What do you immediately think of when someone says dance? Many people would think of ballet or ballroom dancing, the more sophisticated and graceful dance types. And some maybe would think of hip hop which is a quite quick and creative dance type, but not all these dances are enjoyed by everyone. However dance has developed more over the last years with loads more genres and styles that could fit anyone. Dance has become very popular over the years quite quickly as it is; an enjoyable activity that improves fitness, an easier way for others to express their feelings, many cultures expressing themselves through dance.
First of all Zumba, created around keeping people fit while not having too much experience with dance techniques, acts as a full body workout, engaging almost every muscle group of the body in a smooth, comprehensive fitness regimen. This makes the workout more efficient and helps you with creating a completely toned body, just like a professional dancer. It also builds up endurance as it’s usually a standard hour-long class that keeps the body moving quickly which builds strength through most of the time with short breaks. Essentially its a series of moves which keep up to a fast tempo of the music.
A local dance instructor quoted shared her view on this, “I believe that through dance like Zumba, where you don't feel like you’re working out but still doing your best, also having fun is beneficial as the workout then doesn't feel like a chore. I chose Zumba as a way of working out as well as socialising and not having another chore on the list, instead a source of getting out of the house and benefiting my body physically and mentally.”
Also few people realise just how damaging their posture can be for their health. Hours of working at a computer has left many of us with hunched and rounded shoulders and a weakened lower spine. To be good at dancing though you need to think about your posture, to roll your shoulders back and to lift your chin and chest up. Constantly remembering to do this can ultimately impact on your natural posture throughout the day leading to a more balanced as well as eliminating back pain and even improving breathing. Dancing is also a fantastic way to improve your mood, the health benefits of which should not be underrated. Dancing, like any exercise, will help to produce natural antidepressants like endorphins but is also just a lot of fun.
After doing some research, I found that dance used to be a source of storytelling and communicating with others, before the word of mouth was present within our nature. It has also has represented many religious events in ceremonies. It has been used for these purposes for thousands of years however only about four hundred years from now, it has been developing to become pieces of art. However lots of different cultures still use this method to express their culture and themselves, by cultural wear and their dances that reflect on their history.
Dance not only is a beautiful piece of art but is still a wonderful way of telling us a story, to bring back history and share it with others, to explore the different emotions and be part of the story.
By Wiktoria Wiktor, Gumley House Convent School
