If your kids are interested in trying a new dance style, ballet could offer a lot more than a new hobby.

Ballet relies heavily on physical strength and agility, an understanding of music, rhythm, strong concentration skills and an love of movement – all skills that will benefit your kids in many areas of their life.

Kids are constantly growing and it’s important to nurture this growth. Ballet is an intensive form of dance that will use all their muscles in the various movements and is designed to increase physical strength in arms, legs and torso. Ballet movements will also develop flexibility and a good range of motion for your kids.

Have you ever noticed that ballet dancers have great posture? – that’s because ballet movements develop co-ordination, balance and posture!

Ballet not only has physical benefits for kids, there are also emotional and mental benefits. Studies have shown that training in classical ballet will help to instill a sense of pride and accomplishment which builds your child’s self-esteem and self-confidence which is beneficial in all areas of their life. Further studies have also proven that classical ballet training can help children develop grace, poise and self-assurance at an early age.

Doing ballet – or any form of dance – at a young age will also help your kids develop their social skills, foster teamwork, communication, trust and co-operation. By engaging in regular social activities at their dance classes, your kids will forge new friendships, learn to overcome shyness or awkwardness and become more confident performing in front of an audience.

Have your kids tried ballet? Join us for our kids ballet class every Wednesday from 6:15pm.

Image: David Castillo Dominici / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

If you’ve been following the Logan Dance Sydney Facebook Page, you’ll have noticed that our very own Aric Yegudkin has been in the limelight!

I’m really excited to be part of Dancing with the Stars Season 12 – I’ve got a great dance partner and we’re looking forward to really pushing the boundaries with our dances. I want to take Zoe – and viewers – on a new dance journey every week.

In the current season of Dancing with the Stars, Aric is partnered with gorgeous Zoe Cramond and has been lighting up TV screens across Australia with their emotional foxtrot and funky jive moves.

Aric is no stranger to Dancing with the Stars. In Season 3 (2005), Aric and his partner, Ada Nicodemou, wowed the nation and won the series. Aric and Ada also went on to win the ‘Dancing with the Stars: Champion of Champions’ – a dance off against Series 2 winners Tom Williams and Kym Johnson.

In 2011, Aric and his dance partner Haley Bracken were runners-up in the finale.

Aric has also been involved in ‘So You Think You Can Dance’ and was also the lead actor and dancer in the music video for ‘Tiamo’, the first release by Australian Idol’s Laura Gissara’s.

When he’s not dancing with the stars, Aric is teaching Advanced classes and giving private lessons in the Logan Dance Sydney Studio.

We’ve got our fingers crossed for Aric this season and can’t wait to see what else he and Zoe have in stall for us!

There are lots of reasons to go dancing – it’s fun, good exercise, a great way to socialise – just to name a few. But did you know dancing is also one of the best ways to maintain your overall health?

1. Cardio health: If you’ve been to a dance class, you’ll know how dancing will get your heart pumping. This is awesome for your cardio health and increases your lung capacity.

Did you know: Performing in one dance competition uses the same amount of energy as swimming or running 800 metres!

2. Strong bones and joints: The active movement involved in dancing ensures that our bones stay strong and our joints are lubricated – this aids in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis.

3. Maintain a healthy body-weight: Dancing is fantastic aerobic exercise. This burns calories and increases circulation and stamina.

Did you know: Dancing will burn approximately 5-10 calories per minute, depending on speed and intensity!

Not only will dancing keep you physically healthy, your mind will also benefit. Simple things, like having to remember the dance moves, will help build your mental stamina and is great mental exercise.

Of course, we can’t overlook the fact that people who dance are generally happier – thanks to the great endorphins that are released while dancing. These endorphins help tackle stress, depression and boost self-confidence and self-discipline.

Finally, dancing is a fantastic way to socialise and make new friends, share loads of laughs and just have fun while learning new dance moves – or showing off old ones!

How did you feel after the last time you went dancing?

Image: Vlado / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Remember to keep an eye on the Logan Dance Sydney Facebook page for new photos and studio updates.

Water, water, everywhere, but not a drop to drink.

