By KATHLEEEN GEST
Columnist
---- — As we age, cardio workouts are vital for a healthy life. But when done in a gym on treadmills or exercise machines, boredom can set in.
We all know the one thing we need when trying to keep our body fit is motivation. A monotonous workout does not help motivation.
As a result, many have found that conditioning exercises are more fun when you combine them with dance routines.
And any exercise is more enjoyable if you do it with other people.
Line dancing at the Traverse City Senior Center is a great way to stay fit, no matter what your age. Even though line dancing is considered a low-impact exercise, it still has the ability to increase your heart rate. As an added bonus, memorizing all of the dance steps and the line dance routines stimulates the brain.
Although country music has more than its fair share of line dances, line dancing has expanded its horizons away from the image of country and western to a more contemporary one, now using most styles of music including pop, Celtic, Latin, jazz, big band, rock and swing. Even the foxtrot and waltz can be done in a line without a partner.
Recently, I took my two left feet to a beginning line dance class. For those of you who don't know, the basics of line dancing are very simple. Participants stand in a succession of parallel lines, dancing a choreographed dance with a repeated sequence of steps to the beat of the music. They all face the same direction and execute the steps at the same time — without touching.
"Once you have learned the basic steps of line dancing — as an example, the grapevine, jazz box and the kick, hitch and shuffle steps — it is much easier to grasp a new dance when I introduce it to the class," said Diana Haselton, the beginning instructor at the senior center.
Each dance consists of several walls. A wall is the direction in which the dancers face while performing the dance sequence. During the completion of a four-wall dance, the dancer will have faced in four different directions while performing four consecutive repetitions. In summation, at the end of a choreographed sequence of the dance, the dancer will have turned 90 degrees to face in another direction or wall.
So now you can begin to understand what I was facing as a beginner. Not only did I have to learn the basic steps, I had to remember which direction I should be facing at the end of each sequence. I have to admit, it was a challenge, but as my 2-year-old grandson says, "I did it!"
"In my morning class when I work with the beginners, I'll start off with some pretty easy dances, and they can usually keep up, even if they are new to the class. It may take a week or two for them to feel comfortable," Haselton explained. "Chris Bowie normally has the afternoon class. She teaches the more intermediate line dance, and it is a much faster-paced session. She doesn't go over the dances as much as I do."
So if you've been scared to try line dancing because of the usual beginner's anxiety, don't worry. I have some great tips for you. Beware: I should have been trying to memorize the various steps of the dance instead of only relying on following the instructor. Haselton goes over each dance several times, and I found it is much easier to learn a line dance slowly at first and then dance it to the beat of the music. In addition, practicing the basic steps at home can make it easier to learn the dances in class.
Although Bowie has been instructing her intermediate class since 2000, the beginning class for line dancing started about two years ago, and Haselton took over from a previous instructor. The intermediate group is a demonstration group, so Bowie choreographs eight to 10 line-dancing routines for their performances at area nursing homes and assisted living facilities. Sally Koch, who will be 92 in June, participated in Bowie's demonstration class for more than 10 years, but recently decided to be more relaxed with the beginner's class.
If you are interested in line dancing, both classes meet on Tuesday, the beginning class from 9:35 to 11:20 a.m. and the intermediate/demonstration class from 1 to 3 p.m. For more information call the senior center at 922-4911 or e-mail lwells@tcseniorcenter.com.
Kathleen Bellaw Gest is a local freelance writer. For more about the Traverse City Senior Center, go to www.tcseniorcenter.com.
