Aerobics: everyone to dance
Between all versions of aerobics the most popular, perhaps, are dancing classes. That it is no wonder. The rare woman doesn’t like «to dance with all of the heart». Especially under the guidance of the professional instructor the pleasure of dancing will also bring obvious advantage for a figure and health.
In any serious fitness centre you will be offered the whole list of different dancing aerobics. From East belly dance to Irish step. What to prefer – isn’t just a question of taste. Besides an obvious difference in music style and, accordingly, initial dances on which aerobic movements are based, it’s also distinction in intensity that you receive on this or other session.
However before making a choice what’s more attractive – the belly dance or river dance, it is necessary to pay attention to such “boring” thing, like classical aerobics. Especially, if you beginner in fitness. Well, “classics” is…
BASIS OF BASES
Classical or Base aerobics. With it, on the one hand, recommends beginning acquaintance to aerobics as it is. It develops coordination, teaches correctly to move, many other aerobic styles are based on classical aerobics. But it does not mean that it useful only for beginners. Depending on level of readiness of group the instructor gives exercises of very different level of complexity. And “aerobatics” of classical aerobics can be seen on the congresses and conventions dedicated to fitness. Try to repeat!
It is very important for beginners to understand, that the course of exercises will involve hands and feet also. It is necessary to catch instructor’s movements, to remember their features and sequence, those who will try to do all correctly and beautifully, watching a bearing and work of your own muscles to get to a music rhythm…
As well as any standard exercises, base aerobics begins with warm-up. The aerobic part then follows. It is constructs differently. For example, the instructor can offer the whole combination of movements of various complexity and duration which will be forgotten throughout all exercises. Such structure of a lesson approaches for the prepared people as demands not only more physical, but also intellectual efforts – after all it is necessary to remember very long sequence of movements, made in high rate.
The alternative decision – some short combinations of simple coordination which should not be remembered, – in the process of learning instructor “throws” them and passes to the following. It is convenient for beginners, and to the prepared people; the first variant when the beautiful sheaf like dance or a gymnastic etude is made out, as a rule, is more interesting.
After an aerobic part usually follows power part that can be done standing on your knees, and standing, with extra equipment (dumbbells, rubber, body-bars) or without them.
Base movements in classical aerobics (a march, a knee, attack, jack – a separately-together foot jump, a move, a skip, running) the same as positions in ballet, are not self-sufficient. They are only a skeleton and a basis for correct movements in style of classical aerobics. At workout system there can be many more movements, both borrowed from, for example, various dances, which are base steps variations. For example, the usual step can be: added (step-touch) forward, aside, V-step (feet separately-together), mamba (a step one foot forward, then back… vice versa, only forward…), a step-cross, cross and variants of it too many: with turns on any degrees, with movements to all directions, with hands of different kinds, with different rhythmic drawing, with addition of jumps etc.
Movements of hands are various too. Nobody prevents your instructor to include in movements dancing elements or to complicate depending on level of preparation of group.
DANCES, DANCES…
It is necessary to notice, that since Jane Fondy’s times base aerobics has strongly changed. It concerns, for example, choreographic influences. Many teachers willingly include in an aerobic part the whole combinations from various dances. Especially, if deal with the “advanced” group. Sometimes even it is difficult to draw an accurate line between performing “classics” and a dancing lesson. But there are distinctions.
Dancing aerobics means, that its aerobic part will represent dancing movements that based on basic steps. Partially it meets also in performing aerobics classical. But an indispensable condition and strongly pronounced line of aerobics of a dancing direction is use of corresponding music and stylistic integrity of a lesson. Except for mixes (few dances in one lesson), on the training, lets say, on “Latina”, you completely plunge into incendiary rhythms of Salsa, Rumba, Mamba…
On lessons of bally dance you will feel like a beauty from “1001 nights”. On «street dances» lesson – an easy-going teenager from African-American neighborhood… Dancing aerobics is very attractive and emotional, but it is important to remember, that as you develop it the greatest difficulties represents coordination the moments. Besides that trainings done in fast tempo and last about an hour. And it means high enough aerobic intensity (with condition of correct performance of all movements). As well as in classical aerobics, the big intensity switches to large groups of muscles, especially the bottom part of a body. Fast rhythmical movements help to strengthen cardiovascular system, improve coordination of movements and a bearing.
