Dance to Health: Let's Dance!

Dance to Health: Let's Dance!

Quotes from People who Love Dance

Borobodur Temple, Java, Indonesia



Dancing in all its forms cannot be excluded from the curriculum of all noble education; dancing with the feet, with ideas, with words, and, need I add that one must also be able to dance with the pen? ~Friedrich Nietzsche

Dance is the only art of which we ourselves are the stuff of which it is made. ~Ted Shawn, Time, 25 July 1955


Dancers are instruments, like a piano the choreographer plays. ~George Balanchine


There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them. ~Vicki Baum


To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. ~Agnes De Mille


Remember, Ginger Rogers did everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels. ~Faith Whittlesey


Dancing with the feet is one thing, but dancing with the heart is another. ~Author Unknown


Dance till the stars come down from the rafters
Dance, Dance, Dance till you drop.
~W.H. Auden


It is of course possible to dance a prayer. ~Glade Byron Addams


In a dancer, there is a reverence for such forgotten things as the miracle of the small beautiful bones and their delicate strength. ~Martha Graham


It takes an athlete to dance, but an artist to be a dancer. ~Shanna LaFleur


I don't want people who want to dance, I want people who have to dance. ~George Balanchine


Dancing can reveal all the mystery that music conceals. ~Charles Baudelaire


Dance first. Think later. It's the natural order. ~Samuel Beckett


Stifling an urge to dance is bad for your health - it rusts your spirit and your hips. ~Adabella Radici


I am a dancer. I believe that we learn by practice. Whether it means to learn to dance by practicing dancing or to learn to live by practicing living.... In each it is the performance of a dedicated precise set of acts, physical or intellectual, from which comes shape of achievement, a sense of one's being, a satisfaction of spirit. One becomes in some area an athlete of God. ~Martha Graham, c.1953

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Manual Dance to Health by Dzagbe Cudjoe http://www.lulu.com/content/5417355
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Let's Dance!

Let's dance in the streets and squares of the world at this time of global turbulence and gloom! Let us all take strength and hope from dancing in a group of strangers who may end up as friends.

Rudolf Laban in his book "A Life for Dance" writes "In dancing we are able to express relationships in which awareness of self and others is enhanced. The feeling of joy which dance can give helps us to harmonize ourselves and gain an increased sense of belonging."

Dance has always mirrored the prevailing social conditions. In earlier times dance played an important role in public and working life. Laban further writes "Dance has had at all times a profound connection with the working habits of the periods in which they arose or were created".

Dance can have great political significance. The Sardana is a circle dance associated with the Catalan region of Spain. It is a non-performance dance which does not require high levels of fitness. The circles can be entirely of people of the same sex, mixed or with couples only. When a circle becomes too large, more circles are formed. Normal day wear is usual. The dictator General Franco forbade the speaking of Catalan and the dancing of the sardana. For this reason the people of Catalonia consider the sardana to be a powerful symbol of Catalan unity and identity which unites people from different walks of life and different circumstances.
I am not suggesting anything which requires elaborate choreography, costumes or music.

What I have in mind are simple circle dances. If there are a number of people in the circle who know the dance and everyone dances holding hands people will pick up the dance without any difficulty. No one can be excluded from joining in.

The circle is the symbol of eternity, of the wheel of life turning. Just as doom and gloom are both infectious and contagious so too are a positive, optimistic outlook. Holding hands, moving in unison with others in the open air to uplifting music will all help to induce a feeling of relaxation, upliftment and fun. Everyone is invited to become part of an ever changing circle as people come and go. It only requires a number of professionals who know the dance for it to become an informal community Dance and Movement session.

The dance would need to be "free" dance, that is dance not associated with any particular style.It could consist of simple walking steps, (to accommodate all ages) changes or direction, and turns for example. Perhaps with some downward movements to symbolize the financial situation having reached rock bottom and the only way is up and hand movements based on the use of the computer. The dances would need to employ "free" dance that is dance not associated with any particular style. Would we by doing this be creating the folk dances of the future?



Let's circle dance in the streets and squares in memory of Rudolf Laban to celebrate the 50th anniversary of his death. He had a deep understanding of the place and meaning of dance both for individuals and the community. He composed innumerable dance pageants, movement choirs and other large scale works. I'm sure that he would thoroughly approve of people dancing in the streets to express optimism for the future of the world.

Would this be an idea applicable to the London 20012 Olympic Games?.

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Enjoy an Extract from the DVD "Dance in Our Footsteps"

This DVD Dance Video offers a demonstration of the featured dances. It is not intended as a conventional instructional product. Enjoy yourself while experiencing the de-stressing and exhilarating effects of African dance. Try and copy the dancers if you wish or just use their movements and the music to inspire you to create your own authentic, original dance. But most importantly have fun and if possible have a party at the same time.

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Come and See Flamenco Dancing in Andalucia, Spain

May and June are wonderful months to visit Andalusia if you want to see dancing. This is the period when "Feria" (the Spring Fairs) are held. It is a time of eating, drinking, riding in carriages and dancing.

