Big Dance - Modern Dance

The Benefits of Dance, Part I

 I’ll admit it. Conscious, daily exercise rarely makes my top priority list for the day. Especially many of the more common exercise routines suggested by our society. The very idea of jogging implies torture, and I’m not crazy about biking either. I don’t get out and walk very often. Rollerblading ….yikes! Haven’t been on wheels since the teenage roller rink era, and even then I spent more time collapsed in a heap or all elbows and knees!  I like to walk, but always seem to have an excuse — not enough time, too hot outside, too cold, too wet. Aerobics……well, I actually do like aerobics when they are low impact and aren’t done in a room full of perfect size 6 women in tight lycra with snippy attitudes. But….try finding a place that fits the “if” part of that statement!  Not much of a motivator. In fact, with the best intentions, I did sign up for a gym membership one year. I spent one afternoon sweating it out with the  fashionable New York skinny minies who eyed me as if I was a side show at the circus. I never went back. Swimming would be great if my skin didn’t get all scaly from the chlorine pool.  I’ve become a couch potato. Or rather, an “armchair at a desk, in front of the computer” potato.  My mind is well toned and in peak condition, capable of leaping tall buildings in a single bound……my body is not. Simply put, I don’t get enough exercise. I bet I’m not alone either, am I?

         Over the years, the effects of this lack of regular exercise has taken its toll. I’m not talking about gaining weight and extra dress sizes, although that has happened too. No, I’m talking about that general lack of energy, good health and sense of  physical well being that should be the norm, rather than the exception in our lives. Sure,  I’m certainly not the energetic 18 year old that  I used to be, but that’s not the only explanation. There are three very common life-style factors that modern American living often produces that are detrimental to your health:  stress, unhealthy eating patterns, and not enough physical activity. And sure enough, more than anything, my personal situation comes down to my lack of exercise, and stressful, non-stop lifestyle. I drive everywhere and I don’t eat regularly or sensibly. My energy levels are far lower than they were, and everything feels generally sluggish. Sound familiar? Maybe you smoke, drink too much coffee, or stay up too late trying to get everything done, too. The fact of the matter is, we Americans have a terrible habit of treating ourselves badly. So what can we do? 

The number one factor in choosing an exercise that you are willing to stick to is that it must be something you enjoy doing. If  you don’t enjoy it, for whatever reason, you’ll be fighting yourself mentally and are less likely to continue long enough to reap any rewards without someone else pushing you all the time. (And who wants to be pushed? Personal trainers are great to a certain extent, but if you find yourself dreading the ordeal every day or three times a week, you are doing nothing but adding to your stress levels. Stress is very un-healthy. The objective is to become healthy.) So, maybe you like one of the activities I listed above. Then go for it! 

DANCE

       But if you are still searching around for a physical activity you’d enjoy, maybe dance is the key.  It certainly is one of the most appealing to me. I have a great time, and hardly notice that I’ve spent a half hour exercising. It helps that I’m a music fanatic too. I almost always have a CD spinning as I pound away at the computer. A passion for music — be it the strains of Bach, the rippling melodies of Enya, the Latin beat of the Gipsy Kings, or the latest pop tune — that’s the hobby that keep my days going. Dance is a natural extension of world beats and complex rhythms.  You don’t have to have a partner to dance, there are plenty of types of dance that can be done without one, like flamenco and belly dancing (both dance forms are very friendly to plus figures, too!). 

Maybe you don’t want to sign up for the local adult ballet class full of already svelte petites (and maybe you have the confidence to even do that!), but there are plenty of other types of dance that are less petite conscious and comfortable to the larger sized beginner. In many ways dance classes are less full of attitudes that make many main-stream gym and aerobic classes unfriendly to the unfit or heavy set beginner. Yes, the professional ballet world has and does produce unhealthy body attitudes, many times crossing into eating disorders to maintain waif like body types. But, most classes and venues at the beginning adult level have no such hang ups, especially the further away from classical ballet you get.

