Recently a student of mine asked me what the health benefits of ballroom dance were. I gave her the short answer of moving to music while practicing partnership with another person. But I was not satisfied with my answer. I thought I would look a little deeper.

3 Health Benefits of Ballroom Dance

1. Body
2. Brain
3. Soul

In looking at the health benefits of ballroom dance I considered three areas. The body, brain, and the soul. Questions I asked were how does ballroom dance tone your body? How does it keep your brain sharp? How does it lift your spirit? Let’s look at these 3 health benefits of ballroom dance.

Ballroom Dance Body Benefits

Your physical state Is improved in 3 ways from ballroom dance. Dance improves your cardio endurance, your balance and your muscle tone. Let’s look at these three body benefits of ballroom.

3 Ballroom Dance Body Benefits

1. Cardio
2. Balance
3. Tone

Cardio

The first thing that comes to mind is how ballroom dance is good for your body. The obvious answer is that it is physical movement. It can vary from a low impact walking like the Foxtrot to high impact cardio like the Jive. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute states that ballroom dance can help lower the risk of heart disease, stroke, and hypertension and is also great for weight loss.

Balance

The second benefit to your body is balance. By perfecting your posture, you strengthen your core muscles improving your balance and reducing strain on your back. In the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics a 2014 study of elderly residents enrolled in the dance program found they had improved their balance and fell less frequently.

Tone

Third Is muscle tone. As the saying goes, if you don’t use it you lose it, and that is true for muscle tone. Building new muscle strength and increasing the limberness of your joints can improve your quality of life. Ballroom dance engages all your muscles for the top of your head to the tip of your toes. It is also a weight bearing exercise, so it helps with the prevention of osteoporosis, or brittle bones. 

Brain Benefits of Ballroom Dance

Next, we will look at how the brain benefits from ballroom dance. It is fascinating to look at how the intellect is benefited by ballroom dance. The three main brain benefits are increased memorization skills, and lowered risk of depression & dementia.

3 Brain Benefits of Ballroom Dance

1. Memorization
2. Depression
3. Dementia

Memorization

Ballroom dance is full of step patterns and sequences to enable you to flow across the dancefloor. Floor crafting so you do not collide with other dancers is a type of mental puzzle on the fly. Joe Verghese, MD wrote for The New England Journal of Medicine that ballroom dancing helps the brain through the mental challenges of memorizing steps and working with a partner. “Dance improved one of the cognitive domains (spatial memory),” which is vital for learning dance (Dafna Merom, et al., 2016)

Depression

Ballroom dancing is the perfect 3-minute hug. Couple the companionship with the healing power of moving to music and you have one of the best ways to lift depression without drugs. With “less stress…and loneliness from dancing’s social aspect” depression is reduced states Joe Verghese, MD.

Dementia

In older adults, dementia can be debilitating. Ballroom dancing is the best way to deter the progress of dementia. The New England Journal of Medicine found Frequent dancers had a reduced risk of dementia compared with those who rarely or never danced. “Dancing was the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia,” researchers wrote.

How your soul benefits from Ballroom Dance

Now that you have explored how ballroom dance benefits the body and the brain, let’s look at the soul. When you create movement to music in teamwork with another human it is a Joyful experience. Your spirit can take Joyous flight creating movement with teamwork.

3 soul benefits from Ballroom Dance

1. Joy
2. Teamwork
3. Creativity

Joy of Dance

How much more fun is it to trip the light fantastic than to trudge on a treadmill? Dancing has been tied to joyous celebrations since the dawn of time. From weddings to holidays, happy humans dance. Depression dims and joy increases the more you get out and ballroom dance.

Teamwork

Part of that joy is found in teamwork. In an I society (internet, iPod, iPhone) ballroom puts the we in teamwork. Move out of the matrix and interact in a physical conversation with the medium of dance. Through the framework of teamwork, you learn to read a deeper form of body language. Just like Ursula said in the Little Mermaid, “never underestimate the power of body language.”

Creativity

Moving your body to music can be very creative. You can express your unique personality through the patterns performed with a partner. Each shift of weight and lift of an eyebrow can let another facet of your personal expression shine.

Conclusion

Weather you have two left feet, or nothing left to lose, ballroom dance can provide health benefits. From bettering your body, to mending your mind, to set your spirit free, ballroom dance is for everyone. What are you waiting for? Join in the dance today.

