Why Young Boys Should Dance

As a mother of a nine year old son and a former Ballet dance student, I’ve always witness the lack of participation of boys in dance, particularly in Ballet. From a young age, boys are mainly enrolled into sports as a way to fuel their energy, while girls tend to start dance lessons. However, in the last fifteen years, I have observed an enormous participation of young girls in sports as well as a rapidly growing acceptance of women’s sports.

While there has been a considerable immersion of young girls into sports, there has not been the same progress with young boys into the dance arena. Probably, the main reason behind it is the perception that it’s an activity exclusively for girls. But what most people don’t know is that dancing can be as physically and mentally challenging as any sports. So let me fill you in on the many benefits of dance for boys. After reading this, you will realize that young boys are missing out on valuable skills!.

Some of the benefits of dance for boys are:

• Dance is a safe and constructive way to express their emotions: Dance doesn’t have the dangers of injuries resulting from body contact present in most sports. At the same time, it’s a constructive way of express their feelings and as an example just watch the movie Billy Elliott!.
• It teaches them control of their body: Dancing offers young boys the opportunity to be aware of their bodies and to multi task using their brains and body parts.
• Dance makes them more confident and improves their self-esteem: As young boys learn to know their own body, they become more confident and feel better about themselves.
• It teaches them respect: Dancing involves courtesy and consideration towards other people.
• Dance has multiple health benefits: Dance has many health benefits, such as improving body image, attentiveness, communication skills, as well as reduction of stress, fear and anxiety.
• It’s a nonthreating way to connect with girls in the teenage years.
• Dance provides them with a social advantage: A teenage boy who is a confident dancer has a social advantage over his less confident and able peers.

Dance can bring multiple benefits for young boys and while they may not see it, dance provides them with skills that will stay with them for a lifetime. As a dance expert says "Boys quickly learn that a lad who knows how to dance can get any girl in the room onto the dance floor!".

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my next weekly blog,

 Vanessa

Here is a link to my other blog: http://mypassionfordancing.blogspot.com/

Sources:

• Susan, N. (April 6, 2008). Encouraging Boys to Dance. Retrieved: May 21, 2015. From: http://www.danceadvantage.net/encouraging-boys-to-dance/
• Edgerly, S. (2009). Boys and Dance - Why All Boys Should Be Taught to Dance. Retrieved: May 21, 2015. From: http://ezinearticles.com/?Boys-and-Dance---Why-All-Boys-Should-Be-Taught-to-Dance&id=3205320

Health Benefits of Dance

You may not realize it but dance is a great way to keep your body and mind healthy. Among the many benefits dance can help you lose weight, increase flexibility, reduce stress, and make friends. Read on as we’ll look into some of the amazing health benefits of dance. I promise you, after reading this, you would want to start dancing right away!.

Some of the multiple physical and mental benefits of dance are:

• Boosts your memory: Dance boosts your memory and reduces the probability of developing dementia later on. Science has revealed that dance reverses the volume loss of the part of the brain that controls the memory (Hippocampus).
• Flexibility: Dance helps you to increase your body flexibility, ease joint pain and post exercise soreness.
• Stress relief: Dancing with a partner to the rhythm of music can help you to lower stress levels.
• Reduces depression: Dancing helps you to produce natural antidepressants (endorphins) while you are having fun.
• Helps your heart: Dance helps people with cardiovascular disease to improve their heart health, breathing, and their quality of life.
• Body weight: Dance training is a fun option to lose weight while increasing your aerobic power.
• Muscle tone: Dance requires fast pace movements involving difficult postures and muscle resistance.
• Posture: Dancing requires a good posture and helps you to develop a better control of your body balance.
• Energy levels: A weekly dance program can improve your physical performance and increase your activity levels.
• Make new friends: Dancing helps you to make new friends and become more socially engaged, which leads to increased happiness, reduce stress and a stronger immune system.

Whether it is ballet or ballroom, clogging or jazz, dance is great for helping people of all ages and physical abilities to exercise while having fun. So if you are tired of the treadmill and looking for a fun way to stay fit and healthy, it might be time to kick up your heels!.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my next weekly blog,

Vanessa
Here is a link to my other blog: http://mypassionfordancing.blogspot.com/

Sources: Knight, M. (ND). 9 Health Benefits of Dance. Retrieved: May 7, 2015. From: http://www.everydayhealth.com/fitness-pictures/health-benefits-of-dance.aspx

Ladock, J. (ND). Health Benefits of Dance. Retrieved: May 7, 2015. From: http://www.healthguidance.org/entry/10409/1/Health-Benefits-of-Dance.html

 

The Evolution of Dance

Dance has been a form of non-verbal expression and art since the origin of human history. Some people have referred to dance as a representation of desires, a ritual of foreplay and a link between movement and music.

Dance has evolved with history as a representation of the human instinct to express ourselves. There are many dancing styles that communicate different feelings at particular situations. For example, Folk dance is a form of representation of the different landmarks of life adding an element of entertainment. In short, dancing is considered a social activity where its participants and audience are able to share different feelings depending on the occasion.

