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You are here: Home / Archives for dancing

dancing

Sound Check

May 1, 2021 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Live entertainment venues test demand; some concerts have limited capacity.

Music and dancing has returned to the Quad Cities area and is starting to return to the Flagstaff area, with a lot more planned for May. The scheduling of more live music gives musicians, venue owners and customers hope for the future.

Prescott area venues never totally shut down the music during the pandemic, but solos or duos were playing instead of bands, and there was no dancing on the dance floor, per the safety protocols in place.

Sidekicks Lounge in Prescott Valley and Jersey Lilly on the square in Prescott are just two places where the owners are thrilled to be in the process of bringing music back to normal levels. Other entertainment venues, like the Highlands Center for Natural History, are also bringing back music.

The Northern Arizona Blues Alliance will host the first annual Greater Prescott Valley Blues Festival in the Prescott Valley Amphitheater from 1-9 p.m., Saturday, May 22. The lineup includes national acts such as Kat Riggs and Jimmy Carpenter, as well as local performers Ray DeSylvester, Leon J, Dr. Bob Sellani, Christian Berry, Paul Epoch, Tommy Dukes, Darryl Poras and Sir Harrison.

Mortimer Farms in Dewey has scheduled its Friday Night Barn Dance and dinner from May 7 to Oct. 30.

The Highlands Center for Natural History has scheduled its monthly concert series starting May 28, starting with Art Podell, one of the original musicians with the New Christie Minstrels. The Acoustic Eidolon duo will perform July 2. Prescott folk band Ponderosa Grove will perform July 24. Shakespeare in the Pines is scheduled during the middle two weeks in August and Acoustic Blues is on the calendar for Sept. 24.

Folk Sessions at the Highlands Center for Natural History has its ninth annual Americana Music Fest set for July 22, featuring “Southwestern Americana,” tales of Nancy Elliot, the Robby Robertson Trio and the Valley’s Hambone. Concert host Highlands Center Marketing and Communications Coordinator Tom Agostino said the pandemic impacted the center quite a bit. “We had to cancel our summer series last year,” he said.

This season, they will sell 70 tickets for each show, as compared to 120 for each show before the pandemic.

Laura Lee Morgan, who, with her husband, John, owns Sidekicks Saloon in Prescott Valley, said the community needs live music because people thrive on interaction. “It was depressing not having it,” she said. “It’s great having it back. That’s why we’re in the business.”

Jersey Lilly Saloon owner Josh Makrauer says that although the past year has been difficult, as the venue lost about 50% of its business, he is excited to be able to provide some fun music for the patrons.

Sidekicks has live bands every Saturday and karaoke on Friday and Sunday nights. The schedule for Saturdays in May has Parker Jenkins on May 8, Shake of Yesterday on May 15, Hit Squad on May 22 and Honey Girl on May 29.

Jersey Lilly has music almost every night. Sky performs every Tuesday, Little Larry every Thursday and there are jam sessions every Wednesday. Bands perform every weekend, with Hit Squad the first weekend in May, Combo Deluxe the second weekend in May, Little Larry and the Drive the third weekend in May, the Tone Kings the fourth weekend in May and Well Dressed Wolves the last weekend in May. Weekend shows are from 7-10 p.m.; weekday shows 8-10 p.m., and Sunday solos perform from 4-7 p.m. QCBN

By Stan Bindell, QCBN

Filed Under: Local News Tagged With: Christian Berry, customers, dancing, Darryl Poras, Dr. Bob Sellani, Flagstaff, Future, Greater Prescott Valley Blues Festival, hope, Jersey Lilly, Jimmy Carpenter, Kat Riggs, Leon J, live music, Music, musicians, Paul Epoch, Prescott Valley, Quad Cities, Ray DeSylvester, Sidekicks Lounge, Sir Harrison., Tommy Dukes, venues

Dancing off the Fog

December 8, 2016 By quadcities Leave a Comment

Turns out the Macarena and Cupid Shuffle may be good for our health. Research is showing that dance may possess the anti-dementia superpower of improving memory while toning muscles.

