Movin' Easy Dancewear

The Fluent Body with Sarah Brumgart offers group Yoga classes for all skill levels and ages, Wednesdays noon-1pm and Thursdays 6-7pm.

Classes held @ Austin Center for Holistic Healing & Yoga, 5515 Balcones Drive, 2nd floor, near 2222 & Mopac, across from Chez Zee Restaurant, above Independence Title, entrances to staircase by Pakmail or Nails.

Register at  sarah@sarahbumgart.com

512-241-1915

www.sarahbrumgart.com

Feb 26-27 @ Third Coast Dance Center, 2565 Jackson Keller Rd, San Antonio TX 78230, Beg & Adv levels, 210-863-5190, www.pilarandujar.net

Virginia’s Ballet Austin Experience

Dance class as an adult can be a little scary. Our bodies don’t recoup as quickly as a hard workout, our brains run a little bit slower than they did at age 16, and I am sure none of us look the same as we did 10 years ago.

At the Butler Community School at Ballet Austin these fears all seem to disappear. I have been taking class at Ballet Austin for about 6 months and couldn’t feel better about myself. Not only am I working out with fantastic teachers, I am invited into this amazing environment of people who make art all day and want me to get involved. And let me tell you about the facility. WOW!! State of the art to say the least.

Whether you’ve never put on a pair of dance shoes, or are just squeezing back into that leotard, everyone deserves to take a dance class at Ballet Austin.

Learning dance is the best because no matter how complicated it looks, all it takes is learning one little simple step after another.  When all those simple steps go together, the result is always surprising.

Before learning ballroom dancing, I spent years doing Scandinavian couple dances and Contra dancing which is an earlier type of square dance.  Of course my basic West Texas two step was a main stay.  Using only that basic step, I loved to make it smooth or make the polka fly across the floor without any of the exciting turns that are taught today.

When I started learning ballroom dance, I could not understand why it took so long to get it.  Learning any dance took some real concentration and work for me, but I could not understand why I felt more comfortable with learning the “folk” versions of Country Western, Scandinavian, Early American Contra, and numerous others from Hungarian to Israeli.

These “folk” dances were easier for me because I learned one pattern that repeated over and over.  After several lessons of putting together usually no more than four parts, I could repeat the one sequence and have the entire dance.  So in one song, I got to practice the one step a hundred times. By repetition number fifty, I was beginning to be comfortable.

In ballroom dancing, if I repeat the same basic pattern over and over, it gets boring for me or for my partner.  Why does the repetition of the “folk” versions not get boring?  I think the answer has to do with the purpose and the focus.

The purpose of “folk” dancing is a community activity whereas ballroom dancing is exploring the individual variations that this one couple can explore.  The focus is different too.  The music is main focus in the “folk” dances.  The repetition is for the purpose of experiencing the music.  In ballroom, the music is the accompaniment for a series of movement explorations of partner with partner.  The complexity of these explorations means that a leader prepares the way and takes the couple there.  The communication in the ballroom couple is totally different from most of the “folk” dances.

Can Anyone Social Dance? The answer is yes.  Anyone can social dance.  In one or two lessons, anyone can learn the basic steps for the Country Western two step to Salsa, from ChaCha to the Scandinavian Hambo.  Learn the basic steps and right then and there we can dance to the music.

Some like me will be stumbling to find the beat or acting like a big boy stomping flat a huge mound of dirt.  I have sat and watched many beginner classes and the differences in the way we all move is delightful.  The fact is everyone is dancing no matter what their style of cool or awkwardness.

The biggest learning curve is being comfortable with our delightful differences.  I am the worst example because I can not remember anything beyond the first two beats.  And I really want my partner to feel comfortable which as a beginner is hard because I am wondering WHEN I will step on her feet and I do not let her know ahead of time what I am doing next.

The best dancing times come when I begin to get comfortable with my own clumsiness and just have fun with my partner.

Heidi at Tapestry Dance Academy says:  “We are a home for so many different dance groups now, Uptown Dance, Austin Dance Arts and their Austin Jazz Ballet Company, Backstage Dance School, Nia, Classical Indian dance, Kid’s Acting, the Lindy Project, African Dancing and Drumming, the Austin Tango Connection, Belly dancing, and a Gabriel Roth 5 rhythms group.