The vast majority of women and children wear the traditional flounced Flamenco dresses and decorate their hair with combs and flowers.They look stunning. Everyone dances with totally unselfconscious enjoyment. It is beautiful to watch parents and grandparents enthusiastically encouraging children as young as two years old to dance. Older women often stand by approvingly as their husbands dance with a young woman to help her improve her technique.

"Feria" is a time when it is obvious to all what a deep and ever evolving hold dance has in this part of the world.

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Dance and Education Need to Move Hand in Hand

In our increasingly complex and disturbed world it is clear that new methods are called for if we are to produce educated, well balanced young people who can take their rightful place as adults in society.

Dance and education is a partnership which is finding a growing number of advocates. An understanding and appreciation of the possibilities of this combination is now necessary for teachers who are not in the dance and physical education fields. All teachers need to be aware of the possibilities of this approach.

Dr Judith Lynne Hanna of the University of Maryland is both a dancer and an anthropologist whose research has taken her around the world. In her acknowledgments she wrote "To my friends in Africa, especially Nigeria and Uganda, thank you for opening my eyes to the potential of dance as a medium of education for young and old alike. It was here that I first witnessed dance education, dance in education, and the relationship of dance to other aspects of life."

Her book "Partnering Dance and Education (Human Kinetics 1999) lays out her far-reaching ideas and convictions on the subject of dance and its importance in the future of education. The book is clearly written with educators and dancers in mind and the examples are mainly of the system in the United States. But this is a book that anyone who has an interest in the subject will find illuminating.

She writes "Our approach is to integrate dance into other academic classes, another approach is to offer problem-centered curricula using dance as one way of knowing, teaching, and learning." "In dance education as is the case with most educational practices, rigorous empirical research has not been undertaken on cause-and-effect relationship between certain dance education practices and student outcomes. Few resources have been available for research in dance education and even fewer for systematic assessment."

Here in point form are Dr Lynne Hanna's main points with regard to Dance Education:-

1. Dance education aids the development of kinesthetic intelligence.
2. Dance education creates opportunities for self-expression and communication within the constraints of the medium of the body.
3. Dance, whether representational, thematic or abstract, is a repository of civilization that changes through time.
4. Dance education teaches the values and skills of creativity, problem solving, risk taking, making judgements in the absence of rules, and higher-order thinking skills.
5. Dance provides an opportunity for students to recognize that there are multiple solutions to problems.
6. The study of dance fosters an individuals ability to better interpret interpersonal nonverbal communication.
7. Dance education provides a strong base from which to analyze and make informed judgements about corporeal images.
8. Learning the dances of other cultures helps students to develop an understanding and respect for them.
9. Through stimulating all the senses, dance goes beyond verbal language in engaging dancers and promoting the development of multi sensory beings.
10. Dance provides options to destructive alternatives in a world that is unpredictable and unsafe for children. It can empower the disempowered and disenfranchised.
11. Dance education prepares people for careers in dance and other fields, such as clinical psychology, chiropractor, anthropologist.
12.Dance enhances an individuals lifelong quality of life.
13. Participation in dance benefits our communities economically.
14. Dance education helps students develop physical fitness, appreciation of the body, concern for sound health practices and effective stress management approaches. Dance shares many of the health benefits of other athletics.

"Partnering Dance and Education" is a clearly written book which demands concentration but the reader will be well rewarded.

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Big, Beautiful Ballet Dancers

Is this really ballet? I asked myself after watching video clips of the Cuban dance company Danza Voluminosa (Voluminous Dance) most of whose dancers range in age from 23 to 41 and all of them weigh more than 200 pounds. This group was formed in 1996 by Juan Miguel Mas, now its' director and choreographer. He says he is redefining the aesthetics of beauty and raising the awareness of heavy set people. "Although we are obese and dance, we are against obesity. We are always trying to lose weight" said Mr Ma who himself weighs 300 pounds. This statement has caused outrage in certain obese quarters who claim that the statement is self deprecating. To me that is not the case. Surely it's possible to be self-confident and enjoy the beauty of ones very large body while still realizing that health wise it might be better to lose weight.

What I am about to write is not a criticism of Danza Voluminose or any other company with greatly overweight dancers.The number of such groups is growing.

Another dance troupe Big Dance was founded in 1993 in Victoria, BC, Canada with 10 large dancers and the choreographer Lynda Raino.They were well received by audiences but now the number of dancers is declining. Raino has spotted many large women in her area but few in their 20's and 30's who are willing to dance. She says "That's a shame because young women will have decades to enjoy the art form. By about age 50 women are more comfortable in their bodies, and would more readily come out to a class, but they are starting to stiffen up. Knees start to go, as do backs and hips. People should start young, especially if they want to perform."

Helen Rezanowich is program assistant in women's studies at the University of Victoria. "I tried going to a big dance class but it was all too much in my face. I was not ready to look at it, at that point. Even watching teeny tiny women leaving the class before mine was hard. And the dance room is lined with mirrors. I didn't want to admit I was that big. Now I'm 51 and much more comfortable with my body size."

