Dance Your Way To Better Fitness - Insight from a reader

I received the following note from Andrea as a follow up to the recent post about the Bollywood fitness dance class craze.  She is a dance instructor in Germany and she brings up some great points, so I thought you may be interested in reading the full text (with her permission).

I've not yet read the full article on Spiraldynamik, but I've printed it out and will be taking it with me.  I'm out the door shortly for a week of family vacation, and it will make for some good reading on one of the several planes I'll be on today (we booked using points!).  I've decided to go "unplugged" for the week, but I do hope you'll post your reflections to the comments section here.  I look forward to reading them when I get back.

Andrea, if I ever make it to Germany, we can trade Salsa lessons for FlowFit® training!

Hi Adam,

great post! I wanted to comment it directly but the system didn't accept my post.  Maybe it didn't like it or it is too long. 

I always enjoy reading your blogs, newsletter and whatever material you offer in the world wide web.
You were a Swing Dance teacher? I am impressed. I would take some lessons in Flow Fit and Swing from you but Berlin is too far away from Quebec. :-)

I work as a dance instructor. Swing is my favourite dance and I do Salsa, Tango, Ballroom Dancing. I want to learn Hip Hop, Ballroom gets boring.  

I would like  to share some thoutghts about the topic with you.  You are right - dance is great for coordination, timing, body awareness etc  - in one word: Flow quality. You can be a "successful" martial artist, weightlifter or football player without much flow, at least for a short time.
Not many athletes know the importance of flow quality. "Hey - I can do 50 kipping pull -ups. I have back pain but who cares? I am a strong guy!" Somebody should tell him that his midline stabilization sucks........ :-(

Dance is all about Flow quality.  That's why every athlete should take some dance classes.  You have to adress your issues with coordination deficits, bad alignment, SMA, residual tension, fear reactivity whether you like it or not. Bruce Lee was a good dancer. Gene Kelly was a good athlete (Ice hockey).
I actually do my Intu Flow with music sometimes and add some  variations so it looks like modern dance - but Intu Flow and  dance improvisation are the same  - in the underlying principles.
 
Fat loss? Well....uhm....I respectfully disagree.  For fat loss I'd prefer Tabata Squats,  sprint interval training or wrestling. RMax tacfit, weightlifting, crossfit WOD,  Alwyn Cosgroves programs  or Mike Mahler's Fat Loss- Kettlebell-program seems to me more effective than tango or swing.  Dance is more like moderate or low intensity , not high intensity.  There may be exceptions: breakdance or swing on a very high acrobatic level. I have never tried this so I can't tell from experience.
 
Quote:
"Flow, which in essence is the ability to get out of your own way and let your movement express itself freely."

Well said Adam. I agree. But unfortunately you can't express yourself freely if your coordination sucks or you suffer from SMA. Fred Astaire is great, Gene Kelly too, but watch the regular Joes in the world of social dancing. Bad alignment all over the place,  lordisis, kyphosis, no core stability, SMA , residual tension, tight shoulder girdle, tight hips etc etc.

Much worse than that: a lot of dance teachers don't adress this issues.  Probably  economic interests are stronger than ethics as a trainer. They don't want to lose their clients and they don't care whether their students improve or not as long as they pay for the classes.  Some dance students should hire a good physiotherapist, a mind-body therapist (in some cases a psychoanalyst....) and maybe a CST Coach first before   before wasting money on a dance teacher.    

I'm talking about motor ontogenesis. Some kids develop good coordination, some bad - depends on the conditions (parents, teachers, social restrictions).  And later in life more stress and trauma on the body  accumulates and even if you feel free when dancing and you have fun: bound flow in your body will imprison you.

CST is great for intelligent training.  As soon as my fitness level will allow it, I will attend Coach Sonnon's workshops in Germany.
My search for help in Germany led me to another system of "intelligent movement" to improve my flow and rehab my injuries. The name is "Spiraldynamik" . Swiss MD and Aikido Master  Dr. Christian Larsen, founded a resaearch group about 20 years ago. I'd recommend Larsen's Spiraldynamik-Clinic in Zurich for any injured athlete living in the area.

