MANDALA

 PHYSICAL BENEFITS OF DANCE(BHARATHANATYAM):

• Bharatanatyam –‘Most celebrated art form in the southern Indian state of Tamil Nadu’ . There is a mythical background often associated with Bharatanatyam that claims that Lord Brahma ‘bestowed this esteemed dance on Bharatha Munivar’  who then taught it to Lord Shiva, who then passed on the knowledge to his wife, Parvathi, where she taught the art form to other women and ‘in this manner, this art was traditionally handed down’ .

In many ways Bharatanatyam can be considered an ‘artistic yoga’ as some of its movements are very similar to yogic poses and therefore the dancer in turn achieves the same benefits as yoga accomplishes. A Bharatanatyam dance teacher, also comments that ‘dance is dynamic yoga’ and that essentially Bharatanatyam is yoga with added ‘movement’. It is also a strenuous dance form, which unsurprisingly brings physical advantages to a dancer. Bharatanatyam can improve a dancer’s balancing ability, as it contains many poses that require the dancer to maintain balance.

Dancing in general improves flexibility, due to the various steps and positions which stretch and loosens the muscles within a performer’s body. This results in less risk of injury and increases a dancer’s range of motion.

Dance improves stamina and endurance due to the long hours of practice, this is important for dance as it is a strenuous activity and increased stamina extends the dancer’s capability to perform. Endurance also helps to increase the supply of oxygen in the body, therefore strengthening the dancer’s body.

Furthermore, dancing helps control weight, which is important for the overall health of a dancer and can help prevent contraction of many diseases and conditions. If you are overweight or obese, there is an increased likelihood of you developing serious health problems, including heart disease, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and certain types of cancers.

Dance involves all parts of the body, including the brain, this therefore boosts blood circulation, which leads to a healthy heart. Dancing causes blood vessels to dilate, causing an increase in blood flow. Blood circulation is one of the most important bodily functions as it is responsible for suppling oxygen to the brain and other organs.

Learning dance steps can be demanding, both physically and mentally so perfecting dance routines can place a strain on a dancer’s body and mind. New research suggests that dance marking, ‘loosely practicing a routine by going through the motions’ can actually improve the quality of a dance performance as it ‘reduces the mental strain needed to perfect the movements’ . This is due to the fact that the brain has adapted and knows not to exert itself when the dancer is performing. This eventually leads to a dancer being able to perform without consciously thinking about the steps.

                                                 KEEP DANCING