Movin' Easy Dancewear

092111   Tim Hurst

A friend came to Movin’ Easy for tap shoes to begin tap dance at Tapestry Dance Academy in Austin.  I said, “This will be a great opportunity for you to deal with all that confusion in your life.”  I was speaking from experience since dance is my friend in this respect almost every day.

She asked me, “What do you mean?”  I said, “Have you taken Tai Chi’.”  “Yes.”  Do you remember how it felt to shift slowly from one side of your body to the other?”  “Kind of.”

“That’s the point.  Tai Chi integrates the breath as you shift left side, right side.  That seems subtle to us. 

“Tap dancing requires clear commitment in moving from one side to the other.  You shift from using one side of the brain, then the other.  Plus you are sealing that commitment into the hard wired rhythmic part of the brain.  Or at least you are getting into your psyche through a set of wiring used since the earliest humans.”

NEW Zumba and Dance Sneaker selection @Movin’ Easy, Pics available @Movin’ Easy Dance Blog

Why is ballet an essential for performers and dancers of all kinds, gymnasts, martial artists, figure skaters, as well as for children and adults of all ages willing to discover a new mind set?

For many adults, the answer would be clarity and precision of movements.  For children the classic forms and flight through the air have excited many generations.

The fact is that ballet is the science of commanding the inner and outer muscles, the small and large muscle groups, the coordination of each body part propelling full energy into each movement.  As a body study, ballet is the basis for the explorations and innovations of modern dance, Pilates, and many other forms that have built our present understanding of body movement and training.

Even beyond the mastery of the body, ballet is the essential element to follow-through.  Any athletic training can teach to execute an action, a swing, a punch, a jump.  Ballet goes to root of the action and trains the beginning, the middle, and the end of the movement.  Many martial arts have explored this training from ballet.

Ballet does not stop there.  We now know that the movements of ballet foster brain growth in young children and help to maintain healthy adults function.  Ballet is the science of crossing the mid-line with a turn of the head, rotation of the shoulders, torso and hips, and all the myriad possibilities of turning in space.

Personality and attitude are called front and center by ballet training.  By attending to minute detail, the ballet dancer learns to present the power of their presence.  Regal elation, passion or anguish are given full reign challenging the dancer to command the clarity of their personality as well as the body.

Drawing from ancient dance traditions, ballet carries the traditions of meditative and healing practices.  The beginning of the ballet class is called “barre” where the body is carefully warmed up and trained in the intricacies of body mechanics and form.  The “barre” is truly a meditation where each dancer attends to their mental and physical state of the moment. 

Also drawn from ancient temple dances, the power of palms facing each other is a healing technique that builds and circulates energy.  This one simple technique attests to the complexity and completeness of ballet.

Music is the added prize placed on top of all these benefits.  Anyone who has taken ballet knows the exhilaration of the passionate connection of movement to intricately composed music.  The brain connections multiply when the traditions of ballet meet the music.

And speaking of brain connections, the skills of focus and anticipation increase exponentially with the abilities to command the use of the body moving through space.