So You Think You Can Dance? — You Can!

Cold weather will be here sooner than we know it, and many physical activities will be forced to move indoors. How is a person to stay active and have fun if they don’t enjoy going to the gym, playing an indoor sport like rec-league basketball, or swimming in a chilly, chlorinated pool while the winds howl outside? (Or they just hate to exercise out in the cold?)

What about dance?

It’s not necessary to be in a classroom (or on stage!) to enjoy dance. Don’t believe me? As the kid who was obsessed with ballet, I told my parents that what I wanted for Christmas was my own ballet barre in the basement. A simple wooden rail from the hardware store, plus some brackets and wall anchors, and I was in business and could practice every day. I could also stray from my formal barre exercises into jazz, modern, or my own moves because there was no teacher there to tell me what to do. The only limits were my imagination and the height of the basement ceiling.

One might think I was the only kid in town dancing in the basement - but I wasn’t alone. My best friends in high school came home after classes, turned on the music, and practiced their salsa, merengue, and cumbia in their basements in-between finishing chores and cooking dinner…and taught me enough to get by at their Saturday night parties with friends from Uruguay and Colombia.

It’s easy to get started. Turn on some music and start to dance while you’re cleaning or ironing (or taking a break from chores). Start dancing with your favorite partner, and see where that leads. Invite close friends over to hang out, listen to music, dance, and enjoy some healthy snacks.

Get your kids involved. I’m sure they would love to pick out songs to dance to as a family. They will have fun while exercising, being creative in choosing music, and bonding with each other over laughter and silly (or even acrobatic) moves.

The benefits of dance are many. According to TIME, a paper published in the Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports discussed a study of 1,000 elderly Japanese who were at risk of becoming disabled. The study concluded that “physical activity generally helped women remain independent as they aged, but certain types of exercise seemed to have larger effects than others—and dancing led the pack. The researchers found that women who frequently danced had a 73% lower chance of becoming disabled during the study period, compared to women who did not. None of the other exercises, including calisthenics, walking, and yoga, had such a strong association after adjusting for demographic and health factors.”^([1])

Studies have shown that dance can improve health by increasing endurance, strength, flexibility, and agility. It can decrease stress and improve mood. And…it can probably even make you feel a bit sexy.

There are many dance styles to choose from and ways to get active through dance. There are even dance-adjacent activities you can do if you want to feel like you are getting a formal “workout.” Not sure where to begin? Let’s start by getting inspired by dance in feature films and documentaries.

Love social dance? Try Dirty Dancing with Jennifer Grey and Patrick Swayze: This is the story of a young woman who learns about love, life, and dance when she falls in love with a dance instructor at a Catskills resort in the 1960s. Check out dance in the 1970s with Saturday Night Fever, starring John Travolta, the charismatic king of disco in Brooklyn.

Or maybe you prefer a classic dancer like Fred Astaire? Easter Parade takes us through dance rehearsals, arguments, and eventually love, with Judy Garland as Fred’s new dance partner. You can also binge-watch the Astaire and Rodgers Collection (in 3 volumes), containing favorites like Top Hat and Flying Down to Rio. But at some point, you’re going to have to turn off the TV and get up and starting dancing yourself.

For a bit of grit, there’s Bob Fosse’s All That Jazz, with Roy Scheider and Ann Reinking, which shows the hidden, less-than-glamorous side of theatrical dance. Or the more recent Stomp the Yard, starring Columbus Short and Meagan Good, where street dancer DJ leaves inner-city LA after trouble with the law. Sent off by his mother to attend college in Atlanta, his talent is noticed right away, and he rehearses to compete in a stepping competition with his fraternity.

For dance films that are camp and a bit over the top, check out Strictly Ballroom, directed by Baz Luhrmann, for a peek at a group of seriously wacky Australian ballroom dancers. Or the infamous Flashdance, starring Jennifer Beals, where she welds by day, dances in a bar at night, and dreams of a legitimate career on the stage. As unusual as they may seem, these devoted dancers will have you wanting to get up and start moving.