In tribal societies, the purpose of dance was a ritual of pleasing or accompanying a rite of passage where dance and music begin as partners. In ancient civilizations, dancing followed religious rituals. For example, in Egypt, priests and priestesses, needed to perform movements which represented events of the story of a god, or imitate cosmic patterns, such as the rhythm of night and day. Ancient Greece sacred occasions, such as the games at Olympia, were inaugurated with dancing by the temple virgins. In India, the formalized hand movements of the priestesses in Hindu temples were described in documents from as early as the 1st century AD.

The element of entertainment in dancing was shown in some Egyptian paintings in 1400 BC and it was the foundation of public dance. Ballet dance had its origins in the European courts of the 15th century, where dancing and music created an elaborate spectacle. The first dance academy opened in Paris by 1661 and in 1681 Ballet moved from the courts to the stage. In the 19^th century, Romantic Ballet was introduced as a movement influenced by art and music. Today, ballet is multi-faceted, consisting in classical forms, traditional stories and contemporary ballet.

The 20th century was a period of change and creative growth for dancers and choreographers. It was also a time of shock, surprise and broadening of minds on dance for the public. The popularity of Jazz in the early 1920s produced a number of social dances, such as the Charleston. While South America brought the Argentine tango, the Brazilian Maxixe and Samba; and the Cuban Rumba, Conga, and Mambo.

Since the 1920s, the US has been the center of the development of different dancing stlyes. Some examples are: The Lindy Hop in the 1930s; the Boogie Woogie and Jitterbug in the 1940s; the Cha Cha and Rock 'n' Roll in the 1950s; the Twist, Frug and the Go-Go dances in the 1960s; the Disco dance in the 1970s; and the Hip-Hop in the 1980’s, which evolved into Break Dancing. Ballroom dancing and Tap dance have won popularity as entertainment and have been featured frequently in theatre, television and movies.

With the passage of time, dance has evolved into a more refined and formal structure, where different dance styles are identified by their particular rhythms and steps. In conclusion, dance has been and will continue to be a crucial part of our social existence.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my blog next week.

Vanessa

Here is a link to my other blog: My Passion for Dancing

Sources:

• Daruwalla, R. (June 02, 2009). The Evolution of Dance. Retrieved: April 23, 2015. From: http://ezinearticles.com/?The-Evolution-of-Dance&id=2422022
• Pittsburg Ballet Theatre. (ND). A Brief History of Ballet. Retrieved: April 23, 2015. From: http://www.pbt.org/community-engagement/brief-history-ballet
• Columbia University Press (2012). Dance in the Americas. Retrieved: April 23, 2015. From: http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/entertainment/dance-dance-americas.html

What Everybody Ought to Know About Dance Styles

With the outstanding popularity of dance competitions like “Dancing with the Stars” and “Do You Think You can Dance?”, viewers have had the opportunity to witness a variety of dance styles like Ballet, Ball Room and Hip Hop. Nowadays, thanks to these TV dance shows, the public has developed not only a familiarity with dancing styles but also a greater curiosity about them. So if you want to learn more about dance styles stay tuned because you are about to get the scoop.

Dance has always been an artistic expression where people discover their own identity and passion. It’s practiced by people from all over the world and over time it has developed into unique and distinctive forms. Here are some of the most popular dance categories:

• Ballroom dances: This trendy category includes social dances in which couples follow a conventional pattern of steps. Among them are the Waltz, Tango, Cha-Cha-Cha, Rumba, Mambo, Quick-Step, Jive, and Bolero.
• African-American and Traditional Jazz dances: These dances are centered on folk and social dance practice and include the Charleston, Swing, Tap dance, Moonwalk, and Boogie-woogie.
• Worldwide dance or Latin Dances: These styles are best known for its sensual hip action and sexy feel. Some good examples are the Salsa, Flamenco, Tango, Lambada, Polka, Folk and Belly dance.
• Professional Performance dance: These are concert dances performed for an audience, like the elegant Ballet, Contemporary dance, Modern dance, and Tap dance.
• Modern dance: These involve expressive dance movements based on abstract ideas. Among them are the House dance, Punk dance, Rave dance, Disco dance and Bollywood dance.
• Hip Hop and Funk dance: These are street dance styles performed to hip-hop music, like Breakdance, Bounce, Street Jazz, Locking, and Popping.

This was just a glimpse of the most popular dance categories but if you happen to be more curious about dance styles, check out this video. Dancing is entertaining. It’s passion for some people as well as profession for some. Whether you can or you can’t but you dance! Everybody does.

Thanks for reading and stay tuned for my blog next week,

Vanessa
 
Here is the link to my other blog: My passion for dancing


Sources:

• Bendinghaus, T. (ND). Types of Dance. Retrieved: April 16, 2015. From: http://dance.about.com/od/typesofdance/tp/Dance_Types.htm
• Lad, K. (December 30, 2011). Types of dancing and different dancing styles. Retrieved: April 16, 2015. From: http://www.buzzle.com/articles/types-of-dances-and-different-dancing-styles.html