Jazz and modern are great, classroom taught dance forms that concentrate more on how your body moves than classical lines. In fact I’ve seen more than a few modern pieces that have used heavier body types to great advantage. Belly dance and flamenco look best with curvier figures, and some of the greatest legends are very curvy indeed. (I saw a well-loved belly dancing wife of a Tunisian pop star make a guest appearance in a Turkish nightclub one evening not very long ago. The place went wild. She, I’m guessing, was about 5′6″, apple shaped, and 250-300 pounds - and a stunning dancer.) I have yet to see any African or  Caribbean dance classes that aren’t full all different shapes and sizes. Rhythm and body articulation are the main focus here.  Body type is so rarely an issue in this dance form it’s refreshing. 

And of course there is my all time personal favorite: chair dancing — a close relative of car dancing. All it requires is a snappy tune that has you tapping out the rhythm with your toes, moving your head to the music and a few articulated upper body movements in time. This one, however, is usually best supplemented with real dance for some other part of the day to keep the body toned. But, I do assure you, it does help with that stiff neck and sore lower back if you’ve spent too much time in front of the blasted computer.

If you’ve got a partner, social dancing is even less body conscious. Salsa is more about attitude on that dance floor than anything else - in fact you can’t really do salsa successfully unless you are comfortable with and love your body. Swing is currently very popular in the U.S. with many clubs usually bent more on having an extraordinarily great time to some fun music. The focus is the dance and the music, not the body lines of the person doing the dancing. Even competitive ballroom dancers don’t have to be rail thin. Toned, yes.  Fit, yes. But all elbows, knees, and ribs, no. One of the top couples has a stocky female half who has feet of magic.

    So, if you want to go it alone, sign up with your significant other, or grab a bunch of girlfriends, there is plenty of choice!  If you don’t want to start out in public right away, there are even quite a few good video tapes around. Of course, there are health benefits from many other types of physical activity, I just can’t imagine them being anywhere near as much fun as dancing! Plus, once you’ve gained some skills, it’s a fabulous social skill and confidence booster!

The Benefits of Dance

~ You burn calories15 minutes of fast latin-american ballroom dancing (cha-cha, jive, merengue etc) burns an average of 104 calories. In comparison, running at 5 mph over the same time burns an average of 159 calories, and cycling at a leisurely pace burns about 74 .

~You’ll have improved posture, grace & carriage

You’ll find after some time spent learning to dance properly that you begin to stand taller, with your shoulders back, head held high. A heightened sense of your own body gives you a presence that is hard to ignore as your gestures gain grace. Clothing always hangs better, no matter what your body type, when you have good posture. Others will begin to notice as you project and live through your dance trained body. And you’ll notice that you feel better about yourself as you gain a deeper appreciation and understanding of your body and how it moves. All this, subtle though it may seem, could be the single most important change to your “look” and “style” — not the $200 dress you just bought at Macy’s. Anybody can do it, even if you think you have two left feet. All it takes is a little practice! And you’ll love the practice!
~ You’ll feel better “in yourself”

________________________________________________________________________Although dancing is a very natural form of exercise, as with all exercise, there is some risk involved, depending on the amount of oomph you put into it. If you have heart disease or other serious medical conditions that you believe may be effected by this type of exercise, consult your doctor before taking up dance as a new activity. Otherwise, keep the following points in mind:

Dance classes run in all areas of the country, some in professional dance studios, some in the the local community center, covering everything from ballroom and line-dancing to disco and flamenco. Wherever you are, you’re bound to find one near you. Or, if the only corner of the day you can find a little piece of time for yourself is the end of a very long work day or after the kids are tucked safely in bed, try out a tape or two in the quiet of your living room and see how you do spending a little time on you.
 

Click here for  plus-size apparel appropriate for dance and other active lifestyle activities.

For additional dance and fitness tape and DVD recommendations, see the Curvy Bookshelf.

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