Dancing Has Some Serious Health Benefits A four-month dance program helped older Latino adults walk faster and improve their physical fitness, which may reduce their risk for heart disease, according to research presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology/Lifestyle 2016 Scientific Sessions. Researchers at the University of Illinois at Chicago tested whether a community-based intervention focused on Latin dancing could benefit 54 Spanish-speaking adults (about 65 years old, 80 percent Mexican female) who were not very physically active. Participants were randomly assigned to either participate in a dance program twice a week for four months or attend a health education program. All participants completed questionnaires about their leisure time physical activity and a 400-meter walk test at the start and end of the study. After four months of twice-weekly Latin dancing, researchers found: Dancers walked faster and were more physically active during their leisure time than before they started dancing. Dancers completed a 400-meter walk in just under 392 seconds compared with almost 430 seconds at the start of the study. Leisure physical activity rose from 650 minutes to nearly a total of 818 minutes per week. Those in the health education classes had a smaller improvement in their fitness – they finished the 400-meter walk in about 409 seconds at the end of the study compared with 419 seconds four months earlier; total time spent on weekly leisure physical activity increased from 522 minutes to 628 minutes over the course of the study. The dance program is a program called BAILAMOS©, a culturally-tailored, community-based lifestyle intervention developed at the University of Illinois at Chicago by David X. Marquez and Miguel Mendez, included four different dance styles — merengue, bachata, cha-cha and salsa – led by the dance instructor, with more complex choreography as the program progressed. Increasing physical activity is [...]

ORIGIN OF BALLROOM DANCES A History of Modern Ballroom Dance update 07/20/21 Ballroom dancing is a world of class, tradition, and passion. There is a great history behind ballroom dancing, both competitively and recreational speaking. “Ball” is derived from the Latin word “ballare” which means “to dance.” Modern ballroom dancing comprises of the “International” and “American” dance styles. These dance styles are famous all over the world. They are not only performed in social gatherings but in competitions as well. The Origins Ballroom dancing traces its origins to the early 20th century when the West End establishments were developing the art of ballroom dancing. The world’s leading board for ballroom dance examinations, the Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing (ISTD), was established in 1904. There were some notable people who were instrumental in the development and promotion of modern ballroom dance. These notable people included Josephine Bradley, the ‘First Lady’ and world-class champion of ballroom dance; GK Anderson who founded the English style; Lady Humphries who helped establish the Modern Ballroom Dance Faculty of the Imperial Society; and Alex Moore who contributed to the writing of Technique of Ballroom Dancing. Pre 18th Century The majority of the dances in this time were either court dances or country dances. In the court dances, there was little physical contact between the dancers, and were very proper in form with feet turned out and other very specific ways. They also had very elaborate routines with bows and curtsies to keep a conversation going between the two dancers. Finally at the beginning of the 18th-century people began to add in what is called the closed hold. The Closed Hold The dance moves in modern ballroom dancing have now been standardized, and presently, a dancer needs to pass several levels to be considered a [...]