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Save Your Brain… Dance!
Of all the ways to get smart, dance is the best option for me. Though I don’t really need to take it as an exercise, for me it is more like a play, a hobby, or a perfect way to bring me back to a delightful mood.
I just love it. The moment I hear a hip hop beat, I find myself dancing to it. It is such a joy that you can’t put in words. To highlight its significance on a broader scale, why not take a look at the technical side of this art!
Dance (from Old French dancier, perhaps from Frankish) generally refers to human movement used as a form of expression, social interaction or presented in a spiritual or performance setting.
Origins and history of dance
Before the introduction of written languages, dance was one of the methods of passing stories down from generation to generation. Another early use of dance may have been as a precursor to ecstatic trance states in healing rituals. Dance is still used for this purpose by cultures from the Brazilian rainforest to the Kalahari Desert.
Many contemporary dance forms can be traced back to historical, traditional, ceremonial, and ethnic dances.
Dance and music
Many early forms of music and dance were created and performed together. This paired development has continued through the ages with dance/music forms such as: Jig, Waltz, Tango, Disco, Salsa, Electronica and Hip-Hop. Some musical genres also have a parallel dance form such as Baroque music and Baroque dance whereas others developed separately like: Classical music, Classical ballet.
Although dance is often accompanied by music, it can also be presented independently or provide its own accompaniment (tap dance). Dance presented with music may or may not be performed in time to the music depending on the style of dance. Dance performed without music is said to be danced to its own rhythm.
DanceSport
DanceSport denotes dance as a sport activity. Initially this term was applied to competitive ballroom dancing, in its international style.
The International Dance-Sport Federation, or IDSF, is an international governing body for amateurs, while the World Dance & DanceSport Council (WD&DSC) is an international governing body for dance professionals. Since 1997 the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has officially recognised DanceSport as sport, with IDSF becoming an IOC Recognised International Sports Federation. The IDSF strongly pushes for the inclusion of DanceSport as a medal sport in the Olympic Games. However, the decision of the IOC is negative so far. It is in force only until the 2012 Olympics and subject to reconsideration afterwards.
Dance studies
In the early 1920s dance studies (dance practice, critical theory, Musical analysis and history) began to be considered an academic discipline. Today these studies are an integral part of many universities’ arts and humanities programmes.
A large range of dance courses are available including:
a — Professional practice: performance and technical skills
b — Practice-based research: choreography and performance
c — Ethnochoreology, encompassing the dance-related aspects of anthropology, cultural studies, gender studies, area studies, postcolonial theory, ethnography, etc.
d — Dance therapy or dance-movement therapy.
e — Dance and technology: new media and performance technologies.
f — Laban movement analysis and somatic studies
A full range of Academic degrees are available from BA (Hons) to PhD and other postdoctoral fellowships, with many dance scholars taking up their studies as mature students after a professional dance career.
Dance occupations
There are different careers connected with dancing. They include: dancer, dance teacher, dance sport coach, dance therapist and choreographer.
Dance and cultures
Dance is an absolute part of Hindu culture and occupies a significant place in its history. Dance in India is rooted to age-old tradition. This region has given birth to varied forms of dancing, each shaped by the influences of a particular period and environment.
All Indian dances portray some expression of life and almost every dance posture has a specific meaning. Different states in India have different colourful folk dances. Many different classical forms of dance are taught and learned including Bharathanatyam, Kathakali, Manipuri, Odissi, Kathak, Kuchipudi and Mohiniyattam.
Besides, dance is also appreciated in western part of the world. It has evolved in so many varied styles. Break-dancing and Crump is related to the hip hop culture. African dance is interpretative. Ballet, Ballroom, Waltz, and Tango are classical styles of dance, while square and the infamous electric slide are forms of step dance.
The health side of dance
The amount of benefit you get from dancing depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing you’re doing, how strenuous it is, the duration and your skill level. Not only is dancing an exceptional way to let loose and have fun, it also provides some terrific benefits for your health.
In fact, researchers have reported that social dancing helps to:
a — Reduce stress
b — Increase energy
c — Improve strength
d — Increase muscle tone and coordination
And whether you like to kick up your heals to hip hop, classical or country, a health institute says that dancing can:
a — Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
b — Decrease blood pressure
c — Help you manage your weight
d — Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips
Dancing is a unique form of exercise because it provides the heart-healthy benefits of an aerobic exercise while also allowing you to engage in a social activity. This is especially stimulating to the mind, and one 21-year study published in the
New England Journal of Medicine even found dancing can reduce the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in the elderly.
Dance and you
Just as I mentioned, dance can serve as a means to stay healthy, to express your feelings and can also be taken up as a hobby. The different forms of dance, both eastern and western, present an entirely different world.
Some people are just so blessed that they don’t even need a proper training. It comes naturally to them, just as any other talent. So do check if you’re that lucky one! Cheers!
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