You will discover that you have a great array of choices when you make up your mind to get in shape. The challenge that a lot of people find is to find something that helps them to remain motivated long enough to genuinely feel the benefits. Oftentimes people will give up on their new exercise program before they experience results because they didn’t pick out something that they would continue to enjoy when it was no longer new and exciting. Maybe you have not thought about martial arts as a form of exercise you would like to pursue, but it is a really popular and readily available one. Keep reading to discover a number of the benefits you will experience when you engage in several forms of martial arts.
It’s an superb way to get healthy for sia licence training. Karate and Taekwondo are likely the most familiar when it comes to martial arts although they are generally more challenging disciplines to learn. When we say tougher, we mean that they are more geared to physical conditioning although there is always an element of mental conditioning as well. In most cases, people sign up for these types of classes because of the self-defense aspect which, of course, is a good reason to get involved. Still, following these training methods will unquestionably improve your general fitness and conditioning. This comes about as muscle strength and flexibility are needed to achieve a good fitness level.
In the martial arts classes, you will discover that you become stronger mentally and are excited to get to the next level of training. Being rewarded at each level with a variety of colored belts moptivates you to keep reaching for the ultimate desired black belt. If you wish, you can also get involved in competitions and this is yet another incentive to keep up with the training. In the end, by using these forms of martial arts you can expect to develop a strength and fitness level that are unmatched by other fitness disciplines.
Tai Chi and Chi Kung are less arduous kinds of martial arts that have benefits for your health such as higher energy and an overall sense of wellbeing. These martial arts types resemble meditation, as you will feel better mentally and see a decrease in stress levels after doing the physical movements. But you can also expect to improve your physique as these movements were created to help energy move through the body.
The improved feelings you see during your training will carry over into other aspects of your life. You may find that your personal and business relationships improve with the self-discipline and respect you learn. Following this training, which emphasizes both inner and outer strength, will help you feel healthier and more fit than you might if you followed a different kind of fitness regimen.
Thus, martial arts may be just the solution to help you improve both your physical fitness and self-confidence.
You’ve done it yet again - blown some money on sia licence training and still waiting for something? Wait - still holding out for some type of sign? You could have ended all that if you only understood about sia licence training.
Tags: Dance & fitness
Swing dancing was developed in America, and is also known as the Jitterbug. There was actually a dance scene to a song called The Jitterbug that was cut out of the movie The Wizard of Oz. One line remains in the movie where the Wicked Witch says, “I’ve sent a little insect on ahead to take the fight out of them.” Dorothy and friends get bitten and dance themselves to exhaustion singing, “Keep away from The Jitterbug!” This dance occurred just before the flying monkeys arrive to attack the little group.
Swing dancing derived from the Lindy Hop in 1927 but was looked down upon by professional dance organizations. They called it a “fad that would not last out the winter” and the kids who danced it “victims of economic instability.” But the dance grew in popularity until the dance bureaucrats could no longer ignore it. So the organizations ended up accept this dance but on their terms.
Professional dance organizations eventually created their own version of the Lindy Hop because they were unable to conquer the Lindy Hop and in 1942 they went public with their version. They simplified the steps and combined it with the Foxtrot to make it teachable and to reduce the amount of dance floor space needed. But even though they essentially change the dance completely, they kept the names Lindy and Jitterbug because that’s what people were willing to pay for to learn.
The refined version created by the ASTD is what we call the East Coast Swing today. The terms Swing and Jitterbug were somewhat generic, so there was no need to define “East Coast Swing” until the “West Coast Swing” was developed on the West Coast (of course). Some people claim that the soul of Swing was removed when it was revised, but that is patently false. The soul of a dance is what you put into it, not the arrangement of steps. In the 1950’s the Jitterbug was all the rage whether it was danced to Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, or a traditional Swing orchestra.
The East Coast Swing has a single and triple step versions and the steps usually start on the downbeat. And believe it or not, the triple step version is easier to learn because it keeps your feet moving. But whether single or triple step, remember that you are dancing history in the making.
Tony and Melanie have been dancing, teaching and developing amazing choreography for over 30 years. The operate NYC’s premier dance center If you interested in learning more history of any dances make sure you check out their website. They are now teachingdance lessons in NYC. This article, Where did the East Coast Swing come from? is available for free reprint.
