BY MISHA BERSON
A cardiologist friend once told me that she often prescribed ballroom dancing for her patients. “It’s great exercise for your heart,” she told me.
It is also great for your spirit and your soul, as many have found.
Shaking a leg (and/or other limbs) is not simply a meaningful aerobic workout. It also gets you learning new things, interacting with others in a joyful non-verbal way. And it can brighten up a social life.
Whether you waltz, tap or tango, there are many opportunities in most communities around Puget Sound to join the dance and “trip the light fantastic.” You can take private lessons, find classes at community centers and YMCAs or YWCAs, or sign up for extended learning adult programs at local colleges. And if you know where to look, and get on the right mailing lists, there are public dances—often with live music and frequently with short beginning classes for newbies before the main event.
Here are some ideas for exploring and connecting:
SOLO MOVES
Not so sure you want to delve into partner dancing? Then check out some of the opportunities for genres where you can enjoy group learning but move and groove at your own pace and style.
Tap dancing, for instance, is a genre that is not just for kids. It can improve posture and get the blood circulating, with routines that range from the very simple to the very intricate.
Ballet, which many also associate with young children, also offers a lot to mature amateurs. Posture is emphasized here, too, but also footwork and (above all) physical grace. It is an exacting form, but in a class for mature beginners the goal is enjoyment.
And for women, and even some adventurous men, one of the most delightful genres I’ve encountered is, yes, belly dancing. This centuries-old Middle Eastern form originated in Egypt and emphasizes hip and torso movements, both of which promote agility and spinal health.
Low-impact and weight-bearing, belly dancing also can help develop and strengthen the legs and core abdominal muscles. In addition, the artform has a sensuous mystique and fun fashion element as you learn to accentuate your moves with finger cymbals, veils, and other accoutrements. Though learning can be individualized with the help of an instructor, often group routines are taught for recitals or just in-class pleasure.
SOCIAL DANCES
The dance forms that keep you in tempo with others are practically endless in number. Choosing what excites you is a matter of taste, physical concerns and goals, and accessibility.
Partner dancing can seem daunting if you haven’t done it in a long time or have never indulged. But a good class or all-ages public dance will be welcoming to newcomers (if you come in on your own or with a partner), as well as practiced dancers.
The big question to answer is: What turns you on? If you love the old-school ballroom genres, you can focus on the waltz, the tango, even the jitterbug. Salsa dancing, which originated in Cuba and merges moves from the mambo, Pachanga, and rumba, is a big favorite in the Seattle area and beyond. And the music sizzles.
There are newer popular genres that some dance lovers I know have enjoyed. One is the old perennial swing dancing, and its cousin blues dancing, which historically emerged in the Black community and is usually accompanied by old-time blues and swing jazz music.
And hip-hop dance? Yes! These various street styles are highly energetic and, in some cases, acrobatic. The music is contemporary and the mood is upbeat. Yes, it may sound daunting to those among us who have reached a certain age. But with the right instructor, it too can be fun and adaptable.
GROUP SOCIAL DANCES
If partner dancing seems intimidating, or you just would rather move in sync with a group, there’s a lot of other dance modes that are appealing. Though dancers might be paired up, it can occur with the class dividing into arbitrary twosomes, rather than by bringing in your own partner.
Though square dancing isn’t as easy to find in some communities, it is an old American favorite with rousing country music. Another popular genre is contra dancing, a form of folk dancing that originated as country dances in England, Scotland, and France. (Various forms of contra dance you often see in movies based on Jane Austen novels, and in television series sent in the Regency Era, like Sanditon and Bridgerton.)
Then there is the great multiplicity of Indigenous folk dances derived from individual cultures. Bollywood, polka, Israeli folk dancing the list goes on and on. If you are attracted to a form that is not from your own native culture, no worries. One of the pleasures of living in a multiethnic, multicultural, multiracial society is that we can learn about, and join in, the dances of fellow citizens from a variety of different backgrounds.
So on with the dance!
To find out more about opportunities in your area, search online for classes and dances in different genres and locales.
And here are just a few of the sites you may want to peruse and email lists you may want to consider joining to get your groove on: seattledance.org; centuryballroom.com; americandanceinstitute.com; learn2dance4fun.com; suenosdesalsa.com; and lavidastudio.com.
Misha Berson writes about the arts for crosscut.com and many other media outlets, teaches for the UW Osher program, and is the author of four books, including Something’s Coming, Something Good: West Side Story and the American Imagination (Applause/Hal Leonard).