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Learn How to Dance Hip Hop

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Learn How to Dance Hip Hop

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Some people hesitate when you mention learning how to dance, especially if they have already reached a certain age and they have lost the confidence to study something new. There are a lot of people who have the desire, yet they believe they cannot dance because they were born with ‘two left feet’. But it is not true, it is never too late to learn how to dance, especially if it is as easy as to learn how to dance hip hop.

The Roots of Hip Hop Dance

Hip hop dancing started gaining popularity in the early 70s when new steps were introduced to the dancing community. The exact history  of this dancing style is still untraceable since there are a number of nationalities claiming that they founded the hip hop dancing style. However, most believe that the Latin Americans and African Americans started this phenomenon because they were the first ones who showed it to the public by dancing in the streets of Bronx.

Since those days when some youth started dancing on the streets, the style became popular and a lot of other different dance styles were mixed in. Street dancing contests, which involve rapping, beat boxing and popping and locking, started to be normal occurances all over the United States. That caused a lot of people, particularly the younger generations, to start getting involved, even going further by enrolling in dance schools.

Want to Express Yourself? Learn How to Dance Hip Hop

There were numerous movies that showcased this dancing style. ‘You Got Served’, ‘Honey’ and ‘Stomp the Yard’ are the most famous ones. The plot usually starts with the protagonist discovering his or her passion in dancing, after than he or she will then start to learn the style. The story will usually involve obstacles and antagonists who will try to discourage the lead actor from dancing. But the protagonist, because it is truly his or her passion, will show an absolutely stunning dance number full of emotions. The emotions help the actor win the competition.

Hip hop dancing is really a mix of everything. It could be danced together with jazz, ballet, tap and ballroom, meaning it doesn’t really matter that much if you incorporate other dancing styles as long as you pour out your emotions and just dance with hip hop music in  the background. Hip hop dancing is just merely experiencing freedom to express yourself while dancing. Unlike the more formal dancing styles, it does not have too many rules and is not very boxed-up.

Where to Learn How to Dance Hip Hop?

So you have decided that you really want to learn how to dance hip hop and you already psyched yourself that  you can endure all the body aches and the rigorous training you will have to experience. Now, the next thing to do is to know how you can learn.

For those who have money saved, hiring a professional dance instructor is the best option. This will get you really inspired as the instructor will focus on you and will teach you one-on-one. If you don’t have the money to support one-one-one instruction, enroll in a dance studio that offers hip hop as one of their courses. The advantage of this is that you will learn together with other people and this will keep you working hard as you won’t want to ruin the class because you are not concentrating. It will also be more fun since you will be in the company of like-minded individuals.

The last and most popular option is by watching tutorial videos. There are hundreds, or maybe thousands of videos in YouTube and in other streaming sites that have ‘learn how to dance hip hop’ tutorials. Just type in ‘hip hop dancing’ or even ‘locking, popping dance’ and the site will pull up its videos that contain what you’re looking for. The advantage of this learning method is you learn at your own pace and at the comfort of your home. Another thing is that it is free, well except that you need to pay for your Internet connection, but other than that it is entirely free. However, with this method, you have to be really attentive so that you can learn easily as there’s no one to guide you physically and tell you that you’re doing something wrong.

Determination is the Only Thing You Need to Learn How to Dance Hip Hop

There is no age limit or restriction if you really want to study this. And since there’s already the option of doing this at home through watching videos, you can learn without anyone seeing you, which is great if your fear is that you’ll get laughed at.

But if you’re serious that you want to learn how to dance hip hop then nothing, not even low self-esteem, can stop you.

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Why Should You Learn Dancing? The Art’s Numerous Benefits

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Learn Dancing

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Why People Want to Learn Dancing

The art of dancing started a long, long time ago. It started with our ancestors whose means of communication was dancing or body movements. Even animals dance, when they are trying to attract prey or when they are mating. Although, some people want to learn dancing though due to an intense passion for the art, most people just  want to look good in front of other people.

Learn Dancing: Short Term or Long Term

Some people want to learn dancing because for short term reasons. A group may want to study some dance moves just to win a company or school competition. A guy may want to impress a lady with his dancing skills. A couple may want to feel confident during the first dance at their wedding. A teen may want to impress friends at the prom.

