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“It’s one of the best ways to keep fit,” says Bonnie Dattilio, a private dance instructor who also teaches at the University of Vermont. “If you’re physically active, you can dance all night, so you’re constantly burning calories.” As an illustration of dancing’s fitness benefits, Dattilio points to couples who dance competitively–some for as many as eight hours a day. “They’re very strong and there’s not an ounce of anything on them,” she says. “They’re trained like athletes.” Dattilio notes that there’s a fine line between dancing and sports. “In my mind, athletes and dancers do the same thing,” she says. “I was watching a basketball game the other day and it occurred to me that the players were doing side chassés down the line. If only they knew that . . .” she muses. “If you like music and you like to move,” Dattilio states, “dancing is a great way to keep your health up and your body in shape. It’s also a great way to have fun and meet people.” Vermont offers lots of opportunities to trip the light fantastic. Take swing dancing, for example. We give you just a sampling of the many local swing dancing events held on a regular basis in Vermont. The Upper Valley Swing Dance Network holds swing dances the first and third Saturdays of each month at Tracy Hall (the town hall) in Norwich, Vermont. Doors open at 7 p.m. Beginner swing dance lessons run from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. and the dance lasts from 8:30 to 11:30 p.m. Bring a change of shoes to protect the dance floor. (For more information, call 603-643-5341 or write to lindyhop@savoystyle.org) Central Vermonters can attend monthly swing dances at the Unitarian Church at Main and School Streets, Montpelier on the second Saturday of each month. Call 802-223-4712. The Champlain Club, at 20 Crowley Street, Burlington, hosts the Burlington Swing Dance, a D.J.-emceed event on the second Friday of every month from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m. For more information, contact Brandy Anderson at 802-862-9033. If you’re more inspired by a fiddler than a big band, there are more options. Square dancing clubs abound in Vermont. To find out what’s in your area, visit www.squaredancevt.org or call the presidents of the Vermont Association of Western Style Square Dancing Clubs, Wayne & Nancy Hall, at 802-878-4278. "The more involved you get with square dancing and the more complex the dances get, the better the exercise," says Maggie Hayes, director of the dance program at UVM. "When you do beginning square dances, only one couple moves at a time. Then, as you get more involved, all couples move at once," she explains. Hayes notes that you can get more exercise earlier in the game with contra dancing, due to the combinations of active and inactive couples in this style. Contra dancing is a kind of folk dancing done in long lines or partners moving in opposite directions (hence the term "contra"). "People can participate in contra dancing with relatively little knowledge of specific dances," she notes, adding that most contra dances do include short teaching sessions. "While most square dancing is done mostly by clubs (with members who know all the moves), with contra dancing, you can dance the first night". "Contra dancing is very much a New England product, though there is a British Isles influence" she adds. "The music used is the jigs and reels and tunes of New England fiddlers. Some people say the long lines used in the dances were developed because they fit well into barns." Contra dances seem as plentiful as maple syrup here in Vermont. For example, the Queen City Contras host a dance on the second Saturday of each month at Edmunds Middle School. The Otter Creek Contras sponsor a contra dance on the fourth Saturday of every month, usually at Holley Hall in Bristol. The Montpelier Contradance happens the first, third and fifth Saturday of each month at Capitol City Grange Hall. To keep current with all of the contra dance happenings in northern Vermont, visit CyberYankee's Contra sites at http://www.contracopia.net/sites/montpelier and enter your e-mail address in the form on that page. "Dancing is always great exercise," Hayes notes. "And once you get started, you can do it for your whole life. It's low impact, but you really move. I attended a ballroom conference recently, where a couple from England was dancing at a very high level. He was about 90 and she was about 82 and they were dancing at a gold level. They danced a lot, too. The fitness benefits can really last because you can dance until you are quite elderly. You can work as much or as little as you like," she relates. Speaking of age: got kids? Everyone with small children knows that exercising is difficult. But dancing may help you out there too. While they may grow tired of watching you cozy up to the same Richard Simmons tape every day, they're bound to enjoy watching Mom and Dad do the hustle. Or let your children pick the music and you can all dance together. Teaching children that exercise is fun can get them started on a good fitness track for life. Look for a dance instructor or dance group in your area. Or for the truly shy, what else but learning to dance over the computer? Visit bustamove.com. Of course, there's no reason why you need formal instruction to make social dancing a part of a new healthier lifestyle. If you're moving and having fun, you're definitely getting fitness benefits. But learning different types of dances helps add variety to your steps and may keep your mind off how hard you're working. |
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