Shall we dance? Twirling and jiving to stay in shape and de-stress

Shall we dance? Twirling and jiving to stay in shape and de-stress

MUNISH DHIMAN  11th Jan 2014

Gangan Kaur’s Zumba studio at Panchkula f late certain dance forms are being deployed as ways to stay fit and healthy. Hence it was only a matter of time that the tri-city caught up to this trend. Zumba, a Latin American dance style combined with aerobics is perhaps the most popular of the lot. Gagan Kaur, a Zumba instructor from Panchkula says, "Today there are numerous dance institutes and centres where one can easily learn different dance forms under one roof. In the abundance of such dance institutes, it becomes crucial to receive training from a thorough professional who can instruct you according to your body structure." While elaborating on various weight loss and fitness programmes, Kaur further states, "Joining a weight loss dance programme is a tricky task because losing weight in kgs may lead to weakness in some cases, whereas weight reduction in inches is always healthy." Most of Kaur's students are women and include a lot of middle-aged individuals. Abhi Khajuria, head choreographer, The Engine Room, a high-tech dance training facility says, "We offer top-of-the-line training to not only beginners but also professionals as well. We have students between 7-60 years of age and there are many who join us just to stay fit. People from all walks of life enrol themselves in different batches because they know that dance has no ill effects on the body, rather, it rejuvenates and de-stresses you besides helping in losing weight." Toeing the same line, Kritika Sharma, owner and instructor of the place further adds, "We aim at providing expert training to dance enthusiasts. It is essential to plan step-wise programmes so that differentiation can be made between all the categories on the basis of requirement and budget." Different communities and cultural centres are also promoting various dance forms in the tri-city. "Dance workshops are held from time to time at different centres to get people interested and invested in the rich legacy of our traditional and folk dance forms. Sometimes we also organise power yoga, bhangra, aerobics and other fitness dance classes and encourage people to follow a healthy lifestyle and stay fit," says Jaswinder Singh, coordinator, NZCC, Kalagram. Sachin Dixit, aerobics and dance teacher from Mohali says, "People have now become more health conscious and their inclination towards living a healthy life is gradually growing. No wonder dance is one of the best methods to stay in shape. Men and women alike opt for aerobics classes because it provides flexibility besides burning those calories." "The fitness trend is changing gradually. A lean, athletic body is the in-thing now. People nowadays don't want colossal bodies with big muscles and abs. We keep receiving queries for fitness dance classes including aerobics at the gym, which shows that people's inclination towards other ways to stay fit is increasing," adds Kunal Khurrana, fitness trainer at Burning Gym, Mohali. Trainers and choreographers from other cities also keep visiting Chandigarh for special workshops from time to time. Akshay Sharma, ballet and ballroom dance trainer from Delhi says, "Different people have different bodies with different degrees of flexibility. It is the job of the trainer to provide personal attention to all the trainees and utilise their efficiency in a productive way. The approach used for a fat person must be poles apart from a person who is slim. Dance constitutes a proper workout that increases stamina without any internal or external fatigue." http://www.sunday-guardian.com/young-restless/shall-we-dance-twirling-and-jiving-to-stay-in-shape-and-de-stress