THROUGH THE WEST TO THE EAST
Latina – the most popular direction of dancing aerobics. The elements of the Latin American dances in aerobics lessons were offered to use by dancer Anita Morales in 80th years of the XX-th century, and the lesson “cardio-salsa” has been turned in. Since then lessons of “Latina” became very popular all over the world thanks to, first, the clockwork musical rhythms, and secondly, to womanly and erotic movements – is there any woman that will not want to learn to easy and free twirl by hips, driving crazy all men in mile radius?
The main feature of lessons of Latina – a permanent job of hips at the fixed position of a back. The second feature – a constant «spring» in steps. The “pure” class of Latina does not mean only jumping intensity, but sometimes to increase intensity, the instructor supplements a combination with jumps. It is interesting to know, that for beginners of Latina lessons will not seem very hard to do as they are not able to do yet all movements correctly, but the person that is more prepared, the more this person will “give all the best” on lessons and, accordingly, the bigger intensity he or she will receive.
Rhythmical music is peculiar to all Latin American dances; they also demand excellent feeling of a rhythm.
«Street dances». Funk, or cardio-funk, hip hop, rap and others are “youth” styles. Relatively simple coordination combinations, jumps are present. Specific movements in the “weakened” style, steps underlined “elastic”. They very popular in the youthful environment as they are obviously modern, simple in execution and are well applicable in practice. In a disco, for example.
Jazz – aerobics on the basis of jazz dance. The classical jazz is the direction based on a combination and merge of elements of base aerobics with traditional technique of movement which is used in Broadway shows. The modern style a jazz is characterized by more free plastic forms and symbiosis of a classical and modern choreography. Trainings on a basis a jazz modern style allow achieving unlimited quantity of variations of movements depending on a musical material, teaching improvisations. The African jazz is based on folklore dances (primitive type) of indigenous population of the African continent. This kind of a jazz is interesting for its “unusuallity” to Europeans for its plastic and involves with exotic. Very specific movements performed by hips and hands. The finished combination of movements reminds the African dancing around a fire. But, despite it all, it easily lays down on base steps of classical aerobics.
Belly dance, the Arabian dances – a lesson in which process the combination of movements in style of the Arabian dances, and can be offered both female, and man’s party. Difficult enough, especially for beginners, to correctly repeat movements by hips and hands. Belly dance begins in Ancient Egypt, and has extended to the East later. It has different schools. There are Turkish belly dance, Syrian, Egyptian, and Libyan. Dance of exclusive feminity, develops plastic and grace of movements. All body muscles participate, stomach, feet.
The Irish dance (river dance) – a new, ultrafashionable direction. A lesson of high intensity because includes a large quantity of the various jumps, specific movements (most simple of them – knee lifting while jumping). One more feature – there are no movements made by hands: throughout all lesson hands are densely pressed to a body, fists are clenched. Necessarily constantly keep the correct position of a back, stomach pulled in (and it means that muscles of a humeral belt, a back and a press are constantly working). One more complexity of this lesson – special music with the syncopes, many movements are made “from behind the measure”, that demands good feeling of a rhythm.
And finally, what exactly is the basic difference between dancing aerobics and a “normal” lesson of dances? The difference is in the purpose of lessons. If at dancing school it is important to learn certain elements and, finally, to build from them the dance in the course of aerobic training to choreographic movements occurs as though in passing. On classical lessons of dances your abilities, and your state of health are required, the physical form and a figure – your own business. In serious collective if you “mismatch”, you will be gently offered to find much easier lessons. Aerobics does not demand personal “feats”, its purpose – to develop your possibilities to put your body in its best shape, of what it is capable, to strengthen health, to cheer up the general tone of an organism… And, if you also have learnt to dance beautifully, well, it’s even better for you.