Of 11 different types of physical activity evaluated by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine and published in the New England Journal of Medicine in 2003, only dance lowered participants’ risk of dementia. The study, conducted for more than 21 years among senior men and women, concluded that the mental effort and social interaction required by dancing surpasses many other physically and mentally stimulating activities in preserving brain strength.

The Journal’s study reports that frequent dancing affords a 76 percent protection against the risk of dementia among both cognitive and physical activities. Compare that to reading, with a 35 percent lower risk, and doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week, with a 47 percent risk reduction. Then, consider the “zero” brain function impact of vigorous physical activities, such as swimming, bicycling, or playing golf, also identified in the study.

“Dance is the movement art with the most unlimited diversity in motion and vocabulary for any human to do,” says Mary Heller, a BeMoved dance instructor at locations such as Prescott’s Alta Vista Senior Living.

The thought process and concentration of achieving dance moves are what sets dancing above other paths to revving memory. The exercise benefits noted by Heller include challenging balance, strengthening all core muscle groups, promoting active isolated stretching and offering high intensity interval training.

Heller describes her BeMoved classes as a mix of sequencing, warm up and cool down, with participants imitating movements at their own pace: “bigger or smaller, quick or double-time, loose or sharp.” Even if you know the movements, the changes in sequence force the brain and limbs into action to keep up. In addition, there is variation with each song. The style of music chosen for the session also brings diversity.

“It’s about an experience, about an art,” Heller explained. “At BeMoved, we are passionate about sharing the joy of dance with people of all movement abilities. Our ambition is to awaken the body, stimulate the mind and feed the soul.”

“It’s a fun and stimulating class that provides a delightful way to move to great music in a safe and supportive surrounding,” said Janet Allen, one of Heller’s BeMoved students. “I have gotten so much from the dance/fitness classes that Mary offers. I want to do anything I can to get the word out to others in the Prescott area who could benefit from Mary’s expertise.”

Someone in the United States develops Alzheimer’s every 66 seconds, according to the Alzheimer’s Association, and 5.4 million Americans live with dementia. Society’s costs for treatment in 2016 totaled $236 billion, and one in three seniors died with some form of dementia.

“It’s amazing how excellent dance is for the mind,” shared Dawn Wilson, an instructor who offers classes at the Adult Center of Prescott and other venues. “I teach all types of dance – Latin, country, swing and line dancing. I’m always amazed at how it helps people improve their memory because it keeps re-establishing new synapses in the brain. The constant learning of new movement is excellent for that. It requires pretty much almost every muscle in the body, so you are actively pursuing not only physical fitness, but mental fitness also.”

No matter the individual’s preference – couples or singles dancing – there is a cognitive benefit, Wilson explained. “Line dancing is fantastic for those who would rather not dance with a partner, and it’s also very good for the brain. In line dance, each individual is challenged to remember step patterns and will learn to step to a particular rhythm. In learning partner dance, the ‘lead’ will learn how to signal a movement using his frame, while the ‘follow’ must learn to wait for the lead to direct her.”

Participants need not attend dance sessions with a partner, Wilson added, since both “leads” and “follows” learn their parts first and then rotate partners as needed.

Wilson said she is awed “by how much my students improve with each lesson that they attend. Of course, some learn faster than others, but everyone can achieve great strides if they don’t give up. With each dance that a student learns, there are similarities that start to build on each other, thus students start to see themselves learning faster with time and with consistent practice.”

According to Heller, “Dance is one of the oldest therapies and practices humans have done together in every culture for millions of years for daily self-transformation, healing and experiencing the divine love and joy in oneself and others. Thus, release fears of dancing, of moving, take risks in a safe space, and learn to trust your body. Be inspired through this transformative experience incorporating powerful ancient and modern healing. Clear old stories that no longer serve you, and create new stories through dance.”

Wilson shares a similar perspective. “With each new dance movement, the synapses in the brain are exercised and forced to make new connections. So, whether you want to improve your memory, meet new friends, exercise to burn some calories, or just want to have fun while you watch your skill levels improve, you can’t go wrong with learning how to dance.” QCBN

 By Sue Marceau, QCBN 

 

Photo by Sue Marceau

 

Filed Under: Business Tagged With: dancing, Feature, therapy

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