There are those who have long-term goals as well, like someone who wants to dance as a career. These people are usually more serious and more determined to learn dancing.

No matter what you’re reason is, having a purpose is very important to keep your interest and for you to be motivated, knowing what you’d like to gain is important when you start learning.

Why Learn Dancing?

There are numerous benefits to dancing that both physical and mental… there are even emotional and social benefits.

Healthy body. Dancing is a great form of exercise. It helps to keep your body healthy and most forms of dance can keep you toned. This is a great way to get in shape, lose weight, burn calories and lose the toxins in your body.

Mental health. Your body is not the only thing that will benefit from dancing, your mind will as well. When you start to learn dancing, you will force your brain to remember the steps, the beat and the emotions you need to have for a certain dance. All these activities will challenge your brain as it tries to focus on the dance while also concentrating on making your body move.

Social health. Dancing is an extremely fun activity, and most of the time, it is done in a group or with a partner. Especially if you’re taking dance lessons in a studio, you will get a chance to learn dancing while honing your social skills.

Emotional health. Like most exercise, your emotional health will also be taken cared of once you start to learn dancing. It  removes stress and it elevates your mood because it releases endorphins, a hormone secreted that makes you feel happy. Some also say that it improves the harmony between your bodies and minds.

All People Can Learn Dancing

Dancing is not only for those born with ‘dancing genes’. Some say the talent in dancing is genetics or it can be passed on to children just by DNA. Well, there are really cases when this happens, but talents can be molded by anyone at any age and that’s also a fact in dancing.

It does not matter what your age is, or if your parents were once dancers, or if you are rich, you can learn dancing just as long as you want it and you are interested enough.

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What to Do When You Want to Learn to Break Dance

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Learn to Break Dance

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Before You Learn to Break Dance

Break dancing’s history is said to start in the late 60s, however, there is really no concrete information on who and where it started. What’s clear is that break dancing gained popularity in the 80s when some movies showcased this type of dance. Since then, a lot of people began to be interested to learn to break dance.

But what is break dancing? You must know, before you aspire to learn to break dance, that this is not really an easy type of dance. As it can be defined as an individual dance that consists of moves while standing or acrobatic moves being done while a body part remains touching the ground, this dancing style requires stamina and careful practice.

Why People Want to Learn to Break Dance

This dance style is very popular among youth community. With the hip hop culture present all around the streets of any city, young people are very interested in this dance because it boosts their self-confidence. This also became a way for some teenagers to be accepted in their chosen community. For some, this is even something that you can boast about, because if you know how to do this, it means that you have a very strong body and mind.

Because of its popularity in movies and TV shows, there are those who learn to break dance in order to penetrate the entertainment industry.  With movies such as “You Got Served” and “Step Up”, a lot may think that being in a dance group that dances hip hop and break dance is a great way to enter show business. For them, it is extremely important to gain attention. Often, the more difficult pose or step gets you a better better chance to be seen on the camera for your moment of fame. But before aspiring to appear in a movie, you should first know a few important things.

Preparations to Make Before You Learn to Break Dance

In order to learn to break dance, you must make an effort to keep your body fit first. Break dancing involves poses and steps which will require you to “stand” using your hands or your head or any other body part so your whole body should be strong. Go to the gym, lift some weights, prepare your body to receive stress in different parts by exercising before you start doing difficult break dance poses.

Another thing you could do is to watch others, watch proper performances by expert dancers. This is one of the best ways to start to learn to break dance. By doing this, you might also decide earlier if break dancing is for you. Alternatively, you may also find a mentor to teach you this dance. This way, you may learn to break dance faster than normal.

The last thing to remember is to start learning the basic moves first before you attempt doing freezing while in handstand or head stand. Learn the dance style ‘top rock’ first, master it before you even think of doing ‘corkscrew’. Now these break dance jargons may not be familiar to you yet, but that just means you need to learn the basics  first so that you can avoid accidents. For those who like to learn the power moves first because they want to wow the crowd, they may be looking for body pain. Start with the easiest moves first, prepare your body and you will see  that you could be better than anyone else.

