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!

Image: photostock

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

Still looking for the perfect gift this Christmas? With Christmas right around the corner there’s nothing better than giving the gift of dance!

Whether you’re a novice or an advanced dancer, we have new awesome vouchers available that will soothe those itchy feet!

Choose your gift: With Gift Certificates for either private lessons or group classes, there is something for everyone! Is your friend or loved one getting married? – a Wedding Package Gift Certificate is the perfect gift!

We’ll even send your gift certificate directly to your loved ones.  So…what are you waiting for? – give the Gift of Dance today!

Image: nuttakit / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

“There are short-cuts to happiness, and dancing is one of them.”  - Vicki Baum

The ‘first dance’ at a wedding is steeped in a tradition of romance and symbolism: it’s a moment that captures the love between a newly married couple and expresses it through the upholding of a long-standing ritual of taking to the dance floor for the first time as husband and wife…

Of course – it’s not all about the bride and groom: this dance happens in front of all of their family and friends. It’s a moment for everyone and almost always lights up the room with the twinkle of happily teary eyes.

All the eager on-lookers will have no idea what it’s taken to get to this moment: from picking the perfect song, to choosing the dance style that best expresses your character as a couple, to the many hours spent practicing the dance routine!

It’s not unusual to be a little nervous about the first dance – so many people watching, when all you want to do is dance with the love of your life! But with the right preparation for your first dance, the nerves will melt away making room for excitement and passion as you take your love to the dance floor. Even if you have two left feet, Logan Dance can help you learn your perfect first dance for your wedding and turn an anxious moment into a memory that you – and all your loved ones – will cherish forever…

Give the happy couple a gift certificate or try out one of the wedding packages to get you on the path to dancing bliss!

Image: photostock / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Some couples choose to seize the moment to declare their personality as a couple and surprise their guests with some truly awesome dance performances!

Thriller never fails to thrill – check out this groom and his groomsmen thrilling the crowd at the reception!

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It’s a special moment when the bride has her dance with her father – but sometimes it needs a bit of spicing up!

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And this video proves that no matter who you are, you can still turn the most solemn and serious affair into a wacky and weird wedding! Do you think if the Royal Family did this instead, they would have definitely made their mark in history?

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Injuries happen all the time when you do any kind of exercise, particularly dance. It is often inevitable, yet there are many ways in which you can minimise the chances of it affecting you: Prevention is better than cure.

Warming Up

This is crucial before you start any strenuous or vigorous physical activity; take the time to warm up by stretching your muscles all over your body or by having a little run to get your circulation going. It only takes a couple of minutes to do and doing so makes all the difference to your activity.

Acclimatise Gradually

There’s no need to go from 0 to 60 once you begin exercise. Allow yourself to adjust and gradually increase the intensity of your dancing. To not do so runs the risk of hurting yourself before you’ve even properly started and it also makes you become very tired in a shorter space of time.

Use Proper Technique

Following the correct steps and in the correct way not only makes for easier progress for dancing, but it is always a lot safer. Working on your own technique strengthens your body and allows it to get used to actions in a certain way so that you become less likely to make a mistake and injure yourself. Practice is the key!

Wear Proper Clothing

Avoid constricting shoes and tight clothing as this can lead to cramps and you can overheat very fast too. Wearing items that can fall off your person – such as scarves and loose jewellery – can be harmful not only to yourself but to other dancers!

Eating and Drinking

You always dance best when you have a lot of energy and when you are properly hydrated. Remember to eat and drink something substantial before you dance – though not immediately before you start, because this can lead to cramps!

Overtraining and Pain

Pushing yourself too hard often makes things worse – overtraining makes you more tired and makes you more vulnerable to injuries. Dancing when you already have a painful injury, and ignoring it and pushing through, can make the injury worse, and this makes for a longer recovery time. The best thing is to rest and allow your body to recuperate.

Warming Down

This is just as important as warming up! Once you finish, wind your body down with some light stretching and with less intense pressure and movements so that you can revert back to a much less excited state.

This British duo – Kate and Gin – managed to get to the final of Britain’s Got Talent a couple of years ago. They’ve come with a new genre of dance – canine freestyle…!

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This cockatoo has definitely got rhythm! Some of them have been known to sing along to some songs as well as dance along to them.

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Finally, we have a dog from Chile doing the Merengue, a type of Latin American dance. Very cute stuff indeed!

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Of course it’s true! Dancing is an activity that lets loose a rainbow of benefits for your mentality and your mood. The next time you slip on your dancing shoes, think of all the good that you’re doing for your mind. Here are a couple of motivational pointers to which will encourage you to keep on dancing!

1. Endorphins

When you start moving your body, your brain starts to release endorphins – pleasure chemicals – in response to your body’s heightened motor activity. Ever noticed how sitting still at your desk keeps you feeling restless and bored? Your body craves physical activity and the pleasure associated with it. Dancing is a great way to keep your body and your brain on its toes as you move in time to the music to get these endorphins flowing.

2. Self-Esteem

Dancing helps you feel more self-assured. When you dance, you start to lose all inhibitions and gain self-confidence in your body and its movements. It effectively frees yourself of thinking too much about yourself, you become so involved in the rhythms and the music that you become impervious to self-criticism.

3. Dancing combats depression

It has been proven that many forms of aerobic exercise fight off depression. This applies to dancing too; as your dancing develops over a longer period of time, your body adapts and changes a depressive mentality into a more relaxed and positive one. You know that feel-good feeling after dancing for so long? That feeling is fortified the more you dance.

4. Sensitivity

Dancing can be a gateway into understanding more about how you feel and about who you are. Moving your body around and engaging your mind to steps and music strengthens all your senses – you naturally feel more grounded and acquire a higher sense of both physical and emotional sensitivity which stays with you off of the dance floor.

5. Creativity

Like painting, writing and playing music, dancing is an art – a performing art. It connects us to our capacity to think creatively and our ability to explore self-expression. Moving in time to rhythm and music triggers all kind of inspiration that can apply to other areas of life.