In step with good health: How dancing can be a great mode of workout and mental therapy

Zagreb-born Nikolina Nikoleski started dancing at the tender age of four years with rhythmic gymnastics in her native town in Croatia. The passion to learn, initially as a hobby and later as a profession, made her master a variety of dance forms over the years, be it ballet—for which she was trained at the Folkwang Hochschule Essen in Germany, contemporary dance, yoga, pilates and Bharatanatyam in India.

“Let’s just say, I never stopped dancing since I learned to walk,” laughs the 47-year-old Nikoleski, who is a disciple of Bharatanatyam veteran and Padma Bhushan awardee Saroja Vaidyanathan.

Now, as the woman behind Nikolina Nikoleski Dance Company in Delhi, which she founded in 2013, Nikoleski teaches ballet and other forms of dance to the young as well as the old.

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She feels dance is a great body workout for an overall wellbeing. “Dance is the most primal form of human expression – be it physical, mental, emotional or an all-around holistic therapy. Every movement affects the mood and, combined with music, it can elevate well-being. I follow my own set of choreography and music that inspire me. It starts with a lot of stretching, dance improvisation, core exercises and choreography that is always very dynamic and expressive, thus making the body and mind fully engaged,” she says.

Nikoleski is right. Dancing can be a great mode of workout and mental therapy as well as a fun way to learn and enjoy the art form.

Fitness regime

One of the best aerobic exercises to reduce those extra pounds of flesh, improve focus, flexibility, balance and boost fitness, dance is one activity that makes one feel young and energetic. Across people and cultures, dance is an expression of one’s emotions via movement. It is one social activity as opposed to those mundane gym exercises, as it makes one groove to music beats, interact, meet new friends and engage in some fantastic dance sessions, also good for a healthy mind, body and soul.

“Fitness should be fun, mood-lifting, and stress-busting. And what better than dance as fitness that fits this segment? It improves cardiovascular capacity, muscle endurance, balance, coordination and flexibility. Dance fitness programmes like masala bhangra, zumba, Bollywood, cardio, salsation, and folk fitness are popular among the young and the old with jam-packed classes, and sweating bodies pulsating on addictive music. It has all the fun and camaraderie, people also bond and feel a sense of belonging, motivation, and encourage each other in the process,” says Shalini Bhargava, fitness consultant and director, JGS Fitness Centre in Mumbai.

Dance fitness classes at gyms and fitness centres in metro, tier 2 and tier 3 cities are popular, as these are highly-energetic and filled with upbeat music and dance moves, making it a fun workout for all ages.

Cult.fit, a health and fitness powerhouse in India, offers workout formats like zumba, bhangra aerobics, Bollybeats and masala bhangra as the fastest way to learn and burn calories. Tom Arun, fitness expert at Cult.fit, says, “Many people find traditional forms of exercise boring and repetitive as dance fitness classes offer a fun, and an upbeat way to get moving and burn calories. So, in a 50-minute dance fitness class, you can burn anywhere between 400 and 500 calories, and clock around 6,000 steps.”

Medical experts find dance as one of the best ways to get the heart pumping and improve cardiovascular health. “Different dance forms require different levels of strength and flexibility, but dance in general can help build strength in legs, core, and upper body. It is the best form to burn calories and lose weight, helping reduce anxiety and depression. One of the prominent dance techniques used as cardio exercise is zumba which is a high-energy dance form with aerobic exercise for an effective workout,” says Dr Babina NM, chief medical officer, Jindal Naturecure Institute.

Mood booster and therapy

While dance emphasises style and form, dance movement therapy is used to assist persons with learning impairments, and neuro-developmental disorders such as autism, and ADHD, among others. Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, mood and anxiety disorders, eating disorders, mobility disorders, sensory processing disorders, trauma, and even violence prevention.

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“As a psychotherapy that uses movement to improve emotional, cognitive, physical, and social well-being, dance is helpful for individuals with mental health issues, such as anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It can improve overall physical health, boost the production of endorphins, which are natural mood-enhancing chemicals in the body, leading to an overall sense of well-being,” says Dr Jyoti Kapoor, founder director and senior psychiatric, Manasthali, a mental health and wellness service provider in Gurugram.

Dance wellness and yoga workshops give a boost of energy and a fun team-building regime. Dance wellness workshop by You Can Dance!, a dance company, curated and designed by Yatan Ahluwalia, co-founder and chief of operations, and Pulkit Sharma, co-founder and creative director, is aimed to help relax and recharge mind and body, while improving flexibility and balance.

“This routine helps to get in shape. The gestures sculpt the body while giving both cardio and muscle toning benefits. It burns calories and improves both physical and mental endurance. The movements are fluid and graceful with an emphasis on overall wellness,” says Sharma.

The duo have been conducting the wellness module for companies, corporates and service sectors with an emphasis on improving performance, boosting confidence, reducing fatigue, increasing mental alertness and enhancing body coordination. “The module is a fusion of jazz, modern, contemporary and other dance genres, breathing techniques designed to develop an individual through a combination of dance and movement,” says Ahluwalia.

Dance and meditation go well too. For instance, ‘Euphonic yoga’, which is a fusion of yoga, classical music and classical dance with nuances of learning and development techniques, can assist one spiritually and physically by activating energy fields in the body known as chakras. “The combinations of movements, footwork and emotions of dance have a great influence and they quadruple with meditation,” says Shruti ChaturLal, curator and conceptualiser of Euphonic yoga.

For instance, raag jait (music) when performed with mooladhara chakra asana combines dignity, stability along with strength through footwork as done in Kathak.

“Different mudras are used to communicate specific ideas, events, actions, or creatures. Each mudra is not just a representation, it has a specific impact on our body. The hamsasya hasta in classical dance represents the shape of a swan and is similar to gyan mudra in yoga which increases the memory power, enhances concentration and prevents insomnia; also, the trishula hasta depicting trishula/ trident matches with varun mudra which is claimed to balance the water content in body and prevent pain due to inflammation or shrinkage of muscle. Shiva linga mudra helps to reduce fat. Thus, dance enjoys the culmination of all aspects and makes you feel fit and fabulous,” says ChaturLal.

DANCE YOUR WAY TO WELLNESS

Zumba

A dance fitness activity, zumba is a high-intensity cardio workout that tones the body with steps that go well with music beats

Flamenco

This is known to be the best form of exercise as it uses body strength and coordination. One needs a lot of energy to perform vigorous movements of hips, abdomen, legs and glutes

Hip hop

An aerobic workout, this dance gives you strong, toned thighs, glutes, calves and arms if practiced thrice a week

Ballet

The best part about this dance form is that it has elegant, long movements which are best to increase stamina and strengthen muscles

Reggaeton

The high-energy dance form incorporates hip-hop, salsa & other styles

Soca

Soca has lively and energetic movements, which involve jumping, twisting and gyrating to the rhythm of music

Bachata

Bachata comes from a fusion of rhythmic bolero with other Afro-Antillean genres done in slow, fluid movements

JazzJazz gives muscle strength in the lower body, develops poise and grace with foot movements and lightning fast steps, aids concentration, flexibility in the arms and hands

Belly dancing

It is one of the best styles to perform, enjoy and strengthen pelvis, abdomen, and the core. Belly dancing improves fitness levels and is a great exercise

for the stomach

Masala bhangra

In India, it is a very popular form of aerobics. It is known to burn up to 500 calories in an hour. This helps tone several muscle sections in the body

Bollywood

This dance style features fast footwork, hip movements and hand gestures, often performed in sync with the music

Salsa

This is one great form of exercise and is the best weight loss regime. It is good to improve high balancing skills, increase stamina and waist exercise