There is the old adage of having to learn to walk before you run. We use it as though we truly understand what it means. The truth is, we probably do. We know that learning something new takes times. We know that we might fail before we succeed. What we do not always know is that learning to dance can actually help reteach your body how to walk.
Most of us learned to walk around 12-20 months old. Over time, and with injuries, replacements, and just life experiences our body tends to give morph how we walk. Learning to dance is truly nothing more than learning to walk again. As a matter of fact we pride ourselves on the fact that at Arthur Murrays you can literally “Walk in, dance out”.
How you move in dancing is affected by so many little things. It also affects the other person. Ever wonder why your lady might wander in dance hold? Ladies, have you ever found yourself questioning why his one leg never seems to go straight towards you? Have you walked side by side with someone and found that you tend to drift away or run into them?
As an instructor, I get the wonderful opportunity to help you understand all of those things, and sometimes more. I have had students complain about leg pain, back pain, and just overall muscle fatigue. Through the dancing, I get the chance to help understand how their body mechanics work, and retrain them to walk straight and aligned.
I have been asked many times why I love what I do. It may sound strange, but one of the things that I love the most, is seeing the positive change in people. One of the changes is quite literally teaching them how to walk.
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