The Big Ballet was founded in 1994 by the choreographer Evgeny Panfilov. The company's aim is to change the conception of large dancers grace and agility. He also wanted to prove that untrained beginners could reach professional standards.

The lower weight threshold has been raised to over 238 pounds. Any dancer falling below this weight is offered the opportunity to regain the extra pounds with the advice of a nutritionist. If they do not want to do this they must give up their place to another larger dancer."They must be eating and eating and eating " said Natalia Liensky the companies director.The troupe consists of sixteen large women aged between 19 and 28 who have not undergone professional dance training and six regular-sized male dancers. They all have day jobs and include doctors, nurses and engineers.The dancers perform in tutus and on point and do pirouttes and plies. The dancers can even manage to do the splits. In some performances female dancers are lifted by male dancers - although it takes four men to get one woman into the air.

In an unusual move the Russian government of Vladamir Putin demanded that the Bolshoi Ballet re-instate a dancer dismissed for allegedly being too heavy and hard for a partner to lift

Marina Wolf Ahmad is the director and founder of Big Moves one of the few organisations in the world dedicated to getting all body types into dance classes and onto the stage. Marina states "There's a need to offer healing, supportive space for these women to get back into dance, and there's a need to start working toward supportive youth programs that train the dance teachers to be accepting of all sizes that come through their classes - right now, dance is not psychologically accessible to most people. Big Moves will take all shapes, all sizes as long as you come to rehearsals, get better and are really dedicated to dancing. Not just fat people - all sizes". Big Move companies have been set up in many parts of the US.

China now has a professional dance troupe called "The Overweight Troupe". The company consists of ten women and four men. They weight from 16stone to 35 stone. The entry requirement is that the dancers weight more than 100 kilos (220lbs or 15.7 stone). The groups founder weighed 11 stone (154 lbs or 70kilos) at the age of eleven.

I truly believe that everyone should dance but I do have a problem with obese dancers performing classical ballet. This is a form of dance where it is well near impossible for a woman who takes up this dance form in adulthood to excel. They are unlikely to be able to manage the challenges of technique. While both dancers and audience may enjoy humorous interpretations of classical ballets this is not enough. They need to have the same level of technique as any other performer. In addition ballet as a style is about defying gravity with lightness and ease.

All dance looks best when the choreography, music, the costuming and most importantly the dancers physique complement each other. Obese women look especially beautiful when performing dances such as those from the Middle East and some forms of African dance for example. In these styles extra large hips and breasts emphasize the earth connection of the dance and its feel for fertility and life as a whole. A skinny woman doing "belly dancing" does not show the dance off to its' best advantage. I well remember a Middle Eastern dance workshop attended by one obese young woman. She moved with a grace and expressiveness which was accentuated by her ample curves. She outshone us all.

An ever larger proportion of the population is aware of the health hazards of obesity which is rapidly increasing in many parts of the world. Obesity is defined as being 20% or more of your ideal weight.Childhood obesity is a major cause of abnormal growth acceleration. Girls who are obese often start menstruating early and go through the menopause early. This problem in boys can lead to both early and delayed puberty. Gynecomastia (excessive development of the male breasts) is another common problem.

In adulthood obesity is a root cause of a number of forms of ill health such as heart disease, stoke, diabetes mellitus, gallbladder disease, high blood pressure and cancer. Gout and in women reproductive abnormalities are common, as is osteoarthritis of the knees and spine in both sexes. Every extra pound which a person gains puts four times the stress on their knees.

What is quite clear is that most of these groups of extremely overweight dancers practise discrimination. A dancer looses weight and he or she is out of the troupe in the same way as in some companies a dancer who is putting on weight is asked to leave - both represent extreme views.

It clearly is not helping dancers health wise to encourage them to put on weight again after they have lost weight through experiencing the health giving effects of dance.The human body clearly was not designed to carry large amounts of excess weight for a lifetime and remain healthy.

Both the anorexic and size zero body and that of massively overweight dancers are not sending out a picture of a long term healthy body. There needs to be a happy medium. I am utterly delighted that overweight dancers are proving that they can be agile, graceful, sensitive and aesthetically pleasing performers who give their audiences great pleasure.In many cases dance has brought feelings of self-worth and confidence to those who formerly lacked these qualities.

I am in total agreement with Marina Wolf Ahmad whose aim is to make dance all inclusive and everyone dances together.I have not had the pleasure of seeing any of the aforementioned groups perform live. For this reason it would be wrong for me to make any comments regarding the repertoire or technique of any of the companies. All my remarks have been of a general nature and not specifically aimed at any company in particular. Let us always allow dance to help us to transform peoples' attitudes and beliefs!

I implore obese dancers who are losing weight to fore go dancing with the company, but to continue dancing classes and losing weight. This is the path to long term health and fitness. Does anyone know of obese people who have reached a Ripe Old Age?

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