Holly Collins Tomazin
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
Certified Licentiate in
Ballroom, Latin, Smooth & Rhythm
with ISTD, DIVDA, FADS, & Arthur Murrary’s
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of:
The Knot Hall of Fame best wedding dance instruction,
top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com
For dance tips,
join my email

Resources

https://www.webmd.com/fitness-exercise/features/dancing-better-health#1

https://health.usnews.com/wellness/aging-well/articles/2016-10-21/ballroom-dancing-boosts-fun-and-healthy-aging

The post 3 Health Benefits of Ballroom Dance first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

William Hooker has had an ongoing love of Anime art. From early in his live he fell in love with drawing. His love of anime then blossomed into heading up the Anime Club in High School.

William’s Anime Inspiration

Since then William has taken on commissions to illustrate personalized character creations for various individuals. That led him to illustrate the book cover for “Jackrabbit big in Japan” by Ian Healy. Now William is writing and illustrating his own online web series “A Ray Of Color.”

Anime Caricature Artist

William has recently been contracted to do Caricature Artist for two festivals. You may have seeing him at the Tennison Street Art show. William then went on to perform live art at the 1101 Blissfest in September. He is looking forward to the next festival, Airship Iron Opal’s Bizarre Bizarre.

Holly Collins Tomazin
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
Certified Licentiate in
Ballroom, Latin, Smooth & Rhythm
with ISTD, DIVDA, FADS, & Arthur Murrary’s
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of:
The Knot Hall of Fame best wedding dance instruction,
top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com
For dance tips,
join my email

The post William Hooker Anime Caricature Artist first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

Meeting & Event Space

Need Space? Look no further. Adventures in Dance is 1500 sq. feet of meeting and event space to meet your every need. Host your morning meeting in this lovely private space with video, sound, and coffee service.

Meeting Space Amenities:

• DJ system and microphone
• Audio visual screen for PowerPoint presentations
• Five 8’ meeting tables
• Seating for 75
• Complimentary Coffee and Tea Service

Contact us:

Need a quote? Call 720-276-0562 or email info@adventuresindance.com

Our staff is ready to reserve your event.

Holly Collins – Tomazin

author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,

History of Ballroom Dance
The Knot Best of Weddings Hall of Fame
Winner of the Knot best wedding dance 2013-2018
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
1500 W. Littleton Blvd. #207
Littleton Co 80120
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com
https://www.facebook.com/AdventuresInDance

Blog

Left foot special

Wedding special

The post Meeting & Event Space first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

Steampunk Page

What is steampunk? The dictionary defines steampunk as science fiction set with steam powered technology in historical settings. Think about vintage Victorian garb adorned with gears. I have had the pleasure of creating tutorials for steampunk gatherings. Find fun activities like parasol dueling, splendid teapot racing, and steampunk dances. Fun facts and activities to inspire your inner steampunk.

Steampunk Fun- 

• Mad Hatter’s Tea Dueling How To Read More

• Tarzan Jane Porter Victorian Parasol Flirtations, how to flirt in the Victorian era with a parasol– Learn More
  

  

  
  
• Parasol Dueling, from Madam Saffron Hemlock’s Steampunk Parasol Dueling League for Steampunk Ladies – Learn More
  

  

  
  
• Splendid Steampunk Teapot Racer How To- Learn More
  

  

Steampunk Dance

• 4 Steampunk Dances –Read More
  

  

  
  
• Guffey Steampunk Parasol Dance to the song Rock, Paper Scissors.- Read More
  

  

  
  
• Find out what the Victorian Era Princesses Danced. Victorian Era Princess Dances
• Dancing at the Steampunk Soiree- Find out about the dance for the Denver Victorian and Steampunk Society. Read More.
  

  

   

•  Read about the fun steampunk dance show.   Steampunk Dancing at Whimsy Con–

•  More fun with steampunk dancing at Whimsy Con In Denver  Dancing Whimsy

  Steampunk Page

• Steam Powered Ballroom Show Here
  

  

  
  

• Fun and creative steampunk wedding.   Steampunk Fairy Fantasy Wedding Dance–

• Airship Iron Opal Bizarre Bizarre Read More

Holly Collins
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of:
The Knot Hall of Fame best wedding dance instruction,
top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com

The post Steampunk Page first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

Why compete? What are the benefits of competition dancing? Isn’t it just too much stress? These are the most common questions I hear from dancers. I am going to answer these and more.

Why Compete?

Most students ask me why I would participate in a competition. Melvin Marcusson put it best. He competes so he would not forget what he knows. Even at 90 Melvin knows the value of getting on the competition dance floor is in developing good dance habits. Then Mel dances with ease at parties without the stress of trying to recall what he knows.

