Creative dance keeps you fit in every way

DANCING is great fun and good exercise, and it can make us smarter.

According to a major study in America, frequent dancing can prevent Alzheimer’s disease, and other forms of dementia.

The report, by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, found that dancing reduced the risk of dementia by 76%, doing a crossword puzzle four times a week reduced it by 47%, and reading by 35%.

So what type of dancing can help? Anything that involves quick decision-making will stimulate the brain. But what happens if you have ‘two left feet’? Try 5 Rhythms dancing, which is a movement and meditation practice.

Helen Bohan, who teaches 5 Rhythms dancing in Cork and Dublin, says everyone can dance and that the 5 Rhythms approach will encourage people to “use it or lose it’’.

“In 5 Rhythms you don’t have to learn any movements, you move within your own capabilities.

It’s free-style movement, there are no steps to learn, you are just moving within five different rhythms,’’ she says.

The 5 Rhythms are:

1. Flowing: This is about being fluid and flexible. People learn to ‘go with the flow’’ and to relax and not worry about their lives.

2. Staccato: This has a percussion, pulsing beat to encourage clear, defined movements. It helps people to move forward and to be decisive.

3. Chaos: This is about letting go, being free, and dancing without being concerned about anyone else. It clears your mind of worries and fears.

4. Lyrical: These movements are light and easy.

5. Stillness : This is the rhythm of slowing down, pausing and stopping. The movement is deeply relaxing and focuses on the breathing and the heart beat.

When these 5 Rhythms are danced in sequence, it is described as a ‘wave,’ because the body and mind are free and liberated.

Joanie Barron, 58, a care co-ordinator from Cork, says she feels like a “new person’’ after attending her weekly 5 Rhythms class in the city. She joined three years ago to improve her stamina and to exercise.

“I absolutely love it. It changes my mood. I can go into the class exhausted after a day’s work, but, half-way through the class, I begin to feel completely different. I would have more energy, and when it’s over I feel full of life and very relaxed,’’ she says.

“You are just dancing around, doing your own thing. When I first started, I would be dancing in the corner. I still dance a lot with my eyes shut. But I just concentrate on where I am at and what I feel.’’

As there are no official steps to learn, Joanie says 5 Rhythms is suitable for everyone, of any age, and says it has improved her confidence and mobility.

“It seems to magically get better through the movement. I feel so much fitter. I highly recommend it, there is nothing to get wrong.

“Nobody telling you what to do, it is simply following different rhythms and feeling freer,’’ she says.

It is a time to reflect and forget about your worries. Joanie says it is essential to have time “to nurture yourself’’ by doing something that you enjoy and love.

“Being a parent requires a lot of giving, working requires a lot of giving, this is a time you can give yourself.

“Nurture yourself, honour your body, and give yourself the time and space to enjoy and feel the music. It will lift you,’’ she says.

* [e-mail]; facebook page 5RhythmsCork. Ph: 087 1226198