Lively Women

Pirouette Your Way to Better Health

by Kristen King on March 23rd, 2007

That’s what hundreds of New Yorkers are doing in amateur ballet (and jazz, and modern dance, and tap, and…) classes across the city, and one New York Times reporter decided to give it a whirl (no pun intended) to see what all the fuss was about. 

An amateur ballerina myself (and I use the term “ballerina loosely”), I knew exactly what Daniel J. Walkin was talking about when he said, “I was to learn all about muscles I never knew I had.”

Whether you live in NYC or somewhere a little less dance-y, there are scads of options for adults who want to try their hand (feet?) at structured movement.  I found no fewer than four adult ballet classes in my little hamlet of Fredericksburg about two years ago, and I know there are more since then.  I also found jazz, hip-hop, tap, and belly dancing, all of which intimidated me out of trying, but hey, maybe another time.

And if you’re not ready to strut your stuff in front of 10 other people and a wall of floor-to-ceiling mirrors, you can always check out the Joffrey Ballet workout book and or the New York City Ballet workout book or DVD.  I thoroughly enjoyed both of these, and not just because the men are insanely gorgeous, which, for the record, they are.  It’s a go-at-your-own pace kind of workout, and it’s a blast.

(After-the-fact-confession: I think I blocked it out that I actually did try the hip-hop class for a few weeks.  Here’s what it was like: Imagine your grandma trying to breakdance.  You know, Grandma with the walker.  She is better than I was.)

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