Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: http://www.epageflip.net/i/1422329
WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM OCTOBER 20-NOVEMBER 2, 2021 UCW 17 e first historic proof of dance came from wall paintings in a 9000-year-old cave in India and was with us before written language. For thousands of years dance has been present in celebrations, entertain- ment, ceremonies and rituals and has evolved through the centuries in many forms. ere are historians that believe so- cial dance is one of the essential fac- tors of development in early civiliza- tion. Watching a baby or toddler move to the beat is a prime example of how dance could have evolved before writ- ten language. e benefits of dance can help with weight loss, flexibility, balance, reduce stress and has no age limits young or old. Your style of dance may be sway- ing to a favorite song while you're driving, dancing around the house or rocking those moves on a dance floor. Wheelchair dance is popular in over forty nations with styles ranging from ballroom to line dances and is becom- ing an International Paralympic Com- mittee Championship Sport. Another benefit of dance is how it makes us feel. It is a powerful expres- sion that grabs us with inner light, speaks to our creative outlet and makes us happy. It is an expression of movement with music that speaks a universal language and for the enthusiast requires no special skill, experience or form. We enjoy dance in countless styles and enjoy watching others dance. Recently I attended a Mick Jagger concert. e man is a phenomenal entertainer and at seventy-eight com- mands the stage of someone more than half his age. We all take memories from a concert and for me it was the way he moved on stage. Jagger has a cho- reographer, trainer and his exercise regimen consist of dance, kick boxing, Pilates, yoga and running. He isn't the only one. Goldie Hawn strives to dance or do some form of exercise every day for a set amount of time or in intervals and is the epitome of someone that dances like no one is watching. Age is certainly limitless with nine- ty-five-year young Dick Van Dyke who exercises his abdominals, legs and more. A quote from Dick Van Dyke is exemplified by his lifestyle. He has no plans to slow down and looks forward to being one-hundred years old. "All you old guys out there, listen to me. You can go on for a long time. I'm still dancing and singing." It can be easy to say that celebrities have the benefit of a personal trainer. e common factor is that the love of dance and music is universal without celebrity status or a trainer. My mother and aunt were dance instructors, and my family seems to have inherited the dance gene. Mother enrolled me in ballet classes at an early age and growing up I loved the old movies with Ginger Rog- ers, Fred Astaire and later the more pronounced dancers with gyrating moves such as Hawn, Ann Marga- ret, Tina Turner and Elvis Pressley. Michael Jackson is an all-time favorite and of course there are the inspiring movies like Dirty Dancing and Flash Dance. I love to dance and when the music starts there is a driving energy in me to hit the dance floor and feel the beat! Dance classes are popular for ballroom, Latin, Shag, line dancing or Zumba group fitness classes. Have you ever noticed people just about running to the dance floor for a popu- lar line dance? Be the one who enjoys dancing like no one is watching socially, or at home or in a class. Live, love life and reap the benefits. FITNESS CYNTHIA ROSS, Personal Trainer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com. 910- 484-6200. Dance like no one is watching by CYNTHIA ROSS e weather may forget every few days, but the calendar says it's officially fall. ere's just something about the season – the trees we thought we recognized begin to show off with remarkable colors as they work in harmony to create unforgettable sunlight scenes. And the weather. I truly love fall weather. We begin to feel a certain crispness in the air each morn- ing, while the afternoons re- mind us to bring a little jacket as the sun begins to set a little earlier day by day. Fall is a perfect buffer be- tween a humid North Carolina summer and when winter offi- cially sets in to send us on daily trips to the woodpile. e fall weather is more than beauty and comfort, though. It's a sign. A signal to us all that the time for gathering as family and friends is just ahead. It's a season for gratitude and thoughtfulness, where the cool- ness of the air outside is per- fectly countered by a warmth that seems to grow within us all. We started a new fall tradition in my family a few years ago, and I think it's a good exer- cise in humility. e gratitude pumpkin. Maybe you've done this, too (or at least heard about it.) e concept is simple: get a pumpkin, place it where it's easily visible to your family and guests, and use a permanent marker or paint (for the really artsy among us) to write down things you're grateful for. It doesn't take long to get past the cool stuff and start writing really simple things like health, family or a home, and that's where the gold is. Realizing how immensely blessed we are in our everyday lives. Life — even abundant life — isn't about money or cars or possessions. It's about the re- lationships we build. It's about the joy we get from or bring to others. ere is an undeniable joy in the laughter of a toddler, or the tender moments with a new- born. ere is cause for joy and much to be thankful for all around us. It just takes us paus- ing long enough to recognize it. e gratitude pumpkin at our house was so filled with the thankful thoughts we wrote on it last year you could hardly tell it was ever orange at all. And that's how I want to live. I'm ready for the negativity, and the pain and the ugliness we see in this crazy, divided world to give way to a sense of gratitude for what we have. ere is freedom in that place. ere is joy in that place. And there is love in its truest form in the place where gratitude lives. So, consider getting a pump- kin and a marker. Or you can just sit down with a spiral notebook and a pen and begin writing. Encourage your children, spouse or people you work with to do the same. Record the things that make you smile. Write down the people who bring you joy. Count your blessings. One at a time. It's almost certain you will run of paper (or pumpkin) before you're finished. Gratitude Pumpkins record joy by DAN DEBRULER FAITH DAN DEBRULER, General Manager, WCLN. Comments? Editor@upandcomingweekly. com. 910-484-6200.