Tuesday, November 13, 2007

WHY IT'S SO GOOD TO DANCE

Here’s a list of popular benefits of dancing…

For health reasons it: strengthens bones and muscles without hurting your joints; tones your entire body; improves your posture; improves your balance that can prevent falls; increases your stamina; increases body flexibility; reduces stress and tension; wards off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression; reduces weight; is good for your heart, muscles and body frame; is a mild form of exercise; boosts brain power by improving memory skills; makes people less likely to develop dementia; improves some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.

Out of 98 common activities studied including many sports, reading, board games, crossword puzzles, singing, acting, playing an instrument, listening to music, using computers, working out, aerobics, bicycling, bowling, etc. ONLY BALLROOM DANCING was effective at staving off the progression of Alzheimers disease. It is postulated that the combination of exercise, learning of step patterns & social interaction confers this remarkable preventive power to dancers! 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.

"...the waltzers had better oxygen uptake and less muscle fatigue than a group doing more traditional exercises and a control group who did not exercise. They also reported a better quality of life." - R. Belardinelli, MD of the Lancisi Heart Institute in Ancona, Italy

For social reasons it: boosts ego; builds confidence; provides opportunities to meet people; fosters increased bonding with friends, lovers, and life partners.

Some other reasons for the popularity of dance are: it requires no special equipment; is an activity you can enjoy as often as you like and fit to any schedule; it is great fun!

So, we can say that all of the above benefits are undeniably good. On closer examination, it is obvious that people will select those benefits that most suit their lifestyle needs. Obviously, younger dancers are less concerned about the health benefits and very much more interested in the social aspects of the hobby. Those sorts of differences affect dance school and dance event planning of teaching techniques; selection of types of dances; and selection of music.

Wednesday, October 03, 2007

THIS IS THE REAL TANGO ;-)

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse (1921) Rudolph Valentino

The sonofabitch copied some of my moves!

El Magnifico

Sunday, July 29, 2007

CARIBBEAN DANCE CRUISE

Ahoy mates!!!
...we're cruisin' in January* 2008.

My Circle of Friends dance buddies are signing up for the Stardust dance cruise in January. We're going to turn up the heat in the sunny Caribbean. We have 300 dance party animals signed up already; and the frost is not even on the pumpkin yet. Wow! ...we're going to have a great party.

Details are on my website www.cofparty.com

*PS - If you can't join us in January, I'm taking reservations for a mirror image of the same cruise in March 2008. Call me at 201 933 8098 to sign up.



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Wednesday, June 06, 2007

REMEMBERING A GREAT LADY

Today is the anniversary of the birthday of Natasha Kaminski. She is not here to celebrate with us because her struggle with cancer stole her from us on December 7, 2006. For those of us who miss her so very much, I offer the following thoughts...


THE GREAT ONE - AND - ONLY

A nurse is not here to guide us.

The great one-and-only nurse was strong enough to teach us about courage in the face of physical distress.

A close friend is not here to hug us.

The great one-and-only friend set an example of permanence of spirit for all to follow.

A mom is not here to be a buddy to her child.

The great one-and-only mom has given us her handsome son Michael who has vowed to be the standard bearer of her legacy. He will learn to tango.

A daughter is not here to bring joy and caring to her parents.

The great one-and-only daughter leaves everlasting joyful pride that shines through veils of tears.

A tango dancer is not here to light up a room and inspire others.

The great one-and-only tango dancer lives in every tango step many of us will perform.

The world lost an angel who ascended to heaven on December 7, 2006. Natasha is in another place now, but all of her treasured memories, influence, inspiration, and teachings will be with us forever

The great one-and-only Natasha Kaminski is here and now embedded in our lives and hearts.

My friend Albert Crino is so good at photography. His photo of Natasha at the mirror has captured her beauty and spirit so accurately. It’s a treasure I am proud to share with everyone. Thank you Albert.

Thank you Natasha!