Did you know that approximately 57-60% of your body is composed of just water? It’s true! Water counts for just over half of your body weight, yet a lot of Australians do not drink enough water to even meet their basic daily requirements – Around 75% are considered to be chronically dehydrated. Particularly as the days are getting longer and hotter as it gets into Summer, it is very important that you stay hydrated for the sake of your health.

Dehydration is a condition that leads to a whole range of everyday ailments such as nausea, headaches, drowsiness and a lack of concentration. It particularly makes one much more tired and not fully conscious in their activities – a 1% drop in water levels can trigger daytime fatigue and difficulty focusing. Even if you’re not feeling thirsty, there are signs that you might need to keep hydrated such as lightheadedness, a dry mouth and a darker coloured urine.

How much you ought to drink depends on a number of factors such as age, metabolism and if you’re undertaking exercise or a demanding physical activity. The recommendation is to drink between 6 and 8 glasses of water a day, but you ought to drink more if you’re an older adult, are pregnant, are exercising or if you’re simply out in the sun. Drinking more water is also important if you have certain medical conditions such as kidney stones or bladder problems or if you have a fever or are  suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea.

In order to stay adequately hydrated, it’s a good idea to keep a bottle of water with you, especially if you know you’ll be out in the heat or are walking somewhere in the sun. Drinking water before, during and after exercise is important too as well as drinking with meals. Oh, and cups of coffee, tea, sports drinks and of course, alcoholic beverages all do not count towards a glass of water a day, so make sure you get enough water in your body to compensate! Tap water is free so make use of it!

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Zumba is a dancing phenomenon that has only recently exploded into gyms, health and fitness centres, and dance studios all over the globe, making its mark in over 105 different countries. This energetic and exhilarating dancing phenomenon is only ten years old and already it has grown to become the largest and most successful dance-fitness program ever. But how did such a sensational program soar to be loved all over the globe?

You can thank the forgetful Alberto “Beto” Perez for the conception of Zumba; the Colombian aerobics instructor was about to teach a class when he realised he had forgotten to take his traditional music tapes. Rather than cancel the class, he improvised by just using some of the tapes from his personal collection, namely merengue and salsa, and adapting his class to the Latin-based funky music. His class enjoyed themselves so much that he started a new one and called it the Zumba Fitness-Party. Out of this accident, a revolution was born.

Beto left Cali, Colombia to try and change the world. He moved to Miami, Florida and tried his luck there, learning English along the way and trying to push Zumba at fitness centres. After much frustration, he got to teach his first class (despite turning up late and with massive communication difficulties) that was sceptical at first, then pleasantly surprised. In 2001, entrepreneurs Alberto Perlman and Alberto Alghion joined up with Beto and managed to make Zumba global.

Zumba is taught to over 12 million participants all over the world and the numbers are rising – it’s even available on many video game consoles and there are even classes available to do in swimming pools. There seems to be no limits to what Zumba, “the exercise in disguise”, can do!

Image: digitalart

If there’s at least one thing you can learn from dancing, it’s knowing the motivation and dedication required to master your skills. All of these world records were achieved with relentless stamina and iron willpower! If you’re bored one day and looking for a challenge, why not casually try and break some of these records and get your name and achievement recognised by the Guinness Book of Records?

Longest Distance Danced

The furthest distance danced was performed by Kelly Ranasinghe and Victoria Sudakov, who managed to cover a whopping 5.02 km (3.125 miles) ballroom dancing around Balboa Park in San Diego, California on the 11 October 2003. It sure beats getting the bus!

Largest Zumba Dance Class

On the 30^th April, 2011, in Brownsville, Texas, a campaign to promote healthy lifestyles planned a world record to gather the largest ever Zumba class. They only nedded to get more than 250 participants, but nobody foresaw the arrival of almost five times the expected number as 1,223 Zumba dancers all showed up all ready and eager to burn some calories!

Largest Salsa Dance

The largest salsa dance consisted of 451 couples and was organised by two Venezuelans, Jose Perez and Tjapko Smits, at the Caracas Hilton Hotel, in Caracas, Venezuela, on the 1st October 2006. Must have been a tight squeeze!