Searching the library’s catalog, I couldn’t find any movies about dancing salsa in the kitchen, but if you have a budding filmmaker in your family, a viral TikTok is not out of the question!

So now we’re inspired. What next?

If you have a new style of dance that interests you, try out a dance DVD to practice in the comfort of your own home. If you’re looking for more of a dance-inspired workout, there are dance DVDs that are structured like workouts—focusing on improving specific body parts or your fitness level. And don’t forget videos like ballet workouts and Pilates. Though they won’t be as focused on the art of choreographed dance, they will take you through exercise routines with similar benefits to the act of dancing freely to music.

Belly dance?

Instant Belly Dancer 1: A Crash Course in Belly Dance
Designed to introduce you to belly dancing as art, entertainment and as a form of exercise.

Bellydance, Fitness for Beginners: Slim Down is a full-body workout that slims and tones your body through cardiovascular and strength dance moves.

Latin dance?

Salsa Caliente Step-by-Step Instruction to Salsa and Merengue with Olga
Salsa Caliente with Olga is the recipe to help you spice up your dance moves! With easy step-by-step instruction, you will learn the salsa and merengue, while keeping fit at the same time.

You Can Dance Tango Vicki Regan teaches step by step, one move at a time. Start with basics, then work your way up to combinations. It's good exercise and great fun.

Swing, Country/Western?

Country Line Dance
Come boot scoot your way to a healthier body. This will bring a little southern style to your neck of the woods with three country line dances that will get your feet movin' and give you the confidence to hit the dance floor anywhere.

Learn to Dance in Minutes: Swing Medley Jump-jive and Lindy Hop your way through the swing clubs with the basic steps you will learn. Pick up the East/West coast swing and learn the turns and side-by-side moves to stand out in a crowd!

Ballroom, Hip Hop?

Dance with Len Goodman As the head judge on Dancing with the Stars, Len Goodman will teach you some of the basic steps in Ballroom and Latin American dances. In the ballroom section, learn the fast and exciting quickstep, the elegant foxtrot, the sophisticated waltz and the fiery and passionate tango. In the Latin American section, learn the cheeky cha cha cha, the sexy samba, the romantic rumba and the exciting jive.

Dance Fitness for Beginners: African Beat-Latin Heat Urban Street Heat is more like a dance party than an aerobics class as MaDonna Grimes makes working out fun in this fresh and funky program. You'll have a great time performing the routine, which combines attitude, street style, and easy-to-follow dance steps. The hip-hop freestyle routines, designed for women and men, are bursting with style and energy and you'll learn some fresh new moves to really spice up your workout.

Ballet?

Ballet Beautiful: Body Blast
Sculpt a lean, long dancer's body with four 15-minute targeted workouts. Mix and match these workouts to tone your arms, abs, and butt. It's perfect for anyone pressed for time and looking for a quick and challenging workout with great results.

Ballet Class for Beginners Want to learn the difference between a tutu and a plié? This instructional video is a guide to ballet basics, taking the beginning dance student through the principal techniques and vocabulary of classical ballet, with emphasis on posture, placement, and movement potential.

“Workout” style?

Billy Blanks Jr. Dance Party Boot Camp
Get ready to sweat and have some high-octane fun! This 30-minute workout will supercharge your calorie burn with a nonstop mix of the hottest dance moves and boot camp conditioning. Billy and his wife Sharon Catherine will show you the steps and challenge your body to the max.

The Tracy Anderson Method Presents: Dance Cardio Workout DVD
This program is the cardio component of your workout and is designed to build your stamina, keep your energy up, and help make your workout fun while you are learning the dances.

I hope these resources will inspire you to keep moving through the chilly days and nights to come!

- by Jeanne, Twin Rivers branch

[1]. Ducharme, Jamie, “Dance Like Your Doctor Is Watching: It's Great for Your Mind and Body.” TIME, (retrieved online December 20, 2018, 11:00 AM EST).