Hi everybody. I just want to post two questions for discussion. My first question is that I started doing martial arts when I was five years old and have been basically doing it my whole life. Then I discovered ballroom dancing and I found the transition quite easy because there were many similarities between the two. For example, certain types of stances, certain ways of walking and stepping with different parts of your foot, different ways of holding your body frame, head positioning as well as your focus. So I am wondering if there are any martial artists out there who are taking ballroom dancing and if so, what has been your experience? Next question - another observation I have made at various dance camps, competitions or dance schools is that I have seen a large number of male dancers or scientists, engineers, mathematicians, physicists and the like. What do you think the reason is for this?

Al

I teach at a locally owned ballroom studio and I have found the same to be true about "educated professionals" being drawn to dance. The only explanation I can come up with is that those type of people enjoy a life full of learning and it is something they have to really work at to feel good doing. Ballroom dance is the best of both worlds. Social dance is available for someone who doesn't want to spend a lot of time learning, but still have a new skill. And International requires the ability to absorb information and convert it into body action as well. It is an exacting sport that's a challenge to master.

What you said here is very excellent. Ballroom dance is the best of physical activity for health mentally and physically.
May I sare your experience of that as a lady , how to obtain an appropriate muscle tone over her lower loin muscle ?
(Someone suggested to imagine one pencile was held centrally by those muscles;books mentioned to brace the waist , but seldom described how to do that .)Thanks.
ylchen

Al,
I started dancing in December just after getting my diploma as an Architect. Learning to dance for me was also a thing that would happen sooner or later out of sheer social necessity.

I did Judo as a child and as a student started Thai Boxing (Muay Thai... please don't confuse with Kick Boxing or Tae Bo).
The first thing I found the martial arts training helped with was posture. Not that I hurt any less or find it easier to have the right waltz posture, but what I noticed compared to the other young men is that it never crossed my mind to question the fact that I have to stand a certain way.
When we are being told about balance I know what our instructors are talking about.
The male instructors find it easier to teach me some things about movement because they can just ask me to show them a kick or a punch and can then tell me what part of that movement they want me to keep and adapt.

My martial arts teacher says dancing and martial arts are related. He told the class a couple of weeks ago that dancers that pick up martial arts tend to be very good students as they bring a lot with them from dancing (footwork and balance especially).

Though I am stopping Muay Thai now, the training times coincide with my group lessons at the dance studio... and I never was very good at martial arts. Funny how being tall and slender has always been my crux and now I find myself somewhere where everyone is thrilled with my body (187cm 62kilos I think thats 6'2'' 137 pounds) and I am feeling bad at the fact that I am actually trying to put on weight so a simple kick in the stomach wont send me flying across the room.

The greatest thing though was when I told my dance instructor what my Muay Thai teacher was asking me to work on more and the exercises he wanted me to do outside training and telling him in turn what she asked of me for dancing. They found they had so much in common ;)

regarding your 2nd question - you are right. Engineers and the likes tend to have a very analytical mind. I too have been dancing for 2-3 years now. I come from an engineering background and find ballroom dancing very challenging.

I agree with the mental challenge and the ability to handle the mental challenge. Figuring out the other dancers, determining what movements can be executed in a situation and figuring out the split second to execute a lead based on the ladies position and movement is a real mental challenge.

Sometimes for me, the most satisfying dances are not the ones were we have lot of room and dance at our best, but when we manage to dance well in a difficult situation. It's like winning a challenging game.

Hi Al

I am so glad you initiated the comparison between the martial arts and ballroom dancing. It is just I want to study Capoeira (hey, this is fighting & dancing at the same time), and I was wondering whether my dance practice will help me to master it quicker. Information here confirms that it will. I also think that flexibility & balance learnt in any martial arts gives a very good foundation for beautiful dancing.

Regards

I take Pilates classes,run, light weights about 3 or 4 times a week--plus Yoga about 3 times a week on my own. I have a closet full of all kinds of syllabus dance tapes that I use with a teacher--dance partner once a week. Plus, I have taken ballet for 6 years once a week or so, just to work on posture. So, I guess I am an engineer-analytical type.

I have been ballroom dancing for about 7 years, competed with a A. partner for 3 yrs. and some pro am. I find ballroom, especially Int. Std. and Latin hard and requires lots of thinking and work. I am always looking for short cuts or overlapping activities that help my ballroom. Most of the teachers that I have seen just teach and nothing else--including not taking lessons from higher pros.

Haven't tried Martial Arts but it seems like a good supplement. Some of the friends that have done it have progressed faster than most.

I took Argentine Tango for awhile and appeared to really mess up my hard earned posture and movement for ballroom tango.