Longest Time Danced

Guinness World Records confirmed that Kalamandalam Hemaletha had set a world record for the “longest dance marathon by an individual.” Beginning on September 20th, she shook her hips and wiggled her neck for 123 hours and 15 minutes. The 37-year old mother performed the “Mohiniyattam” – a solo recital delivered by a female that is one of the eight Indian classical dance forms. Her previous attempt a month earlier resulted in her being admitted to hospital for dehydration and sore feet. Ouch!

We’ve got some awesome news for budding ballerinas – the long-awaited Kids Ballet for ages 7-14 starts Wednesday 1st February at 6:15pm (that’s this week!).

Come on down for our kids evening class and enjoy moving to the music of the traditional ballets including The Nutcracker and Swan Lake. Learn new steps, increase your strength and flexibility, improve your posture, impress your friends with your new grace and knowledge of classical ballet, and of course have fun!

Classical ballet has a long tradition and a strong technique that will make all your other styles easier to pick up.

Come and try out our first class this Wednesday evening.

Look forward to seeing you there!

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Its name deriving from the Spanish word for “sauce” due to its spice and sensations, Salsa is a dance that is bursting with pizazz and energy. Its irresistible rhythms and simple movements have made it a popular dance in dancing institutions all over the world and once you’ve got the basic steps down, you’re laughing!

Salsa’s history is modest and colourful: musically, Salsa evolved and dispersed from Afro-Cuban communities who fused many musical styles together such as African rumbas and Latin sambas as well as many motifs of American Black tradition like jazz, blues and soul. Afro-Cuban immigrants living in New York popularised this fusion of music and created a new voice and life to dance music. This accommodated many other styles such as the Haitian Danzón and many Caribbean influences too.

With the music followed the dancing. The mixture of many rhythms in these diverse musical styles gave rise to the 4-beat Salsa we are familiar with today. This complex and funky music structured itself over a simple framework of easy steps that are easy to pick up and dance along to. Salsa gave a certain exotic freedom to dancing, flamboyant and unafraid. It became the dance of youthful exuberance and romantic liberty. Classes became more and more popular throughout the 70s and 80s as Salsa charmed the world over in its seductive rhythms.

Salsa today is no longer confined to the streets of Harlem and in Latino communities – it is enjoyed by many different cultures around the world. Its influences extend into many other types of dance and is celebrated in mainstream culture like in films such as “Dirty Dancing” and television programmes like “Dancing With the Stars”. Salsa has strutted its way into our hearts and the future looks bright for it too!

Rebecca Dunlea (Bec) is the funkiest new teacher to join the Logan Dance team taking on our Hip Hop classes. Spend a few moments getting to know Bec – she’ll have you rushing in for our next hip hop class!

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Q. How did you end up teaching hip hop? Has it always been a passion for you?

A. Dancing itself has always been a passion of mine and I started when I was 7 years old and I learned all styles of dance… I would say my forte is actually lyrical / contemporary, however over the 20 years I have been involved in the Dance and Arts industry, I have professionally performed, choreographed and taught various styles including Ballet, Lyrical, Jazz, Tap, Hip hop, Funk/street, Zumba, Bodyjam & Musical Theatre.

I started teaching more hip hop about 5 years ago when freelancing at various dance studios around Sydney and there was a demand for it, and I loved the looseness of it compared to the discipline of Ballet… I could allow myself to feel my body and movement in a totally different way with no restrictions. Hip Hop allows you to be quite expressive in so many ways and to be more aware of your body and the way things work together…

Q. Do you think hip hop is much the same here as in the USA, or do we have our own Aussie style?

A. I think there are so many styles of hip hop internationally that the way a choreographer or dancer would feel, see or create it actually depends on many variables. Every country has its own style but they all blend and borrow from each other at the same time… People are influenced by different things so their interpretation of a feeling or movement is very much true to themselves, yet certain principles and aspects are similar so you get a “Hip Hop” genre within that.

Q. What do you say to people who have never done hip hop before?

A. Come and have some fun with us!!! Anyone can learn to dance from any background, experience level or age group, it is a lot of fun and is great to express yourself creatively while exercising and being involved in a social setting with other like minded people!

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net