The Agency's Posts

Forbes: Spanx inventor is youngest self-made female billionaire: Spanx inventor Sara Blakely is now a billionaire at 41 years old, making her the youngest woman....
Read More>

Teens not abandoning television for Internet: Fear not television executives: Teenagers are not abandoning the tube for the Internet and....
Read More>

A Stand-Up Joke Is Born: The night after Christmas, the comedian Myq Kaplan did something most people would find....
Read More>

Lindsay Lohan on 'Saturday Night Live': Fans rip hosting job: Looks like the Lindsay Lohan comeback train is stuck at the station, after her roundly panned....
Read More>

'Dr. Seuss' The Lorax:' Five lessons from its box-office success: Even for a season that has seen surprisingly strong box office, "Dr. Seuss' The Lorax&quo
Read More>

'Game Change': Five craziest scenes in HBO Sarah Palin film: Unless you've been holed up in the Alaskan wilderness for the past year, you've heard about &q
Read More>

Jean Dujardin's Villain Auditions: Jean Dujardin's Villain Auditions from Jean Dujardin
Read More>

Friday Fun: Cat Wins Shell Game - watch more funny videos
Read More>

HBO: Michael Mann's War Journalists Documentary: Having taken a deep dive into the world of hardened gamblers for the HBO drama“Luck,”t
Read More>

Movie review: 'Gone': Amanda Seyfried stars in a listless would-be thriller that never generates any suspense or....
Read More>

Oscar's aging audience: Time to shake up the academy?: The 84th Academy Awards really looked their age on Sunday night. The painfully cobwebby....
Read More>

'Artist' win is a tribute to Harvey Weinstein's tenacity, vision: "The Artist"has won the Oscar for best picture and I'm speechless. It's not lack....
Read More>
5 Questions: Choreographer Alice Alyse on dancing for fitness
Posted on: 10/20/12
Share/Save/Bookmark
 

For those of us not blessed with the footwork of Fred Astaire, the notion of taking a dance class might not appeal. But Alice Alyse, a dancer and choreographer who is the artistic director of Joffrey Ballet West and Joffrey Ballet South, says that even the clumsiest among us can benefit from cutting a rug for an hour or so.

In fact, says Alyse, dance comes naturally to everyone, regardless of how pretty we look doing it. Here, she talks about what makes dance a first-rate way to exercise and how to find the right class.

Why is dance a good workout for the nonprofessional?

Dance is really important for the body. Our bodies were meant to move to music; it makes you feel good. If you take a bunch of kids that are in kindergarten, for instance, they want to dance — it's very natural and wonderful that people who don't dance professionally take dance classes.

A huge part of dance is also the stretching part, and to stretch your body and muscles is so important. It promotes not having bad backs or not being tight in certain areas. Dancing is also a good way for people to lose weight, and socially it's a lot more fun.

What type of dance class do you recommend?

There are so many different forms of dance, and everybody is unique in what they're going to like. There's ballroom, and within that there's the waltzes, the salsa. Ballroom can be a great way to lose weight. With ballet, you tone a little bit more, and you tone lots of different muscles, maybe some muscles you've never used before.

Dancers obviously tend to be very thin. Is that the goal of taking a dance class as an amateur, or is it more about just being healthy?

Dancers in general happen to be thin because of all of the exercise they do, although Joffrey Ballet School has always had this feeling of including and celebrating all body types. I think as a whole, in America — with everything that's happening in the modeling industry as well — I'm starting to see a trend of healthier, not necessary thinner. People want to be toned, not rail thin.

How can people taking dance class prevent injuries?

It's very important where you take a class and who is instructing you, because learning technique is crucial to avoid injuries. Your instructors should be able to guide you through the movements in such a way that you don't get injured. So I would suggest researching the instructor's background, where they studied, who they studied from, and what styles and techniques they've learned.

Also, you get injured more easily when you're tired, so it's very important to keep your energy up and to sleep well, toeat healthy and to drink a lot of fluids. You also lose a lot ofvitamins when you're running around and working out a lot, so it's important to take supplements and to get lots of sunlight to replenish your vitamin D.

You obviously do a lot of dancing. What other exercise do you do to supplement your workout?

If I'm not dancing, I prefer to do Pilates. Pilates is not aerobic, but it is more refined; there's not a lot of movement, but it's more slow and steady. Pilates is a really good alternative to dance because it lengthens the muscles, and it's very feminine and more ballet-based. I either work with a partner or on the Reformer.

When I can, I also like to go into the gym and do some cardio on the treadmill.

 
COMMENTS
Be the first to post a comment!


Post A Comment:




  • It's 2020! Start booking roles in commercials, fashion, films, theater and more with The Agency Online!

  • NEW WORKSHOP with Barbara Barna & Sean De Simone!

    Hi Everyone and Happy Summer! Sean at Sean De Simone casting and Barbara Barna are teaming up for a super informative and fun Hosting for Home Shopping workshop. A great opportunity for established or experienced TV Hosts and Experts interested in learning how to get noticed and how to get in....
  • MASTERCLASS W. Robin Carus & David John Madore

    A Special Offer for the Agency Community, from one of our favorite NYC Casting Directors! EMAIL FacetheMusicWithUs@gmail.com Or Eventbrite To Sign Up! Class Size is Limited.
  • Don't Fall Into The Comparison Trap

    Hi Everyone! As the second installment in an ongoing series of features by the Agency's amazing community, here's some sage advice from our own Regina Rockensies; a humble (& awesome)veteran we've had the pleasure of working with for a long time. Have an excellent week! : ) - The Agency....
  • One Model's Agreement

    Hi Everyone! As the first piece in an ongoing series of original articles by the Agency community, here's a short reflection on some of the values of professional acting & modeling that we can all keep in mind for our next casting. Good luck on your castings &shoots this week! : ) -....




 
home       castings&news       privacy policy       terms and conditions      contact us      browser tips
Official PayPal Seal