Get your glow on step into a dance class

Fox trot, swing, ballroom, salsa, hip-hop, waltz, Bollywood – no matter the style, many Calgarians are dusting off their dancing shoes – or buying brand-new ones – and lining up to take dance classes.

There are many benefits to dancing, says Gerald Cote, founder of DancEnergy Premier Centre of Dance. “People take dance for many reasons – self-expression, physical activity, socializing. A big part of dancing is connecting with people,” he says.

Dancing unites the body, mind, and spirit, says Deanne Walsh, an instructor at the School of Decidedly Jazz.

“Not only are you very physical in a dance class, but it’s also an exercise for your mind,” she says. “I see people who might have had a bad day at work, but once we start the music, start moving, by the end of class everyone is smiling.

“On a basic human-nature level, dance is important; that’s what keeps people coming back.”

There’s no age limit for dance. “For us, it’s mostly 35-40 up to 60 or 70, but we see younger people,” says Ian Gooley, owner of Arthur Murray Dance Studio. “Some are looking for exercise, and at the end of a lesson we’ll make sure they have a glow on if they want that. Or sometimes they’re out to meet people, have a relaxing time away from work, spending time with a significant other.”

Amira Jacobs was 35 when she first signed up for classes at Decidedly Jazz. “At first, I started with a blitz of different styles, but I’ve been taken by hip-hop, urban dance – that’s where my heart is,” she says. “I also did Bollywood quite intensely for three years and I’ve also done belly dance, flamenco, jazz.

“I had no dance background; I got involved later in life. I was going through major transitions in my life, and dance offered itself to me.”

What started out as recreation has opened new professional opportunities for Jacobs. “I (recently) turned 40 and I was just hired as a professional hip-hop dancer … if there’s a fountain of youth, it’s dance,” she says, adding dance gave her the confidence to pursue another of her passions; she recently won her first professional job as an actress.

But it wasn’t easy getting into the “swing” of things when she started out. “My first dance class, I was crying – no one made me feel that way, but it was a foreign land,” Jacobs says. “But I took it on as a personal challenge.”

DancEnergy student Leah McCartney had taken a break from dancing to follow other interests such as kickboxing, but the dancing bug bit her anew as a break from her day job in telecommunications.

“I wanted to try West Coast swing – that was different from the style I was used to,” she says. “Gerald encouraged me to try different styles, so I took on all eight dance styles in country.”

McCartney jumped into the competition side of dancing, including partnering with Cote in various events hosted by the United Country Western Dance Council.

Cote says he’s had students go on to make it into the top 20 in the finals for So You Think You Can Dance, Canada? They’re often attracted to dance by its variety, he says.

“It’s like kids in a candy store when people come in for a dance lesson,” he says. “Every dance has a story, mood, flavour. Some like flashy, high-energy salsa; the two-step is a lively dance; the waltz is more romantic and subtle.

“West Coast swing is very popular with the younger crowd, while ballroom appeals to the older group that wants to have fun – it depends on the character of the individual.”

McCartney espouses the virtues of dance for fitness. “Even a lot of the slower styles like waltz, I find the more-controlled dance style, you get a good workout for your core stability in your legs,” she says.

Some dance students have been dancing their whole lives. Decidedly Jazz student Delphi Wheatley, 13, started around age two in a preschool class, and started ballet when she was about five or six.

“I like the performance aspects – being able to show off what I can do and take roles as different characters,” she says.

But don’t expect to see Wheatley competing on reality TV anytime soon. “I don’t really believe in competition,” she says. “Lots of people do it for the winning, but I do it for the experience and dancing with other people … and getting the growth from it.”

Decidedly Jazz dance school manager Jennica Willis says there are classes for every skill level.

“We offer classes for people who’ve never danced in their life, and we have students who have danced their whole life, but aren’t actually looking to enter competition and are now adults looking to try something new,” she says. “They’re looking for something different than going to the gym.”

Source Ale Frazer-Harrison

Posted in Dancenergy Premier Centre for Dance , Foxtrot , hiphop , latin dance , salsa dance , salsa dance steps , salsa dancing