No generalisation here, but come on, even you’d got to admit that going to the gym every day can get a bit boring. Especially if you’re working, hitting the gym after 10 straight hours in the office can seem like a punishment.
If you just nodded in agreement, we’ve got an exciting alternative for you. Sure there’s Zumba and Pilates and all those other forms of exercise but how about classical dance? We know it doesn’t sound like a workout, but if you look at its benefits, it qualifies as one.
Gone are the days when classical dancing was something your family forced on you as a kid. Today, more and more people are turning to it even as adults, to learn a new skill and tune up parts of the body most modern routines wouldn’t touch. According to Aditi Yadav, a Kathak exponent and teacher, “Classical dance is much more than a weight loss exercise. Not only does it help one relieve stress but it also gives their body balance, strength, and flexibility. Sure, it may not be the quickest way to fitness but its effects will stay for a lifetime”. How do these dance forms help us? Let’s take a look.
Bharatnatyam
With its graceful and rigorous dance moves, Bharatnatyam has a plethora of mental and physical benefits. Its basic stance, araimandi (a squatting position in which one’s knees are turned sideways), keeps the torso steady and helps to master body control. It is said the art form is highly beneficial for our eyes, as the dancer actively uses them in his or her performance, constantly exercising them. Apart from all this, the various hand gestures and body postures actually help in rejuvenating and strengthening weak parts of the dancer’s body.
Kathak
Considering our current lifestyle – we’re all pretty much couch potatoes – Kathak is a demanding dance that can really help us get rid of those extra kilos and stay fit. All the Kathakars (or Kathak dancers) have to practice and perform wearing heavy ankle bells, which makes for a weight-bearing exercise. Plus, the art is all about story-telling through dance, so the dancer is expected to have proper coordination between his body parts and expressions, so they do justice to the narrative.
Odissi
If you ask Jhelum Paranjape, an Odissi exponent and teacher, the art form is more than just your feet dancing – it requires your entire body to be in sync. Talking about its benefits, she said: “The postures that the artists make during this dance performance helps tone muscles, improves blood circulation, and increases flexibility”. Apart from this, the dance form also emphasises on facial expressions, which double up as facial exercises.
