12

dance anyone? (Read 1047 times)

    I know that running and dance are two kind of UN-complimentary sports, but are there any other dance nuts out there? I'm trying to integrate running into my fitness routine while still attending a couple of ballet classes a week. Lauren
    zoom-zoom


    rectumdamnnearkilledem

      Oh, how cool! I wish I were graceful/coordinated enough to learn ballet or tap. A while back I saw belly dance lessons in our area and it would be very tempting to try that...might be incentive to get my weight down so that I wouldn't be quite so embarrassed by anyone seein' mah gut! Smile

      Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

      remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

           ~ Sarah Kay

        The great thing about belly dancing is that you're supposed to be a little curvy... Wink I say go for it! Now, ballet, on the other hand - I'm surrounded by teeny-tiny undergraduate girls who don't even look like they've hit puberty yet! Yikes. Stupid mirrors. Tongue
        Kerry1976


        Master of the Side Eye

          I've attended some belly dance classes at our university's rec center and they were a blast and I felt my abs when I left. I was the oldest person in the class because most were students (and I'm an employee). The cool thing about our university rec center is that if you have a membership you can attend classes for free (employees pay a monthly fee and students pay for their membership in their fees)! I still have my hip scarf at home and may join the class again when my schedule calms down a little bit.

          TRUST THE PROCESS

           

           

           


          Beatin' on the Rock

            I love to dance! Haven't done much of it, (besides the usual club, or down the street during a run when the iPod is groovin'), but I'd really love to do more. It IS so good for the core. Besides, I'm getting to the age where those "Dancin' Grannies" may take me on! Blush
            Be yourself. Those that matter, don't mind. Those that mind, don't matter.
              I got Dance Dance Revolution for Christmas and have just started it....too much fun!
              zoom-zoom


              rectumdamnnearkilledem

                The ONLY game system I have any interest in is Wii...'cause then I can bowl and dance in my living room. Wink

                Getting the wind knocked out of you is the only way to

                remind your lungs how much they like the taste of air.    

                     ~ Sarah Kay


                skinnycaponesugar

                  I love dancing, especially Salsa. Are dancing and running non-complementary? I would have thought since you can listen to music, and you get into a rhythmic movement while running... Roll eyes

                  Love, Run, Sleep


                  #2867

                    My wife and I did ballroom and latin dancing for about a year - it was a lot of fun but we didn't have enough time to devote to actually get "good" at anything other than fox trot (which we wound up dancing at our wedding) Then law school came and dancing was both too time consuming and too expensive to continue - I imagine that that will be one of the first things back in our schedule once she graduates and gets a job.

                    Run to Win
                    25 Marathons, 17 Ultras, 16 States (Full List)

                      I love dancing! I was a dancer in high school and college. It's a great way to stay in shape. Unfortunatetly, the only dancing I do anymore is the "drunken obnoxious thinks-this-looks-sexy, really-making-a-fool-of-myself bar dancing." Blush
                      jEfFgObLuE


                      I've got a fever...

                        UnFortunately, the only dancing I do anymore is the "drunken obnoxious thinks-this-looks-sexy, really-making-a-fool-of-myself bar dancing." Big grin
                        Fixed. Clowning around

                        On your deathbed, you won't wish that you'd spent more time at the office.  But you will wish that you'd spent more time running.  Because if you had, you wouldn't be on your deathbed.

                          I love dancing, especially Salsa. Are dancing and running non-complementary? I would have thought since you can listen to music, and you get into a rhythmic movement while running... Roll eyes
                          Well, salsa and other recreational dancing isn't non-complementary, I guess - it's just mostly ballet, since it builds and uses such different muscles. Becoming quad-dominant is a problem for ballet dancers...and this is why most dancers follow the strict rule of NO RUNNING!! However, since I will never be a professional dancer, and since grad school has put ten more pounds on my frame than I'd like to have, I'm trying the two at the same time. Smile
                            Hi Lauren, Another former dancer and grad student here. From childhood through high school I was dancing every day- ballet, tap, jazz, modern, etc. I ran casually at that time too, maybe 5-10 miles a week. I stopped dancing when I went to college, and went more of the fitness gym-goer route--- running for weight maintance. Once I hit grad school, I started running more and enjoying all the mental and physical benefits of it. I still missed dancing though, so last summer I started taking a few classes a week- ballet, jazz and hip-hop (which btw I have a terrible problem loosening up enough to dance hip-hop after being a trained ballet dancer). I took classes all through the fall, while training for a half marathon. If I just had ballet class at night I'd try to do an easy 3-4 mile run in the morning, if I had the jazz or hip-hop classes, I'd skip the run that day. I really enjoyed the mix, and I don't think it hurt either sport though I didn't have the time to devote myself completely to either. I was only running ~15 miles a week, so I know that dancing did cut into some of my running mileage. Like you, I'll never be a professional dancer (I knew in high school that no matter how much I loved it, I didn't have the right body type to be successful). I did both for about 3 months last fall before getting a stress fracture in my right foot, which put me on crutches and took me out of both sports for 4 months. At that point the dancing season was winding down, so I decided to just focus on running for the year. I think that not having the additional stress of another sport helped me to really get my running mileage up without injury, and if you really want to train for an event you need to focus on not letting dance affect your running mileage. But if you want just general fitness, it's fine to incorporate some ballet into your running routine. The leg strength and flexibility is an added benefit. But to answer your original question, I am still a dance nut and want to get back into classes someday when I have the time and money to pay for it (aka not in grad school!). Ballet is such a challenge- to be strong but look graceful. It's a great form of expression, and I really miss it. Are you taking the classes through your school? Mine doesn't offer any, and I was taking a teen/adult class locally. It was fun, the 16 year-olds were little tiny sticks but without much experience, while the adults were former dancers who had put on a few pounds but still danced beautifully. Shaunna
                              I started to get into Israeli folk dance when I was in college and still do this type of recreational dancing about twice a week. This hobby kind of took me into a journey of sorts into other types of dance: Modern during my senior year of college, Jazz for about 2 years right after college and then a dabbling of ballet afterwards. The last ballet class I took was about 3 years ago - before I started to run seriously. I'd love to take another ballet class but I have not had the time (since I was in an Advanced Beginner class for adults, there weren't any teeny-tiny undergrad girls in the class - can you tell me where you were taking your dance classes Wink ...) As for your comment about quads, I actually found that my quads were not strong enough for certain ballet exercises before I started running. For example, I found it difficult to keep my leg up and straight while doing a developpé - now that I'm running and my quads are much stronger, I can do this with no problems. One other thing where a ballet class would do me good - STRETCHING! I don't do enough of it after I run, so that would be like a built-in stretching session!
                                12