Ballroom and Latin dancing has become popular again thanks to shows such as Dancing With the Stars. Alongside this surge for dancing is the popularity of core training as an important form of exercise, weight management and overall health in today's society. What people don't always realize is that they can train in ballroom dancing – even on the basic social level – enjoy their newest hobby and strengthen their core all at the same time!
Find Your Center
Try this exercise with a partner. Stand up straight with your feet together and your arms out at shoulder height. Have your partner stand behind you with his hand pressed firmly into your lower spine. Wiggle one finger on one hand without moving the wrist or arm. Your partner will feel muscles move along your spine in one spot. This "center" varies, so your partner may have to slide his hand up or down but he will find it. Mark the corresponding point on your abdomen. The slightest movement anywhere in your body ties directly to this point. Repeat with your partner to find his center.
Connect the Dots
Imagine a dot on your abdomen at the center you just discovered and another one on your spine between your shoulder blades. Pull in and up with your abdomen and down with your shoulders/upper back to "connect" the dots. If you're standing, flex your knees slightly and tuck your hips "up and under" to do this properly. Notice how this straightens your spine and shrinks your waistline. This connection works your core and creates the base for the framework necessary to lead and/or follow in every Ballroom and Latin dance. Maintaining it also helps to reduce the risk of injury on and off the dance floor.
Connect the Frame
Using this base core connection helps create the "frame," or the dance posture that allows men to properly lead and women to follow. The "top line" of this frame involves the extended arms resting on this base core connection. To find this resting point, connect the dots to create the base and raise your arms to shoulder height with your elbows slightly in front of you. Slowly lower your elbows until you feel the weight of your arms transfer from the muscles in your shoulders to the ones in your abdomen. This creates your natural frame. Whenever you feel the weight of your arms transfer back to your shoulders, you will know that you need to reestablish the base. Simply reconnect the dots and reset your frame. Once this becomes natural, you will be able to maintain the proper form effortlessly throughout every dance while strengthening your core with every step.
It takes time and consistency to build this core connection to the point it becomes natural. Setting up daily checkpoints as reminders to "connect" (ex. every time you stop at a stoplight, every time you sit down at your desk, etc.) will help speed up this process. The payoff is certainly worth the effort you put into this because you will be able to gracefully glide across the floor all night long and not once think that you're actually getting a great workout.
