Tightens leg and thigh muscles
12th of 20 reasons why dancing is great for your well-being. Here's the full list.
It is stunning to watch good dancers who appear to float around the room while ballroom dancing. We know that this is achieved by the discipline of the rise and fall during the dance. Getting control of leg and thigh muscles to achieve this does not just happen without practice.
It is possible to practice at anytime while standing still. Standing flatfooted and rising and lowering on your toes is a gym exercise but how much more interesting to do it with your imaginary dance partner while standing at the kitchen sink; waiting for a bus (when did I last do that??); in the lift; in the shower.... There are plenty of places to practice the rise and fall and tighten the leg and thigh muscles in the process.
Here's an article on stretching
http://www.cmcrossroads.com/bradapp/docs/rec/stretching/
..and here's one on the benefits of dance including physical benefits.
http://living.scotsman.com/health.cfm?id=92892007
A quote from a compilation of Tom Parsons, used with permission http://www.dancer.com/tom-parsons/quotes.html
I was a ballerina. I had to quit after I injured a groin muscle. It wasn't mine.
--Rita Rudner
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Chris Mitchell
www.dancetours.co.nz
How do dancers bridge the divide from being at the stage of learning a routine a week say, to being able to have a repertoire that enables both yourself and your partner enough variation in a dance of 3-5 minutes?
It's struck me as a male, that the lead's ability to interlink learnt moves (and remember them!!) is a vital part, but not always focused on in intermediate lessons.
Any ideas?
One bluesky thought I had (if it's even feasable) would be to use something like the technology behind musicplasma - or more generally information linked visualisation, to be able to give hints as to possible linking moves, options you have. Through practising those optinos you'd reinforce them -
From a person who's had a lead mind-blank a few times going what next? it seems a potential area for development of dance tution.
(Comment this)
Your comment is timely and I relate to it strongly. You will see that I have responded on my next blog entry and I look forward to any insights that others may have. Thanks for your thoughts.
Chris (Comment this)