Dancing My AS Off

As a little girl I remember always dancing everywhere. It didn't matter where I was, or who was looking, I danced whenever I heard music come on. It's always been a part of me. My mom also loved to dance so I guess that's where I got it from. She always threw us these big house parties, and me and my sister were always the first 2 up to dance--we were the party starters (lol)!

But as my disease progressed, I was not able to dance how I use to, but I still make dancing videos on my social media to encourage others to still move. Dancing can be a fun form of exercise...living with AS can make it difficult to exercise, and even harder to enjoy it because of pain.

Below are some benefits of dancing

Dancing can be a way to stay fit for people of all ages, shapes, and sizes. It has a wide range of physical and mental health benefits, like a stronger heart and lungs, increased endurance, and a stronger body.

It can also help with flexibility, balance, and physical confidence!

You can dance in a group, with a partner, or on your own. There are lots of different places where you can enjoy dancing, for example, at dance schools, exercise classes, social venues, community halls and in your own home.

Dancing has become such a popular way to be active and keep fit, that most fitness clubs now offer dance classes in their group exercise programs. Dancing can be done both competitively and socially. It can be a great for fun and for exercise, because anyone of any age can take part. It doesn’t matter whether it is cold or raining since dancing is usually done indoors.

Types of dance

There are many styles of dance to choose from:

• Ballet: mostly set to classical music, this dance style focuses on strength and flexibility.
• Ballroom dancing: this type involves a number of partner-dancing styles such as the waltz, swing, foxtrot, rumba and tango.
• Belly dancing: with origins in the Middle East, this dance style is a fun way to exercise the ab muscles and hips!
• Hip-hop: performed mostly to hip-hop music, this dance style can involve breaking, popping, locking, and freestyling.
• Jazz: a high-energy dance style involving kicks, leaps, and turns to the beat of the music.
• Pole dancing: has become more popular as a form of exercise over the years. It involves sensual dancing with a vertical pole, and requires lots of upper and lower body strength.
• Salsa: involves a mixture of Caribbean, Latin American and African influences, salsa is usually a partner dance and emphasizes rhythms and sensuality.
• Square-dancing: a type of folk dancing where four couples dance in a square pattern, moving around each other and changing partners.
• Tap dancing: focuses on timing and beats. The name originates from the tapping sounds made when the small metal plates on the dancer’s shoes touch the ground.

Do you like to dance?