If you are interested, you can find a short article about Spiraldynamik (the only one in English).


Spiraldynamik Trainer already started to work in public schools in Switzerland  because the earlier in life you start correction the better the results.

So far my thougths about  flow and dance
Best regards
Andrea

Comments

[John Sifferman - Real World Strength Training]

Excellent points, Andrea.

"But unfortunately you can't express yourself freely if your coordination sucks or you suffer from SMA"

This is so true from a fitness standpoint, and I see a confusion here among many new training clients. So many people want to dive head-first into a new training program or activity, and get very excited about any "advanced techniques" they might discover once they have hired a professional. Yet, these techniques are often untouchable until one has mastered the basics of human movement.

If a trainee has...

"Bad alignment all over the place, lordosis, kyphosis, no core stability, SMA, residual tension, tight shoulder girdle, tight hips etc etc."

then advanced techniques are not only impractical, they are unhealthy and borderline dangerous.

People often ask me how to get into GREAT shape, and I always tell them to master the basics of human movement. This can mean many things depending on your individual pursuit in fitness, such as: joint mobility, biomechanical exercises, bodyweight exercises, being able to run with proper gait and carriage, and basic weightlifting movements (no feats of strength or inefficient exercise selections).

I have found in my own personal practice, that Flow will not happen if you pursue it directly - it comes when you are not thinking about it at all. It comes once you have mastered the basics.

Cheers,

John Sifferman
Fitness Professional

[Andrea]

Thanks for your kind feedback Adam. Quebec is francophone, so I will adapt: Bonnes vacances! Staying unpluggeds during your vacation is a wise decision - recovery time. Trading Flow Fit for Salsa is an excellent idea! :-)

[Andrea]

Thanks for your thougths John. I know exactly what you are talking about. Beginners in sports or dance tend to underestimate the amount of diligent practice required to reach a pretty high level. But I made the experience that mental limitations are much more an obstacle than physical issues. If they don't get great results after 10 lessons or so they often think: "I have no talent for that.” That's hogwash! You will never know if you are able to accomplish a goal if you don't do the work . So the most important flow takes place in your mental attitude. Be patient, playful, take all the mistakes and frustrations for what they are: part of the learning process. If you can't relax your mind, there is no chance for giving up your old survival motor patterns (fear- , anger-, shame- reactivity, streß reflexes etc). I remember your first steps in Joint Mobility training John. Although you felt terrible stiff you didn’t give up. You didn’t make excuses like “I have no mobility talent. I am a strength athlethe.”

“I have found in my own personal practice, that Flow will not happen if you pursue it directly - it comes when you are not thinking about it at all. It comes once you have mastered the basics.”

Exactly. And if you’ve mastered your ego. For some people it’s easier to stop learning a skill than to experience the "embarrasing" clumsiness of a beginner. Coach Sonnon called it “frozen movements”

[andreas]

Andrea,

you should have been at Scott's seminar in Haltern last year. Scott said he observed different problems people from different cultural backgrounds have with different areas of joint mobility and he reffered to the different dance cultures, like "... you know unlike us northwesterns the people in sout america tend to do not have any problems with the most complex hip movements but they have really tight shoulders because they used to like this..."

If I remember right Adam mentioned something like that in one of his Youtube vids too.

[Andrea]

Good point Andreas!

It is well known in body sociology, gender studies, cultural science, dance science and body therapies that the state of your body is constituted

1)by your individual biography (physical and emotional restrictions and traumata)
Think of Wilhelm Reichs work about “Body Armour”.
2)by social discourses (ideologies and rules how you have to move and behave as a "normal" individual in a specific society.. Think of Paula-Irene Villa’s book “Sexy Bodies”.

Hip mobility -although important for your spine health and athletic performance - is seen as "female" or "homosexual" in modern western societies and therefore most men are quite stiff in their hips. That's also the reason why most woman avoid serious strength training because of (irrational) fear of "bulking up".

Moshe Feldenkrais said that people imitate role models in their movements instead of moving well coordinated and efficient according to their individual body.
I remeber an essay in a dance research book written by a woman from India . She was trained in traditional Indian Dance and had a hard time to learn modern western dance and contact improvisation because of internalized rules and tabus abouthow a woman should behave and move.