  “Tapestry is really conducive to making connections.  Between all these groups there is not a sense of competition.  It feels so good here.”

ENTRY LEVEL DANCE

1.  Choose your dance form

2.  Select a studio or teacher that works for your location and schedule.

3.  Try out several styles if you can not decide.  Some studios have a monthly package to sample all the dance styles.

4.  Make the choices that will make dance more fun:

Who are the people you love to be around?

What is the dance music or type of movement that turns you on?

Do you want a group class or private instruction?

Are you drawn to the cutting edge, the local rage, formal dance training, improvisation, or folk and ethnic forms?

Do you want to dance with a partner, alone, or in unison with others?

Do you want to move a little or a lot, fast or slow?

Do you want direct instruction or an exercise format following an instructor?

5.  Choose your mentor, an instructor or leader who you feel comfortable learning from.

6.  Find a buddy who will encourage you and you can encourage.  Classes do not require a partner so you can bring someone with you or find a friend there.

7.  Watch television shows and movies to see how others have gone through the process of learning to dance.

8.  Encourage boys, brothers, sons, and husbands.

Bring your buddies or mates  along with you or practice with them at home.  Men and boys are finding the fun of dancing to music.  No excuses should keep them from improving their level of fun, coordination, communication, and build their brain while they are at it.

NO EXCUSES

Dance is movement with delight which may bring determination or laughter. Either way you have taken a step toward a fit body and a new kind of happiness.
Excuse One

“I can’t dance.”

All humans dance whether it is jiggling or bouncing to the music, tapping a finger, or pushing a grocery cart to music. Dance is the simplest and most natural form of exercise. It is basically walking to music.

What most people mean by this is, “I am afraid of making a fool of myself.” In today’s dance classes, that is impossible because everyone is making mistakes right along side of you.

Excuse Two

“I have two left feet.”
If you can walk, you can dance, so get on your shoes and get ready for some fun.

This excuse usually comes with the “I ain’t got rhythm” excuse. Dance classes are taught in such a step by step way that even if you are uncoordinated, dance is easiest way to free up your body and get moving.

Excuse Three

“I have an injury.”

If you can walk, dance will help to free up your joints and make your body happy enough to want more. And more movement of the whole body builds capillaries that bring oxygen to those hurt places.

If you can’t walk, then you qualify for the fun of floor rolling dances, contact improvisation, aerial dancing, or “boggie in your chair” dances. Movement with delight and laughter are the best.
Excuse Four

“I learn slowly.”

Dance classes begin with a simple step that can be repeated over and over to your hearts content. Improvisational classes also offer an alternative of learning dance principles using free form movement.

Excuse Five

“I prefer sports.”

Dance training builds a different approach to improving muscle efficiency and to learning to use all the muscles in walking, running or jumping,. Dance develops a way of maneuvering the entire body in ways no other sport does. The athlete can learn new ways to go full out using each movement to reach their goal.

Excuse Six

“I do not like for people to look at me.”

Dance is the perfect place to get lost in the crowd. The solution is to get in the middle of the class or dance floor so other dancers take the lime light at the front and edges.

Excuse Seven

“I do not have a partner or a friend to go with.”

Dance classes are the perfect place to make a friend because you are learning together and having fun immediately.

Excuse Eight

“My husband/ boy friend / wife/ girl friend will not go with me.”

This is a touchy one because you want your partner to have fun once they get there. Here are some suggestions to gently nudge without making it an obligation.

“I really want to learn to dance. Will you practice with me at home even if you do not go?”
“Will you go if your buddy goes with us?”
“Can we just try one private lesson to see if you would like it?”

Excuse Nine

“My husband/son/brother/friend thinks that dancing is only for girls.”

Tests have shown that ballet dancers exert more energy by using more muscles than football players. In countries like Russia, dancing is the ultimate macho sport. And today more boys everywhere are finding the fun of dancing to music is the best way to go full out.