Tags: Dance & fitness
Ideally, you must do some stretching after your warm-up session, in between your workout sets, and straight after a workout session. After all , flexibility makes up one-third of well balanced fitness and health program, with strength training and cardiovascular making up the other two-thirds. Sadly, just a few people actually spend enough time on stretching exercises. In reality many exercisers skip stretching altogether, thinking that it is not that significant. What you do not realize is that you're doing your body a serious disservice when you fail to stretch properly.
You are largely putting yourself in danger for muscle injury, limiting the range of motion of your muscles, and promoting muscle tenderness and stiffness.
Due to time constraints, it is understandable that many people can't perform stretches before, in-between, and after their exercise programs. If this is the case, then you can get rid of stretching in-between sets. Nonthlesess, the significance of stretching shouldn't ever be overlooked in any Workout System.
you need to still make sure that you stretch shortly after warming up and cooling down. You need to commit at least ten minutes to your stretching exercises and make sure that you stretch all the muscles that you are going to be targeting for that exercise session. If some of your muscles remain a bit sore from your prior workout, then you may stretch those muscles also.
You need to also remember that your workout sessions are not the only times you need to stretch. In fact , you would do well to do some stretching many times during the daytime, particularly if you have been standing or sitting for extended periods. These stretches don't have to be the same ones you do during your workouts, of course. They can be simple stretches directed at taking away the kinks you typically get when you stay in one position for too long. And if you could commit an hour every week to stretching exercises (you could do Yoga poses), then your body is bound to reward you with bigger range of motion, smoother movements, and far less morning rigidity.
If You Are Focused Regarding Discovering How To Build Muscle Fast Get Clued Up About The Amazing Back Exercises To Perform At Home. Certain To Get You Ripped, Fit And Bristling With Dense Striated Muscle.
Tags: Dance & fitness
From the dawn of time people have been dancing. It’s a part of who we are and it’s a part of our society. In ancient times dance was mainly connected with rituals, religion, and ceremonials. Today we do it mainly for fun, because we enjoy it, because it makes us feel good. In this article we’ll take a quick look at the history of ballroom dancing.
It all began in Europe, in the 18th and 19th century. The upper classes were looking to entertain themselves and they found what they were looking for in ballrooms. Ballroom is nothing but a large room in which balls are held. What is a ball? A social event where the main activity is dancing. The word ball actually comes from the Latin word “ballare”, which means to dance.
Before the age of radio and television balls were important social events. In the early twentieth century they become very popular, not only for the upper classes, but for the whole of society. In 1904 the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing was established. After the World War I ballroom dancing really took off.
The modern styles are quite standardized and are danced both socially and competitively. Competitive dancing is actually a very demanding sport.
Ballroom dances can be broken down into two basic styles. One is the American style (American Smooth and American Rhythm) and the other is the International style. You probably guessed that American style arose in the US and Canada. International style is further divided into Standard and Latin. American and International styles are similar, but International allows only closed dance positions.
Standard dances include Waltz, Foxtrot, Tango, QuickStep, and Viennese Waltz. Latin dances include Cha-Cha, Rumba, Samba, Paso Doble, and Jive. They are all different, with specific techniques, tempos, and rhythms, but they all have something in common - they are partner dances.
Today, ballroom dancing in all its forms enjoys wide popularity throughout the world. No wonder - it’s elegant, it’s sociable, it’s fun. And it’s here to stay.
With the right instructions ballroom dance can be learned relatively quickly. If you want to learn how to foxtrot or anything else, take a look at dance instruction videos.
Tags: art, ballroom dance, dance, Dance & fitness, dancing, entertainment, recreation, sport
While I’m not a newbie to dancing in general, I am to Zouk…but I love it!
Ever since I saw Kadu & Larissa perform at the 2010 Sydney Salsa Congress, I’ve been taken by it’s beauty and sensuality - and despite other friends light-heartedly describing it as looking as though the female is stoned, I haven’t stopped watching that performance on you tube (see below) and have wanted to learn ever since.
Unfortunately Newcastle (where I live), doesn’t have any classes in Zouk, but as it happened a friend from here had done a few classes with “Step Up” in Sydney and so one weekend when we were heading down to “Noche de Fuego”, a Salsa party in Sydney, we went early so we could do a class. It was lots of fun and all 3 of us that went together said we were keen to learn more and perhaps even get a social night going in Newcastle if we could convince a few more people to learn.
