Dancing is great for body, mind and spirit
How can any other passion or recreational activity compare with partner dancing, whether it be hot, energetic salsa or the more traditional ballroom?
Physical: Once my knees started to give me warnings about my lifetime of jogging, I had to think carefully about whether to continue pounding the pavements. Dancing is a great alternative that helps me keep up the much needed aerobic exercise. Haven't quite sussed how to replace the muscle toning, anaerobic exercise provided by the gym within a dance routine. Maybe lifting your partner above your head but that might be a bit extreme. Any ideas? There is plenty of support for the physical benefits of dance. http://www.danzalatina.co.nz/stretch-health-dance.htmlIntellectual: I am not as quick to learn as I used to be nor as quick as my younger fellow dance students. However 'use it or lose it' applies equally to the body and the brain. http://www.lifetimelearners.org/AdultLearning.htm Learning dance steps takes me a bit longer initially but gets easier as time goes on and I can apply some of the steps that initially appeared tricky into different routines and different dances. The endorphins that flow from that combination of the physical and the intellectual are great to experience. The ideal would be to spend a week on a dance holiday in some desirable location and lodge the dance moves more permanently into cell memory. This also avoids the problem of forgetting steps from one week to the next, but such an opportunity would be too blatant and commercial to mention on this blog.... oh ok then... www.dancetours.co.nz
Social: If you are at a dance venue it is easy for a dancer to ask another for a dance. It's safe for the female who knows that she is in a safe environment. Aria Nosratinia has some great guidance on dancing etiquette here http://www.utdallas.edu/~aria/dance/etiquette.html with some very helpful comments on that dance/romance boundary.
Sensual: Every dance partner is beautiful, regardless of age, size or skill level. I genuinely enjoy dancing with women who are as old as my mother, as well as those who are a lot younger. When it's all about the dance, age doesn't matter and some of the older women who danced in their youth have still not lost it. I also enjoy the challenge of dancing with someone who has just basic skills. The challenge for me is to establish that connection which involves taking my partner to, but not beyond her level of skill so that we both end up with an enjoyable experience. It is immediately apparent when I am dancing with someone who is more skilled than me, as she establishes that connection immediately which prompts me to try to give her the opportunity to dance at her best.
Chris Mitchell
www.dancetours.co.nz
