KQED's Perspectives

Zumba began as a mistake: aerobics teacher Beto Perez brought the wrong music to class, then improvised a dance routine to go with it. For his students, it was more fun than work — and it eventually grew into one of the biggest fitness brands in the world.

For those so traumatized by the election they've sworn off the news, Richard Swerdlow says its time to keep on keeping up.

In the face of the election results, Andrew Lewis does what he can, starting with splitting wood.

Young Sophia Linda has a message for her peers’ parents -- you can’t slut shame me.

Scott Hoshida's grandparents did not resist internment during World War II. Would he have the courage to resist, if necessary?

Larry Murphy cherishes fishing trips in the back country as reminders of the common origin of all things.

In 2008, it was nearly impossible to buy a fashionable, affordable pair of glasses online. That simple frustration inspired the idea behind Warby Parker – and disrupted the eyewear industry.

Rabbi Mike Rothbaum’s average day includes a stunning portfolio of human diversity.

Andrew Lewis sees a moral about tyranny and suffering in a story about the Twelve Days of Christmas.

Jocelyn Wiener’s neighbor is over-the-top with his Christmas light display. So is her children’s joy in the spectacle.

Nazi-occupied Holland, 1942. A Dutch Christmas tradition is a brush with disaster for six-year old Anita Frank.

People take their senses for granted unless one of them – like Susanna Zaraysky’s sight – doesn’t work normally.

Melissa and Doug Bernstein's first success was a wooden 'fuzzy puzzle' of farm animals. Today, Melissa & Doug makes over 2,000 kinds of toys and serves as an antidote to the rise of digital toys.

Rosie Sorenson practices the under-utilized art of just listening to another human being tell their story.

Michael Ellis takes a look at the remarkable barn owl – stealth flyer and high-tech hunter.