Hi,

I was injured in an accident at work almost 2 years ago. Gaining strength through aqua therapy. Want to dance, dance, dance! I have some limitations. I'm looking for others who dance their way back to health and fitness as well as emotional support..

Best of everything,
Silky

i'm an awkward dancer, but it does burn calories. what type are you into? the tap and jazz classes always had lots of women in them... i did ballet for a semester in school..that makes you strong.....
if you want to find a group, try your local y or community center. the rehab dept. you went to may also be able to refer you....but i think any class that has older students will be good. community college in california is pretty good in this respect.

have fun,
andrea

Hi, Silky. We're almost neighbors. I'm in Philadelphia.

Years ago, when I was thinner, I folk danced about 3 nights per week. It's great exercise.

If you're open to the idea, you don't need a partner. The nice thing about it is that you can do as many dances in a row that you want and then rest if you need to. The people who go are really nice.

Contra dancing is probably the most mild, in that it's just a little more exersion than walking. There used to be a contra dance in Yardley every month and there is one every week in Philly, but I haven't been in years, so I'm not sure. (Contra dance has similar steps as square dancing. It's like couples Irish, Scottish, and English. You have a partner, but instead of dancing in a square, you dance in long lines of couples.) They teach you all the steps before each dance.

There's Israeli dancing in NE Phila on Sundays. On Tuesdays in the first boathouse behind the art museum, there is international folk. There are also dances in Princeton. They teach dances for the first hour, usually.

Check out www.folkdancing.org or The Folk Dance Council of the Delaware Valley for more info.

Thank you for your wonderful responses. I do dance in a pool and in my room which is like a dance studio. I have some limitations resulting from an accident. I also have to do about 30 physical therapy exercises a day. I've chosen some music I love, choreographed jazz movements to the music. I just need some spiritual support from friends like you to share my experiences with. It's so nice to be able to talk about dance with others who share an interest in the benefits of this exercise.

I have almost completed my masters. This is the last semester. Once that is behind me, I will have more time to spend on gaining strength. I taped songs from the radio and dance to that, as well as West Side Story, flamenco, and the Pointer Sisters. I look for new music to dance to regularly.

Silky

Hi Silky,

I hope you have recovered completely since you submitted your message. I was in your shoes too, or rather out of them. I was plagued with Achilles tendinitis for 2 years and since I am addicted to belly dance I not only gained quite a bit of weight I got darn frustrated. For about a year I could barely walk, let alone dance. I can now dance again (am up to about 20 minutes every other day). What a relief! I think folk dance is a blast too (after all, what is belly dance but folk dance in sequins and sparkles?). I am unfortunately sidelined now on many of the folk dances that involve a lot of bouncing and hopping. The Celtic type dances, for example, will probably be off limits for ever. Thank God for those low-impact Middle Easterners and their wonderful dance.