HAPPY FEET
a child I was shy, but
when I danced, a
confidence came out which I
couldn’t explain,” she says.
“As a teenager, dance made
me forget my worries. A week
after I lost my mother four
years ago, I went to my usual
tap class. I felt guilty, but as I
got into it, it lifted a lot of my
grief. Dance gives me a
feeling like nothing else.”
It takes two…
The connection between
dancing and sex will come as
no surprise to most, with men’s dancing
skills often linked to their performance
in bed. But how much can you glean
about someone’s sexual technique
from their dance moves? Quite a lot,
according to a recent survey.
Lovatt found that the male dancers
women consistently rated highest also
had the highest levels of testosterone.
It works to women’s evolutionary
advantage to choose men with
higher levels of testosterone.
Extensive research suggests that high
testosterone traits, like good decision-
making skills, strong evaluation
of risk and reward situations and high
confidence levels, suggest good genes
and healthy development. Sexual
partners of men with higher
testosterone are also likely to
have more orgasms.
And if you’ve ever wondered why
upwards of 40 men begin dancing like
your dad there’s actually a science to
it. As women can accurately gauge the
testosterone levels of their partners
CHOREIA
8 TH CENTURY BC
In one of the earliest
records of dancing, Homer
wrote about the Greek
dance Choreia in his epic
poem Illiad. A circle dance,
Choreia was performed in
the plays of ancient Athens.
����WWW�STYLIST�CO�UK
by the style and energy of their dance
moves, Lovatt says that the move to
‘dad dancing’ signifies to younger
women to “stay away, I’m not fertile.”
And if we’re not doing it we’re just
as happy watching it. Which is why
around one million of us voted for
dance troop Diversity to win Britain’s
Got Talent and why the third mostwatched
YouTube clip of 2009 was the
wedding video of Kevin Heinz and Jill
Peterson. In the five-minute clip the
entire wedding party danced down the
aisle to Chris Brown’s Forever.
Is it just the hope that someone
might fall flat that makes watching so
hit mainstream society until
the 18th century when upper
class ladies would impress
their suitors with their
elegance and grace.
BALLET
SWING
1920S
After World War
One, a new generation
of flappers and nd
1400S – TODAY
rebels spent
Originating as a form of their evenings gs
entertainment at aristocratic swing
weddings, there were no dancing
tutus and women weren’t to jazz.
allowed to dance, so men Although
wore tights. The first ballet there are
drama was shown in 1581. many
forms of
THE WALTZ
swing, the
1780S
lindy hop,
The waltz was created by originating in
peasants in Bavaria.
Harlem, was the
However, the dance didn’t most popular. r.
“If someone’s dancing
in a happy way,
we recognise it and
feel happy too”
ROCK ’N’ ROLL
1950S
The acrobatic moves you
see in Grease evolved from
the lindy hop and became
more energetic to go with
the ‘boogie woogie’ music
popular at the tim time.
THE TWIST TWIS
1960S
A huge craz craze in
the summe summer of 1960,
the twist caused ca
controvers controversy for
being too
provocative.
provo
Spa Spawning
oother
moves
such as
the th mashed
potato an and the
funky chic chicken,
inspiration came
enthralling? Lovatt says not.
“We’ve evolved to recognise
emotions from movement.
Brain cells, called mirror
neurons, become active
when we watch someone.
They give the viewer the
same feelings that are being
expressed. So if someone’s
dancing in a happy way, we
‘recognise’ the happiness
and we ‘feel’ happy.”
Dancing isn’t just helpful at
helping us spotting a winning
partner, it can also help
troubled couples reignite
a failing spark. A study done at
Frankfurt University measured levels
of the stress hormone cortisol and the
sex hormone testosterone in the saliva
of 22 couples, both before and after
doing the tango. The study found that
tango dancing lowered levels of
cortisol and raised those of
testosterone, thus aiding relationships.
Mo Kurimbokus, a marriage
counsellor with Relate, agrees dancing
is a useful tool to help bring together
warring couples. Not least by uniting
them physically. He says, “Couples in
long-term relationships forget they
once enjoyed physical, not necessarily
sexual, closeness. Dancing is a
non-competitive and non-verbal
communication, providing some respite
from fraught conversations.”
Dancing is good for your love
life, trims your thighs and, best of
all, provides plenty of amusement
when captured on camera on
a raucous night out. So as Lady
Gaga says, “Just dance”.
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ROCK ’N’ ROLL:
HELPING EVEN
ROB BRYDON TO PULL
KATE HUDSON EARNS
HER SALARY IN NINE BY
DANCING IN THOSE HEELS
from the plantation dance
wringin’ and twistin’.
DISCO DANCING
1970S
Taking its lead from the gay
scene, the first disco club,
The Loft, opened in 1970,
where New York’s finest
would dance to disco royalty
Donna Summer and The Bee
Gees. By the time Saturday
Night Fever hit our screens
in 1977 everyone wanted
Travolta’s moves.
KRUMPING
1990S-00S
Devised as a way for gang
members to release their
anger in a more positive way,
krumping has been featured
in videos such as Madonna’s
Hung Up and Christina
Aguilera’s Dirrty.
JOIN A DANCE
SCHOOL
Inspired? Pop along to one of our
cherry-picked dance classes
London Salsa: The world-
renowned Pineapple dance
studio attracts professionals
and amateurs alike for its varied
range of classes. But its most
popular class is salsa, so start
blackmailing your partner now
(pineapple.uk.com).
London Wedding dancing:
Strictly Come Dancing star
Karen Hardy’s studio offers a
luxury dance experience with
Swarovski wallpaper and a
champagne bar. For couples
about to get married this is the
best way to master
those tricky steps
(karenhardy.com).
Manchester
Vogueing/whacking:
Made popular by
Madonna, this ‘right
now’ dance style
incorporates a mix
of model-like poses
and integrates these
with angular, linear
and rigid arm, leg,
and body movements
(sunshine-studios.
co.uk).
MADONNA:
THIGHS THAT
COULD KILL
Leeds Tango: Want to up the
heat in your relationship? Take
a tango class at Yorkshire Dance.
The dance, which originated in
Buenos Aires is very passionate
(yorkshiredance.com).
Manchester Capoiera:
The hottest dance style around,
Capoiera fuses martial arts
with a mix of African and
Latin American influences
(manchesterdancecentre.co.uk).
Manchester Hip-hop classes:
At Sunshine Studios range from
beginners level to intermediate
(sunshine-studios.co.uk).
Edinburgh Aerial dance:
More of an acrobatic dance
style, this is gaining popularity.
Dance Base in Edinburgh runs
a 12-week course using aerial
equipment including a trapeze
and fabrics (dancebase.co.uk).
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