Click on the image to see the whole article recently printed in the Manchester Evening News
Lady Lipgloss is Irene Estry
copyright Irene Estry Paul Goodrich 2008
Click onthe image to read the article in full as it appeared in Jive magazine Nov '09
Let's Dance !
Dance is for everyone.
It really is.
Young, old, slim or curvy - it is the definitive
democratic pastime. Dance has broken down so many social and
relationship barriers, it should be taught as a module at every
Social Politics's and Anthropology course in Britain's
Universities.
I'm Irene Estry, fitness,
health and well-being consultant for ITV Granada here in Manchester,
one of the UK's most vibrant cities and acknowledged centre for dance
in all its rich and varied forms.
Dance is a key part of
wellbeing, particularly as one gets older. We look for excuses to
forego the more strenuous activities of youth, but fortunately -
dance needn't be one of them. Dance has a way of sneaking up on you
and making you healthier while you're not looking. It doesn't matter
if its line dancing at a bowling club 'do', Zumba classes at the
leisure centre or practising your Salsa and Tango at dance
class.
It's all good for the body, and surprisingly good for the
soul. Keeping in time with your dance mates is a rewarding
experience, it has been likened to choirs in close harmony and
musicians in 'tight' concert - it's a shared feeling of camaraderie
and accomplishment. When there are just two of you, it can be like
professional artistry - which is great, but when there is the spark,
the romance, it can be oh so much more still.
Most of us have been
there, whether it's in the tight embrace of lovers moving to Perry
Como, Harry Connick Jnr, Simply Red or the exuberance of
teens and twenty-somethings cavorting a Jitterbug, Twist, Pogo or
Rave. We enjoyed it. It was sociable, romantic and often sexy.
OK
maybe not the Pogo so much, but if you are looking for sexiness look
no further than the Tango and Salsa, X Certificate both, but in such
a nice way.
The point is, they all have that inherent value of
diverting your attention away from the fact that while you are
getting on the good foot, cutting a rug or shaking your booty, your
booty forgets its being thoroughly exercised. And so you keep doing
it, because it fun, sexy, invigorating and often
exhilarating -
exhilarating because its often fun sexy and invigorating! You see?
Where else can you get all that in one form of exercise?
You get
to dress up too. Tux and gowns, sequins and tassels - and if you're
really adventurous, body hugging red satin for her, blouson and black
britches for him - Buenos Aires Cafe style for some close
formation Argentine Nuevo to the Gotan Project.
Ok, so maybe that
really is for the adventurous but what's to stop you trying
the simpler elements of the dance? the basic requirements are, an
open embrace, fluid movement and swapping the lead, (more of that X
Rating). You could do it in jeans and tee shirts if you're lost in
the moment, the lack of elaborate Argentinian attire could be
forgiven because if it feels good, you can feel burlesque even
without the well drawn lipgloss, arched eyebrow, and single curl
accenting the forehead. Getting older needn't be a drag factor
either. In fact it has its advantages. Once you're over thirty five
you are considered past it by the bright young things anyway and the
older you get, it can become such a relief not to have to pander to
the whims of trendiness. Being fashionably stylish is much more fun
and it endures. A man in a well cut dark suit is an iconic image. So
too, is the black dress, stockings and killer heels. It can work if
you're thirty five or sixty five. And imagine that combination
in dance, not hard to is it? Its always an attractive image. More so
if the couple are romantically attached, be that as married veterans
of twenty five years or lovers just met on a cruise. In my book, Lady
Lipgloss, The Mature Womans Manual - I devote a chapter to
the healthy benefits of dance, I'm lucky to have a friend in the
business who demonstrates not only great physical skill but who also
promotes the concept of enjoyment.
That's the psychological bonus,
whatever level of skill you possess, the primary objective is
enjoyment, be that as fulfilling contentment in your partner on the
floor or the kind of joie de vivre displayed by the groom in Four
Weddings and a Funeral - remember the reception dance? He wasn't
good, but he was happy.
Keeping fit and healthy has to be an
enjoyable part of modern living, not taken to excess and not to be
dreaded, dance can be a low impact way of keeping supple, unlike
other forms of exercise it doesn't have to be intimidating either, I
mean - when somebody invites you to dance, they're inviting you to
have a good time, not lift weights or run a marathon, but you can get
a work out anyway without knowing it - how cool is that?
It's
great for all parts of the physique and it can be wonderful for
breathing. For some, dance has been with them forever, for others
discovering dance can be life changing.
People still fall in love
dancing, I'd call that life changing.
Article as appeared in 'Jive Magazine' the magazine for jive dancers
Nov/Dec 2009 issue.www.jivemagazine.co.uk
