28 jan IT TAKES TWO TO TANGO
It’s Tuesday night. We are on our way to El Corte, an internationally known tango dance school in Nijmegen at the Graafseweg near the railway bridge. We sit in the car and listen to: “It takes two babies, it takes two babies, just me and you … you know it takes two …”
We sing together from full chest and look at each other smiling.
When we arrive, we walk the last part, because, yes, we are Dutch and if we can park for free, we do that.
We walk through the neighborhood where we started together 15 years ago: our first place: cohabitation during our study time. In the meantime, a lot has changed in the neighborhood: new buildings have been added, some have been demolished.
My husband and I have been dancing together for more than 22 years but have recently started the Argentine tango. A very intense dance, an extraordinary new experience.
A dance of leading and following and especially using your senses: feeling where the leader wants to go and surrendering to his leadership. This dance, I dance with my eyes closed so as to be able to feel even better, which direction we go. Get out of the head and go to your heart.
https://www.univadis.nl/…/Mind-body-exercises-could-help-im…
A nice article about the added value of dancing. Mind-body exercises such as dance could help to improve global cognition, cognitive flexibility, working memory, verbal fluency and learning in cognitively intact or impaired older adults, according to a new meta-analysis published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society .
Dancing can also reduce the risk of limitations in the
activities of daily life, according to new research published in the Scandinavian
Journal of Medicine and Science in Sports: “Although
it is unclear why dancing alone reduces the risk of ADL limitations. dancing
need not only balance, strength and endurance, but also cognitive skills:
adaptability and concentration to move according to music and partner, artistry
for graceful and fluid movements, and memory for choreography “, says lead
author Dr. Yosuke Osuka of the Tokyo Metropolitan Institute Gerontology.
The idea is that these different elements can contribute to the superiority of
dancing while retaining a higher ADL capacity and not to mention dancing gives
a lot of fun and relaxation and in my opinion can also be classed under a form
of meditation.
Together with my husband I keep on dancing: ballroom and Latin at Danscentrum
Vermeulen and of course the Argentine Tango at El Corte Tango.
We also implement this in our work at The wellbeing at work experts.
My greatest example for this is my beloved grandmother, still alive at the age of 93. She dances her entire live: many years with her husband too, even icedancing. Unfortunately, he died 24 years ago. They were so lovely to look at: so gracious. “Enjoying every day, because you never know when the last one comes.” They already knew the strength of dancing. By doing it together strengthens the love for each other and for yourself.
The combination of music and movement creates endorphins
that make you happy, reduce pain and you can feel years younger. As a couple
you also have the touching each other, that further promotes and coordinates the
communication naturally with one another.