That following week or the week after I got a message about a new 4-week beginners course starting (the class we dropped into was actually the next level up - and whilst I picked it up ok due to lots of other dance experience, I wanted to make sure I had the fundamentals right). As Sydney is about 2 hours away on a good run, a regular weekly class is often a little hard to commit to, especially on a weeknight (Monday night) as with a 7pm start there is not enough time to get there after work because the trip takes longer due to busier traffic. BUT…I thought that given it’s only a short course it was a bit easier to commit to, and decided to give it a go. I didn’t make the first class because there wasn’t enough time for me to arrange leaving work early, but I attended class last week, and again last night, and I really can’t wait to keep learning and getting to the point where I know enough to really get into it socially. (Once the beginners course is over I’ll go to the next level, but probably won’t make every week - but at least there is also a Saturday class, which means I can make a weekend or a day trip out of my Sydney visit, rather than a rushed trip.)
Now to the Kadu & Larissa video - I have watched this so many times & I don’t get sick of it!! I hope maybe to take a trip to Qld and do some classes with them either later this year or next year.
If you’re into Zouk, please share your thoughts, and if you’ve got any music suggestions, as I want to build my collection - I love the music.
Tags: brasilian dancing, brazilian dancing, partner dancing, Zouk, Zouk Dancing
Hi! I’ve been out dancing this afternoon and evening and have an early start so just a quick note to let anyone in Syndey, Australia know that Chunky Moves is performing “Mortal Engine” 5-15 May (i.e. only a few shows left).
Unfortunately I won’t make it to see a show, but keen to hear what others who could/can think. If you go, would love for you to post a review!
Happy dancing!
Bec
Tags: Chunky Moves, Chunky Moves Mortal Engine, contemporary dance performance
Well well…It would seem that I have been busy actually dancing lately that I haven’t posted for a while.
Here’s a little something to keep you going - an article I found that gives another persons perspective on dance and it’s benefits.
Dance is hands down one of the best forms of exercise that you can do. Not only is it an intense physical workout, but it also keeps your mind active and it is interesting and fulfilling to be able to express yourself with your body. There are many types of Kansas city dance lessons that you can take to get your exercise and meet your own individual interests.
With dancing you get a cardio workout, but you also develop and tone muscles that you didn’t even know that you had. The different movements in dance work your whole body while developing long and lean muscle fibers instead of the bulky type that are typical of weights.
Another aspect to dance is that it also makes your mind agile. There have been many studies which have shown that dancing is even more effective than crossword puzzles at warding off alzheimers disease and dementia. Because you have to follow patterns and combinations of dance steps when you are dancing it works the brain in a way that few other exercises can even come close to. An additional benefit is that the exercise and creativity combined mean that dancing is a very effective anti stress tool.
There are loads and loads of different dance styles that you can try. You can do individual dancing, couple dancing or group dancing. You might have preferences for different styles and what suits you will be a very personal thing.
People that really want to get sweaty and build up cardio fitness might like to try Zumba. This is a combination of Latin dance and aerobics that is a lot of fun while being very active. Other Latin dance styles include salsa, merengue, samba and cumbia. You can find these Kansas City dance lessons throughout town. There is also Latin ballroom, which is a more disciplined dance style.
Besides Latin, there are many other dance lessons that you might enjoy taking. Some of the choices include: ballet, tap, contemporary, lyrical, jazz, African, ballroom, jive, lindy hop, mambo and so on.
Dancing is an incredible body workout that also delivers stress relief and mental benefits as well. There are many different types of Kansas City dance classes to match your interests and workout needs.
Looking to find the most complete information on Kansas City salsa dance lessons?
Tags: benefits of dance, dance, Dance & fitness, performing arts, Zumba
About one and a half to two months ago I started doing yoga. I had been at a dance class talking with a friend (also a dancer/dance teacher) about how much I needed something to stretch out and release tension, and it was just perfect timing that she had come across a pamphlet for a new yoga studio that had opened up locally. Even better was that the studio, “Hot Power Yoga”, is set-up to heat the room for classes, which means you really work up a sweat and your core temperature rises, and muscles are warmed-up a lot quicker, allowing great flexibility and release of tension and blockages in the body. The reason this was great news is that for quite some time I had been keen to try yoga in a heated room, but there was never anywhere in Newcastle to do it. Now this opportunity had just arisen at the perfect time and to sweeten it even further, Hot Power Yoga were offer unlimited classes for the first 10 days at only $19 for new students - an introductory offer that was simply irresistible. In the first 10 days I think I managed to attend 6 or 7 times, and have been hooked since then!
