The Value of Dancing in Relation to Physical Fitness

Manawatu Times, Volume 62, Issue 34, 10 February 1937, Page 15 (Supplement)

The Value of Dancing in Relation to Physical Fitness

ADDRESS BY MISS GWEN GIBBS Members of Milson Women’s Institute at their February meeting had their interest in the art of dancing and its relation to physical lituess, pleasantly stimulated by an informative address by Miss Gwen Gibbs, of the Broadway School of Dancing. Miss Gibbs voiced her pleasure in having been asked to take a subject with which she was dealing every day. We lived in an age where everyone realised the value of physical lituess, both to tho individi>al and- to the nation, Miss Gibbs said. It was also widely roalisojl that, the foundations of physical health should bo laid in childhood. This physical education was one of the many serious problems in the present day educational world and since dancing and tho exercise necessary to become a dancer were an excellent means of attaining physical fitness much more attention was now being paid by tho education authorities and medical men. Dancing as a physical exercise provided well balanced exercise for each part of the body. It gave poise, balance, and control together with elasticity and freedom of movement. It was strongly recommended by tho medical profession as a remedy for such physical defects as faulty carriago of the body, slight curvature of the spine, poor circulation of the blood and weak muscular development. But the full educational value of dancing passed beyonti the physical, Miss Gibbs stressed—it could also be valuable as mental and intellectual training. It was closely related to other school subjects such as music, art, history, geography and literature Miss Gibbs continued. The perfect dancing losson either made use of the child’s own knowledge of these subjects or else sent her forth at the end of the time to seek further information. The dancing provided an added interest in and a new use for other school studies. It encouraged individual research work and the intelligent use of information already gained. It helped to make a whole out of what at first appeared to be a group of isolated and wholly independent subjects. A period of history for instance, became alive in its dances which illustrated the dress, manners, customs and aJso music of the period. Geography too, gained interest in the various national dances, each so typical of tho country to which it belonged. In the same way a love of literature, an understanding of music, a critical appreciation of colour, form and design could all be fostered in a dancing lesson. The Royal Academy of Dancing, of which the speaker was a member, had been doing wonderful work along these educational lines and the linking of dancing lessons to the usual school curriculum was at last under way.

Dancing Not Only for the Very Young Dancing in any form under proper conditions was beneficial generally. It was usually associated with extreme youth in tho minds' of mature women. This mistaken idea created a feeling of diffidence about entering an ordinary dancing class. In addition to this feeling there was also indifference towards an art which did not fit into their daily scheme of things. There was, too, often an element of selfconsciousness which kept many .women from dancing because of some physical defect, which, if they only knew, could bo modified or eliminated altogether by the natural resistance built up by exercises suited to their individual requirements.

In the ordinary form of gymnastics or athletics the body was exercised without reference either to rhythm or art, with tho result that physical culture to most people suggested the idea of set exercise done in stiff drill formation with no objective except‘that of making the muscles stronger or benefiting them physically in some other way. These exercises did not provide sufficient for the average woman but on the contrary, i were usually regarded as a bore, some- | thing to be got over as soon as possible, the speaker said. Continuing, . Miss Gibbs said since neither dancing nor physical culture as * commonly understood provided in them- 1 selves impetus for women who nevertheless felt the need of some form of physical exercise, the logical solution would seem to be in a combination of the two, embodying, the best parts of both, at tho same time giving them a working physchology for the performance of their every day acts. The new form of body culture or German daheing, as the art that had evolved in Central Europe was commonly called, Miss Gibbs said provided for this. In the new method each exer-

cise progressed in natural sequence to tho one following and in the end they were pieced together—an embryonic dance was formed. In time, by cultivating the original impulse for rhytnm and beauty an external reality is given to the feelings via the dance. The Elephant is graceful

4 ‘ As graceful as an elephant* ’ usually had anything but a flattering implication but if people handled their ow»* bodies as well as the elephant did his there would be quite an improvement in the grace of the human species. It was because of his enormous size that most people had the idea that the elephant was an ungainly animal but in spite of his bulk he moves along as smoothly as a battleship. Miss Gibbs drew the members’ attention to the manner in which an elephant walked, his every movement being co-ordinated and under absolute muscular control. Just as a horse could shake off a fly.by. quivering his muscles so could human beings by contracting and relaxing muscles all over the body. Incidentally this was one of the best all round exercises there was, said Miss Gibbs, who continued by pointing out that there was something to be learned from every animal concerning physical improvement. The members of,the cat family were, of course, the most obvious examples of perfect bodily correlation The stretching and twisting of their bodies kept their muscles elastic in spite of captivity. People should study the cat for sheer grace of movement and faculty of keeping fit—he was an artist. ,

In the building of a beautiful body strength and suppleness were more to be desired than a hard muscle-bound condition. The value of the flexibility of the spine both from tho standpoint of health and that of rhythmic coordination could hardly : be over emphasised. What was not widely known ■was the recent discovery by certain members of the medical profession that a supple spine was a ’necessity to perfect health. They contended that to prevent pressure on tho nerves and nerve centres, cushions of cartilage between the joints of the spine must be maintained as far as possible in a normal condition of thickness, the spinal joints must bo kept open and the vertebra function in their normal position. Thus it seemed that a supple bending movement was not only necessary for dancing but also for health. Therefore, although it was advisable for children to commence dancing as soon as possible it was never too late to [commence a health course so long as people were in command of their bodies.

Concluding her address Miss Gibbs referred to the fact that animals once fully grown remained the same size until they died. Human beings, however, did not, they shrank because the. wore afraid to stretch and all their tendous tightened up and gradually shrank until if they lived to be very old they would become little old men and women and this was not necessary.