Heart & Sole Dance - Ballroom Dance Instruction

Ballroom Makes Kids Rich

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Mon, 21 Feb 2011 15:23:00 +0000

BALLROOM KIDS WIN HALF MILLION DOLLARS

On Wednesday, February 9th, 2011, two young ballroom dancers stole America’s hearts with their exceptional dancing and they won $500,000!

“Live to Dance” is a new show on CBS hosted by Paula Abdul and its goal is to find America’s BEST dancer. The show spent weeks touring the country watching every age of dancer doing every possible type of dance.

It all came down six acts: three fantastic groups, a beautiful ballerina couple, a young solo contemporary dancer and a D’Angelo & Amanda dancing ballroom.

All forms of dance were represented including: jazz, tap, ballet, hip hop, ballroom and more! In the end, America voted and Ballroom Dancing WON! .

“It’s obvious that Ballroom dancing is fascinating to America”, says Maren Oslac of Heart & Sole Dance in Tinley Park. “Ballroom dance won over every other form of dance! I think we all love it (ballroom) because it’s got something for everyone: masculinity and femininity, relationship, exercise and fitness, and even drama!”

D’Angelo and Amanda (ages 10 & 11) had a tough job, but America was behind them. Judge Travis Payne even called them the “Future of Ballroom Dancing”.

Locally, ballroom dance is also alive and well, and the south suburbs of Chicago is home of one of top youth ballroom programs in the country – Heart & Sole Dance!

“We’re opening our doors,” says youth instructor and parent Lynzi Scholz. “It’s obvious how popular Ballroom dancing has become and we want everyone to have an opportunity to see what all the fuss is about!” .

Heart & Sole Dance currently offers ballroom dance classes for ages 4 to adult. Check back for the 2-3 year old classes that are being formed

To register you, or child, call the studio at 708-5-DANCES (708-532-6237).

For more information on Heart & Sole Dance, including adult, child and fitness options, visit http://www.heartsoledance.com

Dance the Pounds Away!

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Wed, 02 Feb 2011 20:44:00 +0000

Whether it's the rumba, tango or waltz, participants say the time flies!

This is a great excerpt from a recent article in the Press Democrat.

" California State University at Long Beach has conducted studies on the benefits of ballroom dance and found that beginning students can get their heart rates up to near-maximum training rates with a five minute warm-up and 20 minutes of cha-cha or swing dancing. Moderate ballroom dancing can burn up to 300 calories an hour.

Ross said he did his own studies over a 30-day period and found, as a teacher, he was traveling 8½ miles across the dance floor in a day and burning 600 calories an hour.

It can be aerobic, he stressed, without the percussive effect on the skeletal system that comes with jumping or running. "

Read the entire article here: http://www.pressdemocrat.com/article/20110121/LIFESTYLE13/110129886?p=3&tc=pg

For more information on ballroom dance instruction, please visit http://www.heartsoledance.com

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 19:26:00 +0000

Could you use some help reaching your fitness goals? Get in on the Fitness Challenge. Sign up TOMORROW! http://ow.ly/d/apt

LA Times Recommends Ballroom Dance for Fitness

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:26:00 +0000

The success recipe for fitness: Mix in the fun

The best way to keep that New Year's resolution to get more fit is to find ways to make it a blast. Some ideas? Surfing, trail running, dancing, kayaking and the in-your-face Krav Maga.

By Jeannine Stein, Los Angeles Time

January 3, 2011

Put away the eggnog and break out the tennis shoes — it's New Year's resolution time, and no doubt millions have made the pledge to get fit. Many of them will join a gym only to find they're bored with the monotony of cardio equipment and weight training routines.

But exercise shouldn't be drudgery. Plenty of pleasurable activities deliver a legitimate workout without the hamster-on-a-wheel feeling. Surfing, kayaking, ballroom dancing, trail running and self-defense classes are just a few ways to avoid a fitness rut or supplement a regular gym workout. Some offer other benefits too, such as being outside, expanding one's social network and building confidence by mastering a new skill.

"Exercise doesn't have to be boring," says Shawn M. Arent, director of the Human Performance Lab at Rutgers University in New Jersey. "It can be fun and addictive in a good way."

For the rank beginner, calculating cardiovascular benefits or measuring muscle strength shouldn't be the priority. "Get out and do something," says Matt Seeley, exercise science professor at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. "Try to incorporate 15 minutes of some activity. Don't worry so much about what you're doing — I would call going from nothing to 15 minutes a success. Then start to increase that."
.....

Ballroom dancing

Any doubts about the transformative abilities of ballroom dance should be dashed after watching one season of "Dancing With the Stars" and seeing celebrities going from flabby to fit in a matter of weeks.

Sure, they're rehearsing five to six hours a day, week after week. But the spins, turns, lifts, kicks and fast footwork of the routines show the athleticism and technique that make up the waltz, tango, cha-cha and other dances.