What are the benefits of competing?

The benefits of competing are great. For Robyn and William, it is pushing them to the next level. They have spent years dancing against themselves. They improved, but at a much slower rate than once we took them out of state. Once they were in a crowd of their peers, they had to work harder, and it accelerated their learning and retention. Anyone can take lessons, but without goals progress is very slow. Competition accelerates the learning process.

Isn’t it too much stress?

Yes, getting ready for the Denver Dancesport Jam was stressful. Jessica and Shayao both worked on many new aspects. They got new dresses, new routines, and new techniques. Both ladies were rewarded with winning their Latin scholarships, so they came home richer in experience from the competition. The benefits outweighed the stress of getting ready. A little stress produced great things for both ladies.

Support local

As much as I like to travel, there is nothing better than supporting local competitions with my students. Your friends and family can root for you at a local event. Shayao, Jessica, and Robyn all brought guests to see them dance. You get a chance to see your local professionals perform. Adventures in Dance was proud to perform the Nutcracker and the four Victorian dances for the professional show. The best part of local was that at the end of the night, I could go home to my own bed.

Denver Dance Jam Results.

We are proud of everyone. Mel, Shayao, and Jessica placed first in all their dances and scholarships. William beat Robyn in Latin, and Robyn beat William in open Standard. Craig was a winning Nutcracker, and Holly was tied up as the sugar plum Fairy. It was a great event. Mark your calendar and support the next local competition.

Holly Collins

WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.

author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,

The Knot best wedding dance Winner,
Winner of top 50 Dance Blogs
Top dance blog names Winner
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com
For dance tips,
join my email

The post Why Compete in Ballroom Dance? first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

I was researching dance history recently. In my digging I came across 8 dance crazes that went out of style. One of the dances the British Pathe determined was not stylish was the Foxtrot. Is this the finish of Foxtrot? I don’t think so.

Dixieland Foxtrot

The Foxtrot (link) of today has many options. It is not limited to just one rhythm or style. I have always found it an all-purpose dance in Dixieland music. The early Foxtrot was danced very fast with a little bounce. What was a really fast Foxtrot becoming our quickstep (link) in the roaring 20’s.

Box Foxtrot

Every educated dancer new the box step. The box has been influencing dance since the new Waltz of 1850. So, the box step made its way into the step list for the Foxtrot.

Cross step Foxtrot

Blues music was the next to put it’s stamp on the Foxtrot (link). The slower soulful sound of blues music directed a new kind of Foxtrot. The slow Foxtrot rose in response to this new music. Stealing moves from the cross-step Waltz, this passing foot Foxtrot graced the ballroom floor.

Two-step Foxtrot

Not only was Foxtrot influenced by basic box, but it has had it’s influence on music. In the 1940’s the collegiate Foxtrot was picked up by a batch of Square dancers in Texas. The result was the Texas Two-Step. Country artists have been writing music for the Two-Step (link) ever since.

Future of Foxtrot?

So, is the Foxtrot finished? I don’t think so. With roots in so many styles of dance, I find the Foxtrot can be used for endless outings. I can go to a great Gatsby event and dance the really-fast Foxtrot, known as the Quickstep. I can go to a jazz or blues club and use the passing foot cross step Waltz variations. Not enough variety? Don your boots and 10 Gallon hat and go two stepping at the local country western club.

Timeless Foxtrot

The American Foxtrot syllabus is a time capsule. With elements from the 20’s to the 40’s you can dance through time as you learn your Foxtrot elements. From there you can take your new moves out on the town to dance the night away.

List of British Pathe 8 dance crazes that went out of style

• Charleston,
  
• Fox Trot,
  
• Hot Fox,
  
• Chestnut Tree,
• Park Parade,
  
• The Jive,
  
• Golly Golly,
• The Shake
  

Craig Holly pumpkin ballroom dance dip

Holly Collins
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of the Knot best wedding dance,
Winner of top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com
For dance tips,
join my email

The post Finish of Foxtrot? first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

Do you want good posture? I teach posture every day, and work on fixing my clients bad posture so it does not harm their dancing. But bad posture can harm many aspects of your life.

Modern life is no friend to good posture. Chairs encourage slumping. Computers encourage neck craning. Biking bends you over. All these activities work against the natural alignment of your spine.

Do you ever think about how your posture affects your quality of life? If you do not work actively against the pull of modern life, your spine will start to curl and deform beneath you. Here are 5 ways bad posture can harm you.