A wonderful example for Body Flow and creative mix of eastern and western dance styles is the Dance Company "Cloud Gate Dance Theatre" from Taiwan.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1z9jWflvmvA&feature=related

Bottom line: social ideologies are as dangerous for health and free movement as sedentary lifestyle or stupid training protocols. To decrease health problems and increase quality of live it is necessary to not only change nutrition and training protocols but also stupid social discourses. Therefore famous French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu said: “Sociology is a martial art” He’s right – that’s why I have done both some time in my life: social sciences and the "physical" Martial Arts. :-)

[John Sifferman - Real World Strength Training]

I think I can see a predominant theme in this community of purposeful and mindful exercise, which is a rarity in cultures that thrive on convenience and short-cuts.

The truth is that there aren't any shortcuts for optimal health and performance. There aren't any special techniques, supplements, or diets that will supercharge your results. Half of the work is just showing up, the other half is DOING the good work and actively seeking out excellence in every moment and every decision.

This usually means going against convention and often getting some surprised or confused looks from passers by.

I remember Coach Sonnon recommending that everyone should try one awkward movement everyday, essentially trying something that turns you into a "motor moron." I think this is a very wise recommendation, and I have used my BodyFlow practice as a means of doing this - both in trying to learn the basic exercises and then trying to chain them together.

Best regards,

John Sifferman
Fitness Professional

[Andrea]

" there aren't any shortcuts for optimal health and performance. There aren't any special techniques, supplements, or diets that will supercharge your results. Half of the work is just showing up, the other half is DOING the good work."

Excellent, John.
Maybe that's the most important point. But who is honest about this?
Why are so many, many fitness and training websites, the high quality stuff and the low quality stuff alike, like TV commercials speaking in superlatives and making big promises? Maybe they believe it has to be this way in internet marketing.

Best regards

Andrea

[John Sifferman - Real World Strength Training]

I think there is a distinction between marketing that makes a big deal out of realistic promises, and those that always make big promises that are unwarranted or not based on scientific evidence. Example...

a) one salesman offers 20 lbs of weight loss in 2 weeks for a $50 diet pill

b) the other salesman offers 20 lbs of FAT loss in 10 weeks with a $50 ebook that will teach RESPONSIBILITY and HARD WORK.

Both situations promise phenomenal results, but one requires work. They may both work, but the first will not work long-term - and chances are that all of the weight will be regained with interest.

To the uneducated public, the first sounds like a much better offer in terms of faster results and probably less money long term. And that's the problem, a lack of knowledge - it's the problem that is causing such decay in our health worldwide.

I think this is one of the reasons that I'm drawn to the RMAX community, there is transparency. They do promise results, AND they tell you that it's not going to be easy to get them, it takes work. The RMAX tribe is all about educating each other, learning together. That kind of sincerity is uncommon in the internet fitness realm, and it stands out like a treasure chest.

If you have something that is truly of value to other people, I say shout it from the rooftops, and tell them the truth at the same time.

Best regards,

John Sifferman

[Adam]

Hi Everyone!

I'm back from the beach. We had a great week and I've got a few posts that are itching to get out...

This is an awesome conversation.

One reflection I had while reading through this is that we shouldn't confuse Flow with complexity. We can achieve flow with the simplest of movements. In essence, Flow is the ability to get out of your own way. You guys hit the nail on the head when you talked about inhibitions getting in the way of health, fitness and natural movement. Taking those away takes a long way towards our Flow.

Flow can be had in something as simple as a push-up. By stripping away the elements that are hindering performance-anything from tightness to fear to technique-and building strength and motor patterns necessary for the job, we can get someone feeling the Flow even in this simple movement. For me, getting someone to "lose themselves in the movement" is akin to touching their Flow. And that is what I aim for. Then we can gradually sophisticate the movements as they are ready.

And you guys hit another crucial point. Flow is in the basics. Complex movements are nothing but a new synthesis of the basics. You can never achieve Flow if you skip steps. It's like building a house on sand.

Again, great comments!

Cheers,
Adam