After preparing and starting with the basics, the last thing to keep in mind is that you need to keep on practicing. Break dancing is not an easy dance style, as you may already know. It requires concentration, strong body and hard work.

Just like other strenuous activities, if you want to learn to break dance, you have to be serious and work your way  to perfection.

Filed Under: Featured Articles, Styles, Uncategorized Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Learn to Ballroom Dance in Different Ways

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Learn to Ballroom Dance

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Dancing is really a great way to express yourself. Through this art form, you can show others that you are happy, sad and even in love. But what is the best dance to express your love to another person? It is no other than ballroom dancing.

To learn to ballroom dance, especially with the person you love,  adds great depth and communication between and you and your partner.

The Rise of Interest to Learn to Ballroom Dance

Ballroom dancing is a kind of dance that involves two people. It’s long been common as a form of social dancing and it  is now becoming a popular sport with ‘dancesport’ (Ballroom Dancing competitions) being held in different countries. Because of this, a number of people aspire to learn to ballroom dance in order to gain recognition as being a ballroom dance champion.

If you are interested to learn to ballroom dance, you will discover that it is not difficult at all because even if you have to learn different kinds of dances, most have shared elements and patterns. Once you’ve learned how to dance one dance style, it’s very easy for you to learn the others.

Learn to Ballroom Dance: Learn the Different Styles First

To get an idea on how you can learn to ballroom dance, you must know the different styles that are available so you can get the drift and you’d be able to decide where to start and what might be your forte.

One of the first dance we imagine when we think of ballroom dancing styles is waltz. Social gatherings such as weddings and debut parties are often portrayed as having this kind of dance done by the newly-wed or celebrants. This is not what is really done, and Waltz is still a great first dance to learn since the most basic step of waltz is the box step, which is also the basic step of Rumba and used in Foxtrot.

Many people who are starting to learn to ballroom dance start with swing dancing. It is fairly easy and very practical.  It begins with a 6 count step and can be done to a wide variety of music. Another crowd favorite is the cha-cha, which has a catchy rhythm and fiery reputation.  It’s not the easiest of the ballroom dances to learn, but it you have the desire, you’ll get it!

There are many other types of ballroom dances including:  salsa, a Latin American dance; tango, the dance of passion; Rumba another simple Latin dance; Samba a Brazilian dance; and Jive an energetic dance – to name just a few.

Resources to Learn to Ballroom Dance

For those interested to learn the different styles of ballroom dancing, you can join a dance club. There are clubs that specialize in one of the dancing styles while there are also others that include all of them. Usually, for a minimal fee, you get a basic lesson followed by a DJed dance so you can dance the night away.

If a basic group lesson won’t give you the confidence to dance all night (as is the case for most people), head to a local dance studio where you can take ongoing class or work with a private instructor. This is best way to learn because the instructor is focused on you and making sure you are a confident dancer.

For some, buying a DVD or instructional video can help them tremendously.  It allows you to practice with a friend, a partner or even on your own. It’s best to use this to review or augment what you are learning in a class or from your instructor.  Just be sure to practice  so that you can gain your confidence and head out to dance in public.

Learn to Ballroom Dance by Putting Your Heart Into It

There is nothing that can stop you from learning ballroom dancing. You can find a lot of resources, especially with the technology now.

It does not matter which method you choose, what matters is that you put your heart into it and for sure you will learn to ballroom dance in no time.

 

Filed Under: Ballroom, Cha Cha Cha, Featured Articles, Information, rhumba, Salsa, Swing, Tango, Uncategorized, Waltz Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Dancing Really Does Keep You Young!

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100 Year Old Celebrates with a Dance

Floyd Crellin celebrated his 100th birthday in April of this year – and he celebrated with not one ballroom dance, but two!

Floyd is now at Goddard House, an assisted living facility, but that hasn’t slowed his dancing! After breaking his hip three years ago, his physical therapist used dancing as a way to engage him as part of rehabilitation. “She taught me to walk, and I taught her to dance,’’ the dapper Crellin told the crowd.