At the end of last year I had injured my back and as well as pain, my flexibility had decreased as a result (flexibility in my back as well as hamstrings tightening). When I sat on the floor with my leg stretched out front together I could barely lean forward without substantial pain. After only 3 or 4 yoga sessions I was already back down to chest on legs and the feeling of freedom in my hips has been amazing!!
The reason I’ve brought this up, is because I believe that a dancer can benefit greatly from “conditioning” their bodies via avenues outside of a standard dance class alone. Not as a replacement or substitute for specific dance training, but a supplement to enable further advances in flexibility and strength (among many other things); to retrain static or dynamic alignment; and to prevent burnout.
Yoga is one of the avenues I like to pursue to help condition my body. There are of course other ways too. But at this point I’d just like to point out the difference between the conditioning I am talking about and general fitness activities (note: conditioning is the word I like to use, and these are my own views as to what it refers to - I’m not saying it’s right or wrong, just my opinion so if you think with other terms or jargon that’s ok). Yes it’s ok to have other fitness interests and to be involved in various types of cardio training, but the “conditioning” I am referring to at the moment requires activities that are similar enough to the type of movements you would do when dancing - or if conditioning yourself for a different sport or athletic pursuit, the conditioning should appropriately mimic those movements or types of movement so that the strength (for example) you’re developing is functional.
For example, if you’re a dancer wanting to improve the height and amount of time you can hold a leg extension from a developpe - it would be fair to assume you may need to improve your leg strength (other factors such as muscle endurance also come into play too, this is just a starting point). While various weights exercises at a gym, e.g. leg presses, may work on strengthening certain leg muscles, they are training the muscle in a different way and therefore will not necessarily help your developpe…in fact if you focus on exercises that shorten or bulk your muscles you may find this counter-productive.
Pilates is another method popular for conditioning a dancers body. Alternatively your regime could start as simply as getting you own theraband to provide resistance as you perform various basis movements. This is particular useful in conditioning as it helps a dancer train dynamically (static strength and flexibility can vary greatly to dynamic strength and flexibility - e.g. some people can sit in “splits” but can’t kick there leg up as high or get a perfect line in a jete.
Finally one other thing which I am not really sure whether to include as part of conditioning or instead to call it part of “caring” for your body.
I find getting regular or semi-regular massages really useful in releasing my muscles and joints. I find massages help me to feel rejuvenated and prevent bad alignment problems or chronic muscular problems that could result from the inevitable compensating game that parts of the body play to try to protect other sore and tired parts.
I’d love to hear from other dancers and get your opinion on this topic.
Below is a little bit on resources if you want to know more about Power Yoga, Conditioning for Dance or are looking to get your hand on a theraband (latex exercise band) so you can get started on your own conditioning regime
Power Vinyasa Yoga was developed by Baron Baptiste in the 1980s. I’ve created a link for you if you want to check out some Baron Baptiste Resources
There are also plenty of other Power Yoga
As I’ve only recently commenced my yoga practice, I haven’t yet had a look at any of these books or DVDs, but I am planning to start my collection. If you have already read or watched one, please post your review. I’ll do the same as I work my way through.
Now there are probably some of you who would like to try out Power Yoga but aren’t really into the “home practice” thing. If you happen to live in Newcastle, NSW, Australia then I can recommend Michael, Erin and Karl at Hot Power Yoga. Go to http://www.hotpoweryoga.com.au for more info about class timetables and pricing as well as some basics about Power Yoga and it’s benefits.
If you live elsewhere in Australia or around the world, just search online for classes in your area - try search terms such as “Power Yoga” or “Power Vinyasa Yoga” or “Baron Baptiste Yoga”.
Similarly you could do the same for Pilates classes or Pilates
Or…you could just get one or more Theraband
Well that’s all for now…off to Yoga in the morning at 6:15am so don’t want to make it too late a night. Please send through your thoughts on conditioning and any books or other resources you recommend/don’t recommend.
Tags: Baron Baptiste, conditioning for dance, Conditioning for dancers, dance exercises, dance training, Hot Power Yoga, Pilates for dancers, Power Vinyasa Yoga, power yoga, Theraband exercises
So on tonight’s dance classes menu was contemporary and latin ( a two hour half/half classes of Bachata and Salsa).
I’ve already talked about Salsa recently in my last post, so tonight I’m reflecting more on the contemporary class…it was good! I was pretty tired so by no means was it my best dancing ever, but I felt good in my body and had a good level of body awareness during class (I really think the yoga I’ve been doing lately has been helping me greatly in so many ways - including this heightened awareness of body during stillness and movement).
