DanceSport Place News Blog

New Year’s Resolution: Get fit, get social, get happy--Get Dancing! Part III

Thu, 31 Dec 2009 13:09:57 -0800

3. Ballroom dance as a vehicle to reduce stress

Physical activity in general helps to reduce stress. According to an research from the Mayo Clinic, endorphins increase with exercise, mood is improved and the act of focusing on the task at hand helps to reduce stress that has accumulated throughout the day. But partner dancing adds two other unique elements that further just the exercise benefit alone--the addition of music and physical contact. Both have been proven to provide calm and lessen anxiety and even have physical benefits, such as lowering blood pressure. Social interaction is show to help you think better, and therefore aids in decision making, which is often clouded when one is over stressed. Even more incredible news to the long term effects of ballroom dance were covered in a study published in the June 19, 2003 issue of New England Journal of Medicine which states that people who ballroom dance twice a week are less likely to develop dementia. But although science and research can prove that these things bring relief for the depressed, worried and overwhelmed, real life experience is the true testimony to prove that dancing just makes you feel better!
What other pastime brings together three proven stress relievers--physical activity, music therapy and social interaction? So, if you’re looking to make a positive change for yourself this year, get to the dance studio or dance club and make this the year your resolutions stick!

New Year’s Resolution: Get fit, get social, get happy--Get Dancing! Part II

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:09:08 -0800

2. Ballroom dancing as the vehicle to improve relationships:

Over the many years of experience we’ve had teaching dance, we’ve not come across one person who has not bettered their relationships or how they relate to others from ballroom dancing. It might seem like an unlikely side effect from dancing, but it is such a wonderful thing to see the transformation of a shy, self-conscious person become assured, or a husband and wife stuck in a rut find spark their relationship, or a single person find their match on the dance floor.

For married folks, there is something to be said about the power of the roles used in ballroom dancing. There can be only one leader on the floor! In life, roles of men and women have become less defined and many responsibilities are shared, but on the dance floor, each partner must perform their own specific important role and not take over the other! For many couples, this is a tough switch, as the lady often wants to direct the dancing, especially as the man is often a bit slower on the uptake (but not for long!). Once she relaxes into the confidence that her man can and will do the leading, they find the blissfulness of teamwork. With the job of leading placed squarely on the man, he feels powerful, assertive and important. And this newfound ability to succeed as a team, translates over into life off of the dance floor. Romance is revived and date night is no long the stale dinner and a movie, but a night of flying around the dance floor in each other’s arms.

Are you looking to meet new people this year? If you’re new to the area, or have been so consumed by work that your social circle has dwindled, or if you’re shy and find it hard to meet others who share your interests, you’ll find fascinating, fun loving people from all walks of life on the dance floor. People who ballroom dance are looking to enjoy themselves in a healthy and positive way. Sounds like good people so far! But even more so, the unique character of ballroom dance is that you must be willing to interact with others; as they say, it takes two to tango. So, the people you’ll meet through dancing (for the most part) are willing to share a moment of dance together with you. It forces you to interact and others to interact with you. You’ll already be sharing an interest in the same activity and the more you show up to dances, classes or the club, the more others will become familiar with you and friendships can grow. Over the years of our teaching experience, we’ve seen our students and the students of other teachers become friends outside of the dance studio and have enduring friendships last through the years, both couples and singles.
If you still need a little help to get motivated in this area, check out our previous blogs on social dancing.
The first steps to widening your social circle might just start with a step inside the dance studio.....

If you’re looking for a special someone, you find that through dancing as well. Again, as mentioned above, you’re looking for someone with whom you can share an interest. And there are not many other activities that you can do which will pair you up with a new member of the opposite sex every 2 1/2 minutes! Of course you can go to a disco-tech/meat market, where everyone is ogling each other, but going to a nightclub for partner dancing, or taking a group class or attending a studio party for that matter is a completely different approach. When you’re dancing, you can get a pretty good insight to the kind of person you’re with. Are they courteous to others? Positive and encouraging? Striving to improve themselves? These are qualities for both a good dance partner and date. When dancing, you have an immediate “in” to talk with others and when necessary, and immediate “out” when it’s time to move on for the next dance! If you’re in a large metropolitan area, scope out the different dance “worlds”, like Argentine Tango, Lindy, or Salsa, to see if you have more in common with one group or another. Of course to avoid coming off as an opportunist, it is very important that you actually develop your dance skills and take pleasure in dancing as a hobby in of itself. You’ll find others are more attracted to you when you are sincere in your motives and genuinely enjoying yourself.

New Year’s Resolution: Get fit, get social, get happy--Get Dancing! Part I

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:06:19 -0800

1. Ballroom dancing as the vehicle to lose weight

Ballroom has it all! It is a low impact exercise, combining a cardio workout with muscle strengthening and toning. It creates long, lean physiques and improves your posture, which in turn, improves your health and appearance. Due to the variance of the types and speeds of the dances, you can also develop your balance, flexibility and tone your entire body, all in a fun enjoyable way. Did you give up your last attempt at a consistent workout because you didn’t have a training buddy? It won’t happen with ballroom--there’ll be a whole dance floor full of training partners!
If you’re a fan of “Dancing with the Stars”, you’ll have seen firsthand how dancing can reshape a body and improve fitness. Hardly a star has appeared on the show who hasn’t attested to the fact that dancing has helped them lose some serious weight and put on muscles. The most recent vice-champion celeb, Mya, had this to say about her experience on the show, “My body has gotten more toned,” she told Life & Style when rehearsals for the show began. “I’m seeing a lot more definition, especially in my arms.”
Third place finalist Kelly Osborne has reportedly lost about 20 lbs during her time on the show. She said of her recent weight loss, 'It’s so amazing, I’ve tried so many stupid fad diets to try to lose weight, when all I needed to do was start dancing.’
Young, old, male or female, stars of every variety agree that ballroom dancing has taken their fitness and physiques to new levels. How about you get in on those kind of results too?