5 ways bad posture harms you

1. Slumping in chairs

   Slumping can drain the life out of you. Literally. Your mind body connection is a two-way street. By slumping you communicate to your brain that you are tired and stressed and creating a negative mental state.

   Good posture has the opposite effect. It can make you feel more alert, productive, and ultimately happy. Improving your posture reduces your risk of depression. Sit up and be happy. Then you can do a happy dance

2. Unattractive posture

   Do you feel unattractive? Slumped Posture makes you appear unattractive. It also affects your memories in a negative way, causing you to dwell on negative memories.

   Become instantly more attractive by standing up! Good posture makes you more attractive and feel more confident. It also encourages positive memories. So, stand up and lift your mind and your spine. Slumping also makes it difficult to move with a partner in dancing. When dancing this frees you up to move in closer to your partner.

3. Craning your neck
   

   Jutting your chin out and craning your neck like you do when looking at your cell phone restricts the flow of oxygen to your brain. Then when you stand up your head sits in front of your spine causing balance issues with how you move.

   Sitting or standing with your head in line with your neck allows the blood to flow more freely. It relaxes the neck and shoulder muscles. Relaxed and free muscles move better to music.

4. Increased Headaches

   Straining your head forward to look at cellphones and computer screens tighten neck muscles. These tight muscles inhibit blood flow to the brain. The reduced blood flow can then trigger headaches.

   Dancing encourages you to get up and stretch those muscles out and get into your happy place. The movement with music releases tight muscles diminishing debilitating headaches.

5. Increased back pain
   

   Bad posture affects 80 percent of Americans today. Slouching mashes your intestines impairing digestion. Lower back pain stems from hunched and curled back positions. Your quality of life is affected by the posture you choose to practice.

Corrections for bad posture

1. Loosen tight muscles
2. Build core muscles
3. Practice good posture always.
4. Dance!

Holly Collins
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of the Knot best wedding dance,
Winner of top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com
For dance tips,
join my email

The post 5 ways bad posture harms you first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

Dancing can be scary for a lot of people. It’s one of the top phobias up there with public speaking. So it’s extra special when Father’s go out of their way to dance with their Daughters for special occasions. Jose Catano & Torrie wanted to learn how to dance together for Torrie’s special Quinceanera. Together they learned Night Club 2 Step and Rumba in a wonderful routine built special for just them. We know that they wowed all of their friends and family with their dance moves and hope that they still find time to dance together in the years to come.

For more dance tips or for personal dance coaching in Denver and Littleton, join my email or contact:

Holly Collins

WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of the Knot best wedding dance,
Winner of top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com

The post Jose Catano & Torrie Quinceanera first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

Who doesn’t love a great fantasy novel? Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings series has become a timeless classis and the focus of fandom. But what dances would they have done in middle earth? Films give us a glimpse of what dances they might have done. I will go deeper in the spirit of the era that Tolkien studied and wrote about and look at 3 dances of middle earth.

Dances of Middle Earth

Middle earth in Tolkein’s books resemble the middle ages. I researched 3 dances of the middle ages that would fit three heroic people group. I will look at the dances of the Dwarves, the Hobbits, and the Elves.

1^st dance of Middle Earth: Dwarves

The first dance I will delve into will be for the Dwarves. Dwarves are fun to look at because they are real as well as wrapped into mystic lore. I was inspired by the drinking song the dwarves sang at Rivendell in the movie the Hobbit. They sang a variation of “hey diddle diddle” that Tolkien had researched and included in his book.

In The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, Bofur sings a revised version of this song whilst eating in Rivendell. The song’s lyrics are as follows:

“There’s an inn, there’s an inn, there’s a merry old inn
beneath an old grey hill,
And there they brew a beer so brown
That the Man in the Moon himself came down
one night to drink his fill.

The ostler has a tipsy cat
that plays a five-stringed fiddle;
And up and down he saws his bow
Now squeaking high, now purring low,
now sawing in the middle.

So the cat on the fiddle played hey-diddle-diddle,
a jig that would wake the dead:
He squeaked and sawed and quickened the tune,
While the landlord shook the Man in the Moon:
‘It’s after three!’ he said.

The dance I researched for Tolkien’s Dwarves was an ancient Viking dance. I found the re-enactment out of the Viking museum in Norway. It is like other medieval branle dances (brawl). The song I used for this demonstration is “Medieval Viking Dance of Swords.” The pattern is not complicated, so it would allow us to use the drinking chant above while dancing.