It’s an open class (at Pivot Studio, in Newcastle) so the experience and skill levels are fairly varied, but everyone just works where they are at, and the teacher (Janice) will give feedback accordingly. I’m really enjoying the piece we’ve been working on the past couple of weeks as it has a good combination of fast and slow movements; standing and floor work; technical versus emotive actions…it’s one of those dances where you can connect your body and feeling through the music…had you ever had that experience when sometimes you don’t connect as much with a piece and it starts to feel like you are just doing moves rather than really dancing; or if you aren’t being pushed you get a little complacent and “disconnect” so to speak or don’t challenge yourself to reach your potential?
Well the fact that this dance did stir something up in me made me reflect on these circumstance and gave me the idea to speak to one of my friends I dance with. We’ve had a few discussions and both know that sometimes it can become easy to get in a rut and stay at one level when you’re in a class of people less experienced than yourself, because you can manage to look proficient and pull out nice lines and quality of movement without a great deal of effort. We’ve also both agreed that is not what we want for ourselves - I still want to develop myself so much more and so does she.
We both have said that when we started dancing together in classes it had a positive impact due to the healthy competitive spirit it awoke it us - all of a sudden we had someone else to benchmark against - someone to observe and learn from - someone we didn’t want to outdo us too much! Fortunately in our case the competition has had a positive affect - because we’ve chosen to feel inspired and encouraged by each other, rather than threatened or disheartened. Have you ever stopped to think how you react to having “competition” in your classes?
Anyway, so I asked my friend last week to let me know whenever she has feedback or constructive suggestions for me, and she said the same back…I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of it as I think it will be great to have an outside eye with different thoughts, beliefs and background circumstances and education to enrich who I am as a dancer - kind of like how you develop exponentially when you are exposed to multiple different teachers of the same style .
There are also some other potentially exciting developments in the pipeline for my friend and I…but too early to discuss now.
In the meantime, three cheers for embracing some friendly competition, but always keep in mind that even though if you taking your dancing seriously at a competitive, semi-professional or professional level you’re going to be pitted against or compared with others day-in-day-out, you’re ultimately competing against yourself…forever working on improving yourself!
Tags: contemporary dance, contemporary dance classes, contemporary dancers, semi-professional dancers
He was born as Fred Austerlitz near the turn of the century and is considered to be one of the greatest tap dancers that ever lived. Having performed on Broadway, he brought a great deal of grace and style to bear that greatly influenced how future dancers would view their work.
He performed first on Vaudeville with his sister, Adele. After she married and retired from the stage, he went on to concentrate on working in film. Despite less than stellar screen tests, he was able to get RKO studio Head of Production, David O. Selznick to take a chance on him. Fred Astaire turned this opportunity into a string of successful movie appearances, some of which included him performing with Ginger Rogers.
Though Fred Astaire always appeared to be improvising his steps, dancers that worked with him revealed that he actually spent countless hours choreographing each of his movements. Because his movies earned so much money, he was given complete choreographic autonomy. Taking advantage of this freedom, he introduced innovations to how dancers were shown on film, demanding that the entire body be included in each frame without having the camera switch to closeups of the face, feet, or anything else. Moreover, Fred Astaire felt that it was important that dance moved the plot of the film forward, rather than just featuring the moves. Pulling together dance steps and acting made the segments more appealing to Depression-era audiences. Through his incredible genius he became a leader in making tap an important part of Hollywood productions!
Fred Astaire died of pneumonia on June 22, 1987. He was interred wearing a smoking jacket, black pants, and patent leather shoes. Fred Astaire’s life will likely never be portrayed on film as this would be against his wishes. He felt that any such portrayal would misinterpret his life and fail to honor his truth. Footage of him dancing was allowed to be used in a Dirt Devil vacuum commercial in accord with his wish that he only be seen dancing with an electrical appliance after his death.
Fred Astaire’s impact on the world’s of dance and film cannot be denied. He was a true film legend!
See Fred Astaire and many of the fastest tap dancers that ever lived at www.FamousTapDancers.com. It’s a great collection of tap video clips that will keep you enthralled for hours
Tags: actors, american history, artists, arts, Celebrities, Dance for Children, dancers, entertainers, entertainment, famous dancer, film, Fred Astaire, history, humanities, movies, tap dancers