All those television dance contests are not doing couch potatoes any favors. Watching Olympic athletes, actors and professional dancers can be intimidating, to say the least. Who wants to compete with that? So, instead, Americans are sitting down and pigging out while watching others dance.

This is not OK with Maggie Kunkel, 52, of Manoa. She wants to see everyone dancing, from keiki to tutu, whether in a class or in the privacy of their own home.

Kunkel created a simple dance program suitable for anyone, called MUVE. And now she's making it available through a DVD, classes and a weekly television program (see information at right).

An added benefit: The playlist on the "Mellow MUVE" DVD is Hawaiian: John Cruz, Robi Kahakalau, Sean Na'auao, Don Tiki, Te Vaka and JROQ.

"In recent years, dancing has become a spectator sport," Kunkel said. "Before TV, family entertainment was live, and dancing a communal experience. Today we watch other people dance. We judge on how special and intricate a performance is. As a result, dancing seems more and more complicated, and most people now claim they don't know how to dance."

Dancing should be as simple as moving to the music with spontaneity and joy, Kunkel believes.

MUVE is based on the principle that anyone can dance and formal choreography is unnecessary for the enjoyment of dance; all you need is to groove to the music.

"I don't like choreography because the brain gets too involved," Kunkel said. "I like to have a connection with the music and just live with it. I want the body to move with its own power."

"MUVE is nonthreatening because of its simplicity. The fact that nobody, including the teacher, will be watching is very comforting. After all, being scrutinized and evaluated has been the norm in our educational experiences," Kunkel said.

MUVE is not designed for dancers or those who already have a fitness regimen. Kunkel created it for those who might feel intimidated by a high-velocity workout program.

"I'm not targeting the people who are already exercising. They don't need me. It's for anybody," Kunkel explained. In fact, when the cameras started to run as Kunkel led her class for the DVD, she had no choreography in mind, she simply started to move to the music and the participants followed along — or did their own thing, as the spirit moved them.

"There was no preplanning. What you see on the video is a spontaneous action, with no cutting, no repeating, no choreography. That's the proof that you can do MUVE on the spur of the moment, with no training."

Kunkel, who is a graphic designer by profession, created for the DVD a simple series of graphic building blocks, in the form of dominoes with dots representing three basic steps: walk, tap and root. There are no voice commands on the DVD; she wanted the participants to hear the music without annoying voice interruptions. "The idea is to not have to talk, just to connect with the music. They can look at the screen if they feel they need some direction," she explained.

It's all about dancing like nobody's judging — and letting yourself move.