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Dance Tips from Svetlana Iskhakov.

Health Benefits of Dance

Dancing is a great way for people of all ages to get and stay in shape.
Besides being fun, dancing has many positive health benefits.
Following are the top 4 health benefits of dance.


1. Flexibility
Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dance requires a great amount of flexibility.
Most dance classes begin with a warm-up including several stretching exercises.
Dancers must strive to achieve full range of motion for all the major muscle groups.
The greater the range of motion, the more muscles can flex and extend.
Most forms of dance require dancers to perform moves that require bending and stretching,
so dancers naturally become more flexible by simply dancing.

2. Strength
Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against resistance.
Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist against a dancer's own body weight.
Many styles of dance, including jazz and ballet, require jumping and leaping high into the air.
Jumping and leaping require tremendous strength of the major leg muscles.
Ballroom dancing builds strength. Consider the muscle mass a male ballroom dancer develops
by lifting his partner above his head!

3. Endurance
Dance is physical exercise. Exercise increases endurance.
Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time
without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for improving endurance, especially vigorous
dancing such as line and ballroom dancing. Elevating the heart rate can increase stamina.
Just as in any form of exercise, regular dancing will build endurance.

4. Sense of Well-Being
Dancing is a social activity. Studies have shown that strong social ties and socializing
with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook.
Dancing provides many opportunities to meet other people.
Joining a dance class can increase self-confidence and build social skills.
Because physical activity reduces stress and tension, regular dancing gives
an overall sense of well-being.

Dancing is a unique form of exercise because it provides the heart-healthy benefits
of an aerobic exercise while also allowing you to engage in a social activity.
This is especially stimulating to the mind, and one 21-year study published in
the New England Journal of Medicine even found dancing can reduce the risk of
Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in the elderly.

In the study, participants over the age of 75 who engaged in reading,
dancing and playing musical instruments and board games once a week had a
7 percent lower risk of dementia compared to those who did not.
Those who engaged in these activities at least 11 days a month had a 63 percent lower risk!


How to Practice:

Practice is an essential part of any dancer.
But not any practice makes better dancers, perfect practice does it.
Carefully plan each practice or your and your partner’s time will be wasted.
Here are some tips how to make your practice perfect:

First - Start with basics, your body, legs and feet need to be warm before dancing any complicated choreography
(for example: Rumba walks, Cha-Cha lock steps, Crozado walks and locks, Paso Doble – side chasse to promenade link,
Jive – basic step and kicks combination).
Do it on your own or if you practice with a partner then dance it next to each other to match foot and leg action.
Dance basics to a slow music (slower than a normal tempo).
Then to a fast melody (faster than a normal tempo).
And finally to a normal speed.
Your muscles are warm and stretched.
Now you are ready to dance with a partner.

Second - Do not rush right away to dance your choreography you are not ready yet, yes you warmed up your individual bodies,
but how about a partnership balance. You should have a basic routine for every dance, something simple, combination will depend on your level
(for example: fan-alemana-hip twist-hockey stick).
Count first, and then dance it to a slow music.

Third - Now you are ready for your competitive choreographies.
Should any arguments arise write it down and ask your teacher, rather then fight for the whole practice.

Good Luck!



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Svetlana has recently been selected by the Greater Columbus Arts Council as featured artists into the Artist-In-School Program. Igor & Svetlana founded Columbus Dancesport Academy in 1996, one of the first Dancesport institutions in USA dedicated to training young Dancesport athletes. CDA was home of mid-west first junior and amateur DanceSport couples of National and International caliber.

Columbus DanceCentre is the successor to CDA taking Dancing in Columbus to an entirely different level of quality instruction and style fusion thus realizing Igor and Svetlana's original vision. Svetlana travels extensively coaching and judging nationally and worldwide. Svetlana is the head coach of the OSU and Kenyon College Ballroom Teams. She is frequently invited to judge and do demonstrations at the collegiate competitions around the country, including OSU, Cornell, Case Western, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State universities.

Igor & Svetlana have appeared as featured dancers in the Hollywood release "Dance with me" with Vanessa Williams. A documentary film "Igor and Svetlana" directed by OSU professor Vicki Uris was screened at the Lincoln Center in NY as a winner of the International Dance on Video Festival. Igor and Svetlana have been featured in numerous articles in Columbus Dispatch, New York Times, This Week, Columbus Alive, Gahanna News etc.



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