"I have this naive belief that touch is powerful and connection is important... it's the whole reason I am here, it's why I do what I do."

Michelle, throughout her interview, talked about community, participation, connection, and activism simultaneously. She understands connection, specifically through touch, as a form of support, as a point of entry into making difference in people’s lives, as a way of creating community. Again and again, she linked improvisation as a way to do the work of making connections through movement. This work is impactful in people’s daily lives. While larger social issues are incredibly important to Michelle, she sees the work that she does in her students' lives, in the lives of those around her, as making a difference in a smaller and sustainable ways.