A crowd of family, friends, residents and staff at the facility celebrated the centenarian’s milestone with an event that also honored Crellin’s lifelong passion for ballroom dancing. Several professional ballroom dancers were brought in as entertainment, but the real show was Crellin himself.

He did an impromptu waltz with one of the dance professionals, and then performed a rehearsed routine with his physical therapist, Mary Keohane.

What has kept him not only physically healthy for 100 years, but young at heart?

Crellin credits dancing, “I love dancing and the people you meet,’’ he said.

Crellin began dancing at the age of 7 when he accompanied his mom to ballroom dance lessons after his father died.  He then continued to dance his entire life no matter where his job took him.

“And he’s a true gentleman, meticulous about his appearance and concerned about decorum, that people do things the right way, treat each other with respect,’’ says Crellin’s son. Manners and respect learned from a lifetime a ballroom dancing!

Crellin and his late wife, Elizabeth, danced informally while raising their children, and then began taking formal dance classes. “We were always trying to learn new steps,’’ he recalled.

Eventually, while working full time for Eastman Kodak, Crellin started his own dancing school in the basement of a friend’s store. After a dance exhibition at a department party, Floyd and his wife were asked to teach ballroom dance at Kodak, where co-workers called him “Twinkle Toes’’ because of his proclivity to dance in the elevators.

Crellin eventually retired to a community in Florida, where he continued to dance and teach. Now that he’s moved to the assisted living facility, Crellin doesn’t teach, but he still loves to dance!

Nancy Shapiro, Goddard’s executive director, said dance and movement therapy is particularly beneficial for older adults, providing not just the benefits of exercise, but enhanced cognitive skills, motivation, and memory.

“On an emotional level, it helps people feel more joyful and confident, and allows them to explore such issues as frustration and loss that may be too difficult to explore verbally,’’ said Shapiro.

Most people who break a hip at Crellin’s age spend the rest of their lives in a wheelchair, or at best using a walker. But Crellin was determined to walk on his own and according to his son, “his desire to dance inspired him.’’

Using dance for elderly patients can be especially effective therapy to increase balance and endurance as well as alleviate depression.

Filed Under: Ballroom, Cha Cha Cha, Featured Articles, For Adults, Information, Resources, rhumba, Salsa, Swing, Tango, Waltz

Physical Benefits of Ballroom Dance

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Ballroom dancing has been shown to benefit the whole being – from providing mental stimulation to offering a social outlet. But what about the physical benefits of dance? Here is a list that is far from comprehensive, and will get you wanting to find your closest dance studio!

1. DEFY AGING with Ballroom Dance.

Dance actually retards the aging process. It’s heart healthy – strengthening not only our hearts, but the whole cardiovascular system and increasing our lung capacity. “The muscle exertion and breathing rates of dancers performing in one dance competition is equivalent to those of cyclists, swimmers and an Olympic-level 800-meter runner.” 1 “Folks with heart failure who waltzed for 21 min., 3 times a week, increased their cardio-circulatory fitness more than those on cycles and treadmills.” 2

2. PREVENT OSTEOPOROSIS & ARTHRITIS through Dance

Dance aids in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis, which is a major concern for women, especially during post-menopause because of the significant drop in estrogen that occurs at this stage. A decrease in our estrogen levels stops calcium from being absorbed into our bones. Dance also keeps joints lubricated, which helps prevent arthritis.

3. Dancing BURNS FAT.

Dance exercises our bodies to allow for increased circulation. It helps us burn calories while improving our stamina. Dance burns from 5 to 10 calories per minute depending on speed and intensity. For example, swing and mambo burn more calories than a slow waltz.

4. LOWER CHOLESTEROL – yes by Dancing!

New research has discovered that it is necessary to measure both good and bad cholesterol levels when determining our health. Dancing aids in lipid control, which raises our HDL (good cholesterol), and lowers our LDL (bad cholesterol). Dancing is also great for diabetics because it aids in blood sugar control.

5. FEND OFF ALZHEIMERS – the Best Of Ballroom!

Ballroom Dance improves our memory by making us recall steps, routines and dance patterns making it a great mental exercise for our brains. The big benefit is that increasing mental exercise keeps your mind young, quick, alert and open.

