Gesture

I have been working on a series of hands, I have been studying the form on and off now for a few months and I have been satisfied with how I have been portraying hands up until now. However I've fallen into a bit of a gestural slump. My current hand kick was inspired by a visit to the Rodin Museum (which you should all check out, its awesome) and the rest of the Philadelphia Museum of Art (also awesome). Seeing Rodin's hands got me thinking about how expressive hands can be, but in photographing my own hands it often becomes difficult to fully manipulate the gesture and compose at the same time. I have recently been enthralled with the idea of photographing dancers, who express with their entire bodies. Dancers have been subject matter for painters, like Degas, or photographers, like Joe McNally. I however have never quite been able to approach dancers and ask if I could photograph them. I just don't have that many dancer friends but I do see a solution here.
I think I need to, as my one friend would put it, "grow a pair" and ask them.