The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Dancing for joy
danceSing, a unique fitness group, aims to promote mental and physical health in people young and old. Caroline Lindsay finds out more
There’s good reason why dancing (and singing) make you feel better, as a unique fitness group reveals.
If you’re looking for something to keep you fit, active and happy look no further than danceSing. The fitness group was founded by former Scottish ballet dancer Natalie Garry (top, far right), and combines dancing, singing, Pilates and stretching.
The idea came to her after she attended a local choir where she realised just how much good it was doing everyone involved.
“I wondered what would happen if I added a physical element to the singing experience,” she says.
“I then spent the rest of the class thinking about how I could really make a positive difference in improving people’s health by fusing together a natural synergy of singing and dancing... and danceSing was born,” Natalie explains.
“I hope the classes make a difference to people’s lives by making them stronger and fitter, both physically and mentally.
“danceSing is intergenerational and sometimes we have three generations from the same family coming along,” she says.
With more than a million chronically lonely people in the UK, and bearing in mind Age UK’s “No one should have no one” campaign, danceSing is also playing its part in tackling loneliness and isolation.
More than 80% of participants have noticed a greater feeling of wellbeing since joining the group, which has bases in Kinross and Bridge of Allan and will soon be arriving in Fife and Tayside.
“We call it the danceSing family,” says Natalie.
“We have people coming along who have lost their partner, or have nobody, and they say it’s been a life saver, giving them support and a sense of purpose.”
When members aren’t attending the classes they’re performing at charity fundraising events.
Recently more than 60 members and
30 youth members sang their hearts out with a 40-piece symphony orchestra at the Alhambra Theatre in Dunfermline, raising more than £1,300 of vital funds for Maggie’s Cancer Centres.
danceSing went on to raise an additional £350 when they performed under the Kelpies in Falkirk, bottom right, at the summer solstice.
One woman who has benefited from the classes is Jen Horton, who lives in Braco.
“I’ve been going to the Dunblane class since it began more than three years ago,” says Jen, 60.
“I love singing and I needed to do exercise, so that’s why I joined up.
“It feels so good to push myself and there are no boundaries.
“You don’t have to be a talented singer or dancer and everyone can go at their own pace,” she says.
“I’m left handed so I’m always going the wrong way, which makes the others laugh,” she adds.
“The Kelpies event was wonderfully atmospheric but the night at the Alhambra was the highlight of my life.
“I just couldn’t believe I was up on the stage singing all those great songs to an audience that was jumping.
“We have a great social life, too. We always go for a coffee after the class and we have a social secretary who organises bits and pieces. Come and try it.”
We have people coming along who say it’s been a life saver, giving them support and a sense of purpose
Nobody needs to be told a little dancing is good for the soul – but did you know there’s actually science to back it up? In recent years, several studies have found that getting footloose can help boost your mood, soothe away stress, and help tackle mental health issues. Take the Norwegian University of Science and Technology for instance. Researchers from the centre analysed 50,000 people and found that those who regularly dance, or take part in other creative pursuits like painting or playing a musical instrument, were less likely to be depressed than those who didn’t.
The health benefits of group dance are something I’m exploring as I visit the Riverdance summer school in Dublin, where hopefuls from places as far flung as Mexico, Russia and Abu Dhabi are learning the lightning-quick routines from the current cast.
Watching the Irish dancers side-by-side in a perfect line, their feet battering the floor in unison, their legs thrown high – it’s easy to see the appeal of joining a troupe.
Dancing together is invigorating, and the energy and passion emanating from them is as infectious as it is unstoppable.
With determination and intensity etched on their faces, these
young dancers are living out a shared dream – to become stars of Riverdance, 25 years after it became a phenomenon.
But blistered feet aside, I’m finding that learning to dance along with the Riverdance cast has its physical benefits too.
All that aerobic training helps to shed weight, increase flexibility and ward off cardiovascular disease – by the end of the workout, I’m covered in sweat but feel invigorated.
I was a Riverdance child, copying the moves with my hand on my hip, rummaging in the wardrobe for makeshift costumes and with hopes of one day being in the show.
That ambition has yet to be realised and, at the grand age of 31, I suspect it shall remain that way but dancing along with the cast reminds me of the great pleasure dance brought me.
Since 2015, hopefuls have joined the summer school and on my visit I was transported back in time as I skipped through a few steps and observed the stars of the future.
Principal dancer Chloey Turner, 32, from Wellingborough, Northamptonshire, is an instructor at the summer school and also a fitness trainer.
For her, making friends and being part of one big family is one of the reasons she believes group dance is so important.
She said: “The social aspect of it, you’re having fun while you’re doing it.
“I think with anything in life, if you’re not having fun when you’re doing it, it’s unlikely you’re going to show up to keep doing it.”
If you’re struggling to find a specific exercise you actually enjoy, she is all for finding a local dance group – it could be the answer you’ve been looking for.
“If you find a group class where everyone’s enthusiastic and you can have a bit of craic while you’re doing it, it will keep you more consistent and disciplined,” she says.
“I don’t think a lot of people like training on their own. Just book a class, find something that you like.
“Plus it doesn’t even have to be (in a) gym. Get outside. I like to do a lot of my training outside. Being out in nature, for me, helps.”
A few hours later, I sit back and watch the professionals perform as they prepare for a 25th anniversary UK tour next year.
It is clear to see the joy the dancers feel when they are doing what they love.
So, while my Riverdance dreams may be out of reach, it doesn’t mean I can’t still experience that rush of adrenaline that comes with doing what I love – with people who feel the same way – even if that’s just breaking into a jig or a reel at home.
The Riverdance 25th anniversary UK tour begins on March 10 2020. Visit riverdance.com