Viking Dance for Tolkien Dwarves

Begin holding hands in a circle. Everyone dances a double to the left (1-side left foot, 2-close right foot to left foot,3- side left foot, 4-kick right foot) then add a 5-right foot side step and a 6- left foot kick. Repeat this sequence to the end of the song. For fun sing the man on the moon lyrics while you dance.

2^nd Dance of Middle Earth-Hobbits

Shire Hobbits are merry folk. Depicted at taverns and parties having a good time drinking and dancing. I based my Hobbit dance (link) off the dancing at Frodo’s birthday in Lord of the Rings. It looks like a merry Jig danced in partnership. The song they used in the movie is “Flaming red Hair” by Howard Shore.

Here is my Hobbit dance how to. The Basic rhythm is Quick, Quick, Slow, or 1&2. The hobbits used a traditional dance position. Position Leaders in front of the followers slightly offset to the left, leaders place their right hand on the followers left shoulder blade, and follower’s left hand follows the line of the leader’s right arm. Leaders gently clasp the follower’s right hand with their left hand at eye level.

Leaders, Skip to the Left (Triple step – left, right, left.), followed by a Skip to the Right (Triple step – right, left, right.) Followers, Skip to the Right (Triple step – right, left, right.) followed by a Skip to the Left (Triple step – left, right, left.). The basic step can be danced in line facing one another or rotating to the right. We demonstrated in our video facing, promenade, underarm turn to right, and rotating to right.

3^rd Dance of Middle Earth- Elves

The elves described by Tolkien with a jolly lot with vivacious singing, dancing and merry making. The Elves in the Lord of the Rings films were more solemn, and they were always processing somewhere. In the spirit of the movie, I chose a medieval processional Basse Dance called “La Dame.” The earliest record of a basse danse is found in an Occitan poem of the 1320s by Raimon de Cornet, who notes that the joglars performed them. There are 3 beats to each measure, more accurately counted as six (“one, two, three, FOUR, five, six”).  Basse dance generally uses five basic steps, each step (or pair of steps for singles) takes one measure.

clone tag: 8035600822899059618

The very basic steps are:

• (R) Reverence
  1 relieve (calf raise), 2 then lower left leg back and bend right knee lowering straight down, 3 straighten, 4 then return feet to close.
• (b) Branle
  Lift heals up 3x, then both down on 4th (like a stationary double) to the 1 beat
• (s) Single
  Step close without weight, t measures or 6 q counts
• (d)  Double
  3 steps forward on the toes, close on the 4th step (1 measure per step, or 3 quick beats)
• (r) Desmarche (or reprise)
  1 point back, 2 Lunge back, 3 straighten,4 pull in, hold (4 measures)

Order of steps for La Dame
Basse La Dame per Salisbury Ms., (20 bars)

Begin- R  b
Frist sequence ss  ddd  rrr  b
Second sequence, ss  d  r  b
Last sequence ss  ddd  r  b

Holly Collins
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of the Knot best wedding dance,
Winner of top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com

The post 3 Dances of Middle Earth first appeared on Adventures In Dance.

Christmas Line Dances Denver

Kicking up your heals to a Christmas jingle is a great way to get in the holiday spirit. Quincy place in Denver sponsored Christmas line dances for their seniors. It was a super way to put them in the holiday spirit.

Historic Christmas line dances

Seniors kicked up their heals with historic Christmas line dances. Traveling back in time they leaned about yuletide dances for Christmas. They leaned a Branle de Original (Link) to” Ding Dong Merrily on High.” Courtly manners were exhibited when seniors learned the English country dance “Greensleeves.” (Link)

Modern Christmas Line dances

Modern songs were full of holiday spirit and make great Christmas Line dances. Residents learned the “Jingle Bell Rock” line dance (Link). Then they clapped and stomped to the “Holly Jolly Christmas” line dance. (Link)

After an hour of holiday cheer and line dances, Quincy Place residents were ready for lunch. They sang a familiar Christmas carol to close. Everyone had a great time.

Holly Collins
WEDDING DANCE instruction
DANCE LESSONS.
author of
Holly’s hot wedding tips, 
Historically Accurate Princess Dances,
Winner of the Knot best wedding dance,
Winner of top 50 Dance Blogs
Champion Ballroom Dancer & Coach
owner of
Adventures in Dance
720-276-0562
info@adventuresindance.com
www.adventuresindance.com
For dance tips,
join my email

The post Christmas Line Dances Denver first appeared on Adventures In Dance.