subject: Expressing Yourself Through Freestyle Dance [print this page] Have you ever considered taking dancing lessons? There are actually so many types of lessons available now days that it could be hard to choose the right style for you. Ballroom dancing, ballet, line dancing, jazz, tap, hip-hop, salsa, freestyle dance, and belly dancing are just some of the varieties of dance that you may learn. Learning to dance takes physical strength, flexibility, coordination and enthusiasm, among other things. Lessons are available all over; you could possibly take local classes at a studio, you could find classes at your state or community college, you could possibly even take classes on-line or via DVD. So how do you know which style and type of class are right for you?
First of all, think about your personality. If you're a mildly mannered and quiet person, you could possibly not feel comfortable jumping feet first into a salsa routine. On the other hand, it could be just the right tool to help you break out of a pattern of shyness. If you're open and outgoing, freestyle dance could be your niche. Tap is great for a person that is very rhythmical. Belly dancing is terrific for the person looking for something new and exciting. If you take some lessons and later find that a specific style doe not suit you, not all is lost. You have still learned some valuable core moves that can be applied to other styles of dancing.
If you are not currently active, dancing lessons may come as a little of a physical shock to you. As graceful as the moves look, dancing is actually particularly hard work. Consulting a physician prior to taking classes is a good idea. You might want to think about starting with a regular cardio and weight training routine and then combining that with dancing. You may even practice some freestyle dance during your workouts! The point is that you will want to be in fairly good physical shape before your classes commence. Flexibility is another key point. All styles of dancing involve turning, twisting, bending, reaching and forced muscular stretching. Warm up exercises will help your muscles acclimate. Including a good stretching routine within your day to day exercise is a good habit to make.
Coordination is good to have, especially with ballet, tap, freestyle dance and jazz, although all dances require this to some degree. Fortunately, coordination could be taught if you are not an inherently coordinated person. Exercises involving balance will help, as will special hand and eye exercises. Enthusiasm seems to come needless to say once people start dancing! It's fun and exhilarating.
Turn on your music and walk into your family room. Begin a freestyle dance to whatever music happens to be on. How do you feel? At first you can feel a bit silly dancing by yourself in your family room, but once you get past that, it's very pleasurable. Dancing can help you with stress relief, weight loss, self-esteem issues, depression, and more. If you're still not sure, inquire about a free class with your local studio. They generally let you participate in one complimentary class. This allows you to make a fair determination if dancing is right for you.
