that the arthritis set into my hip due to the ‘gravity’ factor as you say and lack of any muscular support around that joint and constant use of that side as the carrier/load bearer year after year. Now as well, with wood harvesting etc. and hearty chores inside and out. i recently got your Inhale, Exhale….DVD through Ebay… it sounds even more in total harmony with this soul’s aesthetic and physical needs to “tune-up, tone-up” which i well understand. i pray it is possible even at 64 to bring my physical body into ‘line’!!!!! too. You are VERY welcome here, Most gratefully and sincerely, piaa of jesus starshinehermitage@gmail.com, po box 637, angel fire, nm 87710 Again, THANK YOU, sister of soul.. . come visit!!!!
I just got your Stretching for Seniors DVD and love it! I should have known that you went to Miami U. JLT