6. Dance IMPROVES BALANCE & COORDINATION.

Balancing yourself in one position may be easy, but balancing in the numerous types of positions involved in dancing is much more difficult. Dancers have mastered the ability to balance themselves in a number of positions. This strengthens our stabilizer muscles, while protecting our core and keeping us less prone to injury in our daily lives. Dancing also aids in coordination and helps strengthen our reflexes. It is a great way to keep our central nervous system in tip-top shape by improving the connection of our bodies to our mind.

7. Ballroom Dancing BENEFITS SOCIAL SKILLS.

Ballroom Dancing is recreational and entertaining. It creates a social life for us, while affording us the opportunity to make new friends. Friends helps us grow, make us laugh and support us as we learn.

8. BREAK DOWN CULTURAL BARRIERS – Dance!

Dancing has no cultural barriers. People from all parts of the world, with different ideologies, meet on the dance floor. Cultural interaction improves our health by expanding our mind and sharing our spirit!

9. GROOMED TO PERFECTION – looking good on the dance floor!.

Dancing is not only fun and romantic, but it helps promote good grooming because everybody wants to look his or her best while they dance.

10. Ballroom Dancing MAKES ENDORPHINS.

Dance elevates our mood by raising our endorphin levels. This is what allows us to heal stress and depression — two of our immune system’s biggest enemies! It helps us establish our self-confidence and self-discipline. It improves the harmony between our mind and body, giving us a sense of well-being. ____________________ 1 “10 Benefits of Dancing” Barbara Craddock 12/10/08 2 AARP Magazine May/Jun 2007

Filed Under: FAQs, Featured Articles, Guide, Information, Resources, Uncategorized

You’re Too Old to Learn to Ballroom Dance

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I own a ballroom dance studio in the south suburbs of Chicago and I’m tired of hearing, “I’m too old to start ballroom dancing”.

Whenever I hear that, I picture the 92 year-old gentleman that lost his wife and decided he had to learn to dance to impress his ‘new’ lady friend that goes to Willowbrook Ballroom each week. He does private lessons every week after his water aerobics class across the street.

And then my mind wanders to the 73 year-old woman that comes to Salsa classes every Thursday night, without her husband, because she’s always wanted to learn. Her husband wasn’t interested, so she never pursued it. When she turned 70, she decided it was time for her to start, whether he wanted to come or not.

I think back to an 80 year old young man that had never danced before and ended up competing after a few years of lessons (at age 84). There wasn’t enough competition for him in his age group, so he decided to compete against the 70 year-olds. He kicked their behinds!

Ballroom Dance is for EVERY age!

And then the couple in their 80s that met at a widowers social group and got married the year before. She was a dancer, he was not. They came to group lessons and did occasional privates so he could learn to twirl her around the dance floor. The 30 somethings at the studio would regularly stop and say how they hoped they looked that good someday.

Why weren’t any of those people ‘too old’ to learn Ballroom Dancing? What made it possible for them?

Their attitude.

A positive attitude is what allowed them to start a new skill and reap all the benefits of it… regardless of their physical age. Ah yes, the good old positive attitude. We’ve all heard that – and its TRUE!

Is there an actual age after which you can’t learn salsa or swing or foxtrot?

Absolutely not!

A friend told me, “you will see it once you believe it.”

The one thing that each of my students had was that they believed they could do it.  Age doesn’t matter. Thoughts about your age do matter.

Is there something you’ve always wanted to do but you’re telling yourself a story about why you can’t (I’m too old, too busy, too uncoordinated, etc.)? Ditch the story. It’s just a story, it’s not the truth.

The truth is that you can do anything you put your mind to – ballroom dancing included.

It’s time to live you life, no matter your age – don’t let yourself, or anyone else tell you that you ‘can’t’ – for any reason.

It’s true, age is mind over matter… if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!

The benefits of Ballroom dancing as you age FAR outweigh any fears that might linger in your mind… consider the study that ballroom dancing is the only physical activity proven to slow, (and reverse) the effects dementia as you age!   (Read the Article)

Filed Under: Ballroom, Featured Articles, Guide, Information, Instructor's Voice, Resources, Salsa, Styles, Swing
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