Want to work on your aerobic endurance?

Dancing sounds good!

 

As the cold and gloomy weather sets in, many of us will stay inside most of the time.  Instead of lounging and watching television all day, why not do something fun that helps you stay in shape. Now, what can help you lose up to an average of 400 calories an hour? Combined with a proper diet and attending three classes a week, what do you think you can do? To lose up to 3 pounds a week!  Try dancing, and I will talk about dancing styles and recommendations of what type to choose.

When you think about Brazil, the first thing that comes to mind is the weather, food, and people.  What if I was to tell you that you could enjoy a piece of Brazil in Vancouver. Why not try and learn Brazilian samba dancing right here in your backyard. Now, what is  Brazilian samba dancing, you ask? Quick rhythmic steps and a swaying, rocking motion from the dancers connected to heavy drum beats. The dance is mostly in 2/4 time, but it can be done in three steps to create a 3/4 rhythm.  Brazilian Samba dance is rich in African customs and has incorporated other cultures throughout its development, mainly from Latin America.  Brazilian samba dancing has three main genres.

 

Samba dance evolved particularly in Rio de Janeiro, then it spread throughout Brazil to the rest of South America and eventually to other parts of the world. Brazilian Samba dance started as a solo dance and evolved as it found its way through outdoor dance halls,  discos, and ballrooms.  Brazilian Samba dance took many forms and included various types such as,

First on the list is Samba Gafieira. The focus is a partner dance, mainly in a ballroom setting. The dance is very gentle and elegant, taking many elements of Argentine Tango.

Coming into second place is Samba no pe. The focus is dancing solo, and it starts soon as the music comes in. Women will land on the balls of their feet while men land on their heels. Samba no pe is the form of dancing you will see during the Brazilian carnival season.

Number three on the list is  Samba Axe. This focus is solo and is very similar to Samba no pe. One thing that sets this apart from the rest of the pack is the music. Combination of lambada, funk, and African beats.

 

Next on the list is Salsa dancing. Your hips are swinging side to side, and your arms and shoulders are moving back and forth.  So graceful, and when executed, the dance is elegant and fun. How would you describe salsa dancing?

Salsa dancing is a partnered dance where the man takes the lead. He follows through with a combination of spins and turns patterning to the music. The second style of Salsa dancing is called circular Salsa. The dancers are circling each other. This area of dance is about fast footwork combined with rapid swinging movements of the arms and shoulders.

Salsa dancing is very beneficial to the heart. It improves circulation, increases respiration, and strengthens various muscles and bones to keep your joints flexible. And all this combined is what gives you the dancer’s glow! With Salsa dancing, you can have fun and not worry about aging!

Salsa dancing helps us with our balance and coordination. Mastering the techniques takes a lot of time and effort.  The secret is practice, practice, and more practice to focus on technique. Next thing you know, you’ve developed the dancer’s posture. You’re standing erect, with total concentration and spinning your partner.

 

The last on the list of dancing ideas would be country line dancing. Put on that cowboy hat and cowboy boots. Have a few drinks and build up that liquid courage because line dancing is entertaining and friendly. A line dance is a formation in which a group of people dances in one or more lines facing the same direction and executing the same movements in synch simultaneously. Are you the type of person who wants personal space? Line dancing is proper for you because no one is in physical contact with each other during the dance.

Line dancing is practiced and learned in country and western dance bars, social clubs, and ballrooms worldwide. It avoids the imbalance of male/female partners that plagues ballroom/swing/salsa dancing clubs. It is seen on other forms of country-western dance programs, such as two-step, shuffle, western promenade dances, and western-style variants of the waltz, honky-tonk, and the electric slide. There may be only one line in a smaller group, but there are usually several parallel lines, one behind the other. In this similar line formation, the dancers are in a synchronized manner but independently of each other. There are usually no moves that require any interaction between the dancers other than they execute the maneuvers simultaneously.

 

The line dances can be are relatively simple, as with the 18-count 4-wall beginner Electric Slide, increasing complexity movements can be created through several means. In general, higher-count sequences are more complex. The inclusion of unusual or unfamiliar sequences of steps also makes a dance more challenging. Body movements other than steps, such as hand gestures, can add more fun. These gestures require dancers to be more conscious of the music and not simply repeat the identical sequences of steps for an entire song. In the final segment about line dancing, we focus on the style called Contra line dance.  Contra line dancing has two sets of lines with the dancers facing each other.  Line dancing is more than simply getting some exercise. While many may start to take classes for a few weeks, many more find themselves becoming addicted because they love the music, the people they meet, the confidence that grows from mastering a dance, the friendships that start to form.

 

So after reading my last post where I talked about making good use of your compass pass. Hopefully, this post will make you get out of your comfort zone and do something fun, exciting, and crazy. Dancing is not easy but not hard also. Life is about continuous learning so learn a new skill and just dance.

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