Ballroom Dancing Montogmery Al and Massage Therapy Benefits

That includes literally thousands of dances and hundreds of dance styles.

Ballroom dancing includes fox trot, waltz, tango dance, Latin dances (salsa dance,  merengue, mambo), and swing dance.

These are all taught under the umbrella of ballroom dance lessons.

Some take a class to be able to learn how to dance at a wedding dance.

That leads to a discovery of the joy, the exercise and challenge.

Classes or private lessons are offered in dance schools, community centers, and YouTube instructional videos.

Massage therapy along with stretching and good nutrition can make any fitness activity more rewarding.

To that end Dan Hendrix massage therapist and personal trainer professionally for over 40 years is introducing this combination to all dancers particularly ballroom dancing participants.

Mr. Hendrix points out this.

“Dancers weighing 150 pounds use 374 calories in fast ballroom dancing for an hour.”

“That same dancer burns only 306 calories an hour belly dancing, or country and western, or swing.”

“That is quite a bit more still than brisk walking at 258 calories an hour.”

Mr. Hendrix is a former member of the Olympic Medical Support Team at the Atlanta Olympic Games.

Mr. Hendrix notes avoiding injury is not just for the top competitive athletes.

“A loss of balance or coordination is a primary cause of falls resulting in broken bones.”

“Ballroom dancing is a great way to develop or maintain coordination and balance.”

“Ballroom dancing practices knowing where the body is in space, sensing what it is doing with it’s feet and hands, noticing the shifts in weight, and feeling movements in relation to partner’s or other dancers.”

“These abilities naturally develop as a dancer improves skill and it is great for ones brain as well.”

“Refined body awareness also improves posture adding a sense of lightness even presence.”

Dancing is of course weight bearing through the long bones in the legs.

“Weight shifting of the torso during dance moves tends to increase bone mass in the spine as well.”

Deep-tissue massage helps to reshape patterns of tightness through working on fascia.

Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps each muscle and groups of muscles.

Dance Magazine quoted Heather Southwick, director of physical therapy at Boston Ballet.

“When a muscle is “tight,” it can be a sign of overuse or strain, and circulation can be decreased and compromised, making the fascia dehydrated and sticky, which in turn creates adhesions.”

“These adhesions can become painful to stretch and they limit movement, reinforcing dysfunctional movement patterns.”

“Massage can help break up these fascia adhesions, allowing for improved circulation to the muscle and restoration of full movement.”

That article goes on to note this.

“Massage is one part of injury prevention and rehabilitation, along with exercise, nutrition and sleep.”

“The massage therapist is part of the dancer’s whole physiological team.”

Mr. Hendrix being both a personal trainer and a massage therapist offers all of the above.

An example noted in that same article shows an hour massage is not the only valuable option.

Dancers of the National Ballet of Canada ask for 15-minute sessions before important rehearsals or performances.

“They’ll notice their pliés will be deeper or their arabesque will be higher afterwards.”

Mr. Hendrix offers short session in or out of his office and also offers tips for self massage.

“Given a bit of instruction anyone can do quadriceps work with a $7 bakers rolling pin.”

“It takes a bit more skill to work on ones own back using a lacrosse ball or two tennis balls tied into the end of a sock.”

“Cost for those tools just $4 or less.”

Patricia Burbank is a licensed Physical Therapist living in Montgomery Alabama.

Ms. Burbank is also passionate about ballroom dance particularly Argentine Tango.

Ms. Burbank offered her unique insight in these comments.

“Serious dancers work hard to achieve a graceful and efortless look on the dance floor, which can result in painful muscle joint issues. Targetted bodywork and nutritional counseling can be a highly effective remedy.”

Go here for more on how massage therapy can help ballroom dancing.