If you want to increase your cardio fitness and lose weight, take some salsa or swing lessons and hit the clubs. Nothing will get you fitter faster or in a more fun way than moving to uptempo exhilarating music for a couple of hours. You’ll be having so much fun, you’ll not even think about that fact that you’re burning calories, which BTW is over 300 calories/hour for a 125 lb person.

Now in addition to all that cardio, you’ll want to define and develop your body to dance better and build muscles that will in turn help you burn even more calories and strengthen your bones at the same time. Take some private lessons and to take it to the next level, ask to be trained as if you were going to compete (maybe you’ll end up doing that too--next year’s resolution: try something daring!). When you tell an instructor you’d like to train seriously, they will hone in on working the different parts of your body and you’ll start to see results, like improved upper body tone (working on frame), stronger legs, feet and ankles (focusing on rise and fall), whittling the middle and hips (developing Latin hip action), and elongated spine and toned core (concentrating on posture).

Practice makes perfect and a plan puts in into action, so you’ll need to do both if you have a mind to make those resolutions stick this year. Pick one of these four plans to solidify your commitment:

Plan A:
Investigate your local ballroom studios. Find one that suits your needs, like convenient location (so you can’t make the excuse that it’s out of the way), reasonable prices (so you’ll not overextend yourself or give it up due to cost) and comfortable atmosphere (so you’ll look forward to going). Once you’ve chosen the place, now set up your plan. Ask for a group class schedule and with the guidance of the studio to pick an appropriate class, sign up for a weekly class for the month. It’ll be at the same time each week, so you can plan ahead to be available. Ask if you can practice after the class for 20 minutes, so you’ll invest in your progress. Now you’ve planned for a class and some review/practice time once a week.

Plan B:
Check out the local nightclubs featuring group lessons before the club opens for dancing. Many times the class is free with club admission or is inexpensive. You’ll be learning with people who are planning to stay and dance at the club, so you’ll meet some potential partners for the evening. Take the class and stay for the dancing. Make a commitment with yourself that you will attend the class and club every week for the next 6 weeks. In 6 weeks, you’ll be impressed with how far you’ve come and chances are you’ll keep at it!

Plan C:

Research local qualified instructors in your area. Call a few and discuss your goals before choosing one to work with. Schedule a private lesson for the first week of January. If you like the teacher and your lesson, ask to purchase a package of 5 lessons in advance. Now you’ll be committed to take those lessons and by taking one private a week, in just 6 weeks, you’ll be proud of your achievement and probably excited to continue.

Plan D:
To get fit faster, combine two or more of the plans!

Okay, now you’re set! 2010 will be the year you took the steps to better fitness and accomplished it through ballroom dance! But having improved physical condition is not the only benefit to ballroom. Read on to see how dancing can help you check off more resolutions on your list:

New Year’s Resolution: Get fit, get social, get happy--Get Dancing!

Wed, 30 Dec 2009 23:02:28 -0800

New Year’s is coming around yet again and it’s time to take a look back at the year...so, how did you do with your 2009 resolutions? Chances are you started Jan.1 2009 off with a bang; you were determined, gung-ho, ready for action and change. Then, the first weekend of the year came and you slipped a bit. Oh well, back on the horse to make those resolutions, like getting healthy, or meeting new people become a reality. But, by the end of January, you probably had fallen off the horse one too many times to get back on, and as February rolled around, pretty much forgot about those commitments you so passionately resolved to accomplish back on New Year’s Eve.

Now, here you are once again stating down another new year, but this time, you vow, it’ll be different. Will it? Will you be different? You can make those changes you’re dreaming about become a reality, but it won’t just be because the date changes. It has to come from you!!!

The top resolutions are the same every year:
• Lose weight (or get in shape)
• Improve relationships (meet new people, meet someone special, improve marital relations)
• Become more positive (reduce stress, get happy)

How can you accomplish those things? Well first, you have to find a vehicle in which you can do them i.e. where can I meet new people who share my interests, what fitness program can I start that I’ll be able to stick to, how can I lift my outlook?
Lucky for you, there is ballroom dancing!

Before we tackle how dancing will help you do those things, the second thing needed to make resolutions stick is your determination. It is easier to get determined when you look forward to doing something, so that is why it is so important that the vehicle you’ve chosen to reach those goals is one you enjoy, can do easily enough and is readily available. Having a plan in place also firms up your determination, as there is no excuse to not do something when you’ve laid out a plan to accomplish it.

In the next three posts, you’ll see how to make this year the year of fulfilled resolutions, but making ballroom dancing part of your life. Read on....

“Funkytown” Movie Preview Just Released

Mon, 28 Dec 2009 11:21:45 -0800

Get a sneak peak of the new movie “Funkytown”, a disco era movie set in Montreal. Erik and Melissa Cyr worked with one of the stars, Justin Chatwin, last summer preparing him for his role as disco dancing Tino. Renowned choreographer and judge of “So You Think You Can Dance”, Jean Marc Genereux was the choreographer for the movie, which was filmed in Canada. With Erik as assistant choreographer/coach and Melissa as rehearsal partner here in LA, Mr. Chatwin was able to learn the dance portion of his role locally before heading to Montreal for the filming.

Although we’d seen pieces of the dance scenes pre-editing, we were thrilled to see glimpses of them packaged together with clips of the movie in the exciting preview. “Funkytown” will not be released until later this year on December 17, 2010, but seeing the trailer will entice you get to theatre when it does open. We’ll keep you posted on any further news!