Getting In Shape With Ballroom Dancing

If you have ever watched Dancing With The Stars, one thing you are sure to notice is how well-toned every dancer's body is. Oh yes, you can get caught up with all the pizzazz that is built around the dancing in the show, the comments, the asides, the costumes, but it is the bodies that no doubt held your attention, the way they moved and the way they looked. No spare flesh to be seen anywhere, just sleek, perfectly toned and shaped arms, legs, abs. One reason is that ballroom dancing is really one of the best workouts there is.

To many of us who don't dance too often or too well, ballroom dancing is nice, slow and romantic, on a dimly lit dance floor or out in the moonlight. Well, trained ballroom dancers have a different story to tell. It's a hard job to dance well and just as hard staying fit and abreast of the many who come into this world of perfect timing and perfect physique. All those moves, those twirls and those bends and twists give you much more exercise than an aerobics class would.

Ballroom dancing is a good alternative to the gym if you are looking for a bit more strenuous form of exercise. At a gym it is easy to notice just how good and toned everyone else looks and it could give you a complex if you have a lot of excess weight to shed. At a dance class however, the emphasis is on the moves rather than the exercise. It's also fun and you can do it as a couple. It's great if you haven't found a fun way to exercise, as it involves music, exercise, and socializing.

The great thing is that you are burning as many calories as any other form of exercise, like at the gym for instance. And sometimes even more. One session could mean that you burn anywhere between 200 to 400 calories, how much precisely would depend on the kind of dance you choose. Now this is like half an hour on the elliptical trainer or a brisk walk. Some energetic dances burn up even more calories.

Moreover, ballroom dancing exercises every part of your body, not just certain portions like at the gym when you are doing crunches or you are on the treadmill. Little wonder that professional ballroom dancers look so worked over and superbly toned from head to toe.

And there is more to make it even more enjoyable. Unlike any other form of exercise, you get teamed up with a partner! You could go as a couple or you could just go and be paired off. Doing things together is great fun and who knows, you might just make friends who last a lot longer than your dance lessons. So get out there and dance your way to fitness!

 

Glendale briefs: Dance show tickets on sale Friday

Glendale news items: Dance show tickets on sale Friday.

Dance, Dance, Dance

Every mom and dad loves to watch their little girls or boys first recital that moment when she prances on stage in her ballet shoes and tutu and dances to Twinkle Twinkle Little Star or he dons his tap shoes and awkwardly shuffles his feet to Take Me Out to the Ball Game. The memory is priceless.

Dance-East Bay Through August 8

Balkan Folkdance, Aug. 4, 8 p.m. $7. 1317 San Pablo Ave., Berkeley. (510) 525-5054, www.ashkenaz.com. "All You Can Dance Sunday Socials," Sunday, 4-6 p.m. Marilyn Bowe and Robert Henneg presents monthly socials with ballroom, swing, Latin and rock & roll themes.

NIGHTLIFE

dance Cantigny Post 367 VFW: Every 3rd Friday of the month, Polka music by Bob Mutz with "BIG" John Churnovic at Cantigny Post 367 VFW. At 826 Horseshoe Dr., Joliet. Croatian Cultural Club: Every Friday, from 4 to 7 p.m., the club serves half chicken dinners cooked over a charcoal grill. $8. Music on Friday nights starts at 7 p.m. TBA, Friday. Saturday night music from 8 p.m. to midnight. Sunday ...

Call box: San Marco studio offers adults-only dance classes

Dear Call Box: Is there someplace in Jacksonville that teaches adult dance lessons? I'm not talking about Jazzercise or ballroom dancing, but tap, ballet and jazz to adults only. - P.K., Jacksonville Dear P.K.: We let our fingers do the walking and while the Yellow Pages, under the heading Dancing Instruction, list several schools that say they serve students of all ages, there is one we found ...