"I think people are happy it's a workout," says Erin Stevens, president of the Pasadena Ballroom Dance Assn."At the end of a class you feel like you've enriched your life in so many ways — you've burned calories and made friends and learned an art form."

Workout intensity varies by dance, but all have something to offer. "In the rumba, which is a sensual dance, you work your hips a lot," says Peri Rogovin, owner of 3rd Street Dance in Los Angeles, where many "DWTS" contestants rehearse. "That's good for the waistline, and also for coordination."

Faster dances, such as the salsa and cha-cha, build up endurance, while slower ones, like the Argentine tango, feature more muscle control via leg extensions and holds, torso rotations and back posture. Legs get most of the workout in ballroom, but the arms are engaged as well, toning muscles and raising heart rates.

Diana Bolinger has been taking swing and other ballroom dance classes at PDBA for a dozen years and credits it with regaining her fit self after having children. "It's mostly cardio, but you're also strengthening your arms and legs. You can sometimes feel it the next day." While she didn't need to lose weight, she adds, "I felt like I was more fit and not as flabby."

Most studios offering ballroom classes for pairs don't require students to pony up a partner; dancers typically rotate partners anyway. But the ballroom craze has also spawned fitness-dance hybrid classes in which an instructor leads a roomful of people in easy choreographed steps. Louis Van Amstel, a "DWTS" regular and champion competitive dancer, kicks off a class called Dance Blast at Crunch in L.A. later this month, teaching men and women such dances as the cha-cha, salsa and jive to an eclectic and high-energy mix of music.

"It works from a fitness point of view because a lot of people can do it," Van Amstel says. "Everybody can learn how to dance."

For more information on ballroom dance instruction and dance fitness classes, please visit http://www.heartsoledance.com

For the full article, click here: http://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-0103-fun-fitness-20110103,0,4411652,print.story

West Coast Swing Flash Mob in Chicago!

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Sat, 09 Oct 2010 12:36:00 +0000

Thanks for all the requests for information about the Chicago Flash Mob. Here are all the details! http://chicagodanceu.com

West Coast Swing Flash Mob in Chicago!

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Thu, 07 Oct 2010 21:53:00 +0000

Chicago is doing a Flash Mob! What's that? Check out the video below - a Flash Mob done in a Houston mall. We'll be doing ours on October 30th around 5pm at the Yorktown Mall!

If you want to dance, you'll have to learn the choreography. Choreography is being taught across Chicago - including at Heart & Sole Dance. Call for days and times. If you'd like to observe, come hang out at the Yorktown Mall!

For more information on ballroom dance and West Coast Swing instruction, please visit http://www.heartsoledance.com

Interview with Salsa Stars - Kids at their BEST!

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Thu, 30 Sep 2010 22:25:00 +0000

Raymond (12) and Jenalyn (9) Saraza Pacheco are brother and sister, and they've been dancing together for years already! They've danced in Miami, Calgary, Montreal, Los Angeles and Bermuda and even competed at the Dancing with the Stars kids ballroom challenge in Toronto in front of 15,000 people.

In May the received a standing ovation at the Los Angeles Salsa Congress and 'Addicted2Salsa' interviewed them about their journey and success in dance at such a young age.

Kids of all ages can learn from these 2 young dancers!

Read the full interview Read the full interview here.

Watch Raymond and Jenalyn on Youtube!

For youth ballroom and salsa classes visit www.HeartSoleDance.com

Scenes from Dance Movies

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 21:57:00 +0000

This is a great collection of over 40 dance scenes of famous dance related movies! Most of us have probably seen all the movies at some point. Great job! http://ow.ly/2LYNr

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Wed, 22 Sep 2010 17:05:00 +0000

The pictures from our last dance were just posted on our Facebook page! Be sure to tag anyone you know!

Heart & Sole Dance Facebook Page

For more information on ballroom dance instruction, please visit http://www.heartsoledance.com

Maren Interviewed on WIND 560

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 19:11:00 +0000

Listen to Maren's interview on The Entrepreneur's Edge Radio program! She talks about how she got started, what inspired her to open Heart & Sole Dance, the differences between H&S Dance and other studios... and more!

Part 1 Part 2

For more information on ballroom dance instruction, please visit http://www.heartsoledance.com

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Sat, 17 Apr 2010 14:57:00 +0000

FREE Fitness Saturday one week from today! Enjoy working out with Heart & Sole. For more information, please call 708-5-DANCES!

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Mon, 12 Apr 2010 19:58:00 +0000

Saturday's dance party was awesome! Thanks to everyone who came out to dance with us. The south suburban dance community is growing!

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Sat, 10 Apr 2010 17:03:00 +0000

DANCE PARTY TONIGHT: $10. Samba Lesson at 7:30pm, Party at 8:15pm.

noreply@blogger.com (Heart & Sole Dance) — Fri, 09 Apr 2010 17:31:00 +0000

Join us this Saturday at Heart & Sole Dance for the Spring Fling Dance Party! http://ow.ly/1wzUy