Dance as a Health-Enhancing body weight; reduces symptoms of

Physical Activity depression and lowers your risk for

cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

What is Dance?
Dance Forms
- Dance can be characterized as
movement, a physical activity (be it - Dancing is considered one of the most
exercise or a performance), a form of exciting forms of exercise but there is
communication and as a creative art. more to dancing than just ballroom and
hip hop. There are various types of
- As a movement of the human body in
dances, each with its own style and
relation to time and space, it involves
music.
stretching, flexing, turning, contracting
and releasing; the body leaping, rising,
falling, and gesturing usually with
Ballet
musical accompaniment.
- Originated in the Italian courts during
- Although dance movements can be
the Renaissance period. When an Italian
spontaneous, it can achieve a form that
royalty named Catherine de Medici
is structured in terms of style and genre.
married King Henry II of France, she
In this way, it can be repeated, learned,
brought Ballet with her to the French
understood and appreciated.
court.
- As a physical activity can be pursued
- She produced what is known as the
as a recreation. Meeting new people,
first Ballet entitled Le Ballet Comique de
developing relationships, enjoying music
la Reine in the year 1581. This particular
and simply having a good time through
performance was hailed and copied all
dance can thus be a way of building
throughout Europe and made France
confidence, self-esteem, and in
recognized as the forerunner of dance
mitigating the risk of daily stressors.
developments.
- Dancing can also be an exercise that
- During the reign of King Louis XIV, his
can build your endurance, flexibility and
dancer master at the time, Pierre
strength, improve your posture and
Beauchamp, created and was
balance, thereby helping you become fit
recognized for codifying the five
or maintain fitness.
positions of the feet, which is the basis
- Dance as a regular physical activity of the fundamentals of dance we use up
provides fundamental health benefits. It to this day.
does not only reduce the risk of
sedentariness, which is associated with
non communicable diseases but
promotes bone health because it is
weight-loading; reduces body fats and
helps in the management of a healthy
Proper Alignment
- Foundation of all dance techniques,
and is related to developing good
posture. Having a good posture reduces
the risk of muscular imbalances that
makes the body susceptible to injury. It
is also believed that having a good
posture allow the internal organs to have
enough room to function efficiently, and
make breathing easier. It integrates the
head, torso, arms, and legs into a
related whole while moving in space.
This helps decrease the feeling of pain
and aches in performing daily activities.
Weight Distribution and Balance
- The proper distribution of weight
among the legs develop balance and
strength, and make the performer move
efficiently without falling down. Proper
weight distribution will give relief to one
side of the body that is usually
overused.
Pull-Up
- Pulling up means that the performer
feels the floor under her feet while
consciously thinking of her muscles
stretching upward, engaging the
abdominals and lifting the torso up.
Folk Dance
- "The traditional dance of a people
within a specified culture, evolved by
them and embodying a national or
regional flavor. It embodies their mores
and cultural tradition, which are passed
on from one generation to another"
(Gabao, 2007, p. 25).
- As the national folk dance, tinikling
imitates the movement of the tikling
birds as they walk between grass stems,
run over tree branches, or dodge
bamboo traps set by rice farmers.
Dancers imitate the tikling bird's
legendary grace and speed by skillfully
maneuvering between large bamboo
poles.
Ballroom Dance
- A traditional partnered dance form
performed by a couple in a closed dance
position (embrace).
- The primary motivation for social
ballroom dance was the romantic
pleasure of dancing.
- Jane Austen, in her book Pride and
Prejudice wrote, "To be fond of dancing
was a certain step towards falling in
love."
- Starting in the 19th century, only
noncompetitive social ballroom dance
existed. This was the age of the waltz
and polka, when "ballroom dance"
meant precisely that-dancing in a
ballroom characterized by genuine
politeness, and enhancing the pleasure
of the dance partners as well as the
assembled company.
- The ballroom dance forms are
classified into social, competitive (known
as dance sport) and exhibition. In social
dance the partners interact with each
other spontaneously, that are enjoyable
for them and for fun, modify their steps
to adapt to each other.
- In dance sport, different pairs compete
with one another as they perform their
choreographed routines in front of
judges. Judges want to see that the
steps and styles in the official syllabus
are executed precisely, correctly, and
with great flair. Correct posture and
frame are equally important, while the
combination of long strides as partners
quickly traverse the dance floor result in
the need for a large dance floor.
- There are principally two ballroom
styles: international (i.e ., British style)
and American. Today's "international
style" ballroom dancing is overseen by
the Imperial Society, which was founded
in London in July, 1904. The original
focus was the standardization of steps,
technique, and style into only one
"correct" version.
- The international ballroom dances are
divided into two groups: (1) standard,
comprised of slow waltz, tango,
Viennese waltz, slow foxtrot, and
quickstep; and (2) Latin, comprised of
cha-cha, samba, rumba, paso doble,
and jive.
Hip-Hop Dance
- This includes a wide range of "street
dance" styles that are associated with
the hip-hop culture, which started in
New York City in the mid-'70s.
- The old school hip-hop styles were a
result of improvisational steps and
moves from the streets and clubs that
emerged in the USA in the 1970s. It
involved locking, popping, and
breakdancing or b-boying to fast beats.
- Locking involves freezing from a fast
movement and "locking" in a certain
position, holding that position for a short
while and then continuing in the same
speed as before.
- Popping involves continuous
contraction of the muscles to the beat to
give a jerky/snapping effect-a bouncy
style.
- Breaking or B-boying (commonly
called breakdancing) consists of four
basic elements: toprock, downrock,
freeze, and power moves.
- TOPROCK refers to the upright
dancing and shuffles, while
DOWNROCK refers to footwork dancing
performed on the floor. "FREEZE" refers
to the poses that breakers throw into
their dance sets to add punctuation to
certain beats and end their routines.
POWER MOVES are impressive
acrobatic moves normally made up of
circular motions where the dancer will
spin on the floor or in the air.
Line Dancing
- This dance is choreographed to a
specific music with repeated number of
sequenced steps where people dance in
lines and rows.
- Dave Bush, also called "The Godfather
of Soul Line Dancing," is recognized as
having started this dance craze in
Philadelphia. Line dance is almost
always associated with square dance
and country music, but there are traits
that are similar to folk dancing.
Aerobics
- A set of floor- or land-based vigorous
dance routines set to lively music.
Aerobics have evolved into funk fitness
routines done to pop funk and rap
music, which are a mixture of ballet,
jazz, modern dance, street, and line
dancing.
- Funk moves usually start at the slow
pace that progress to fast moving, which
can be thrilling when you start picking up
the moves.
Reducing The Risks Of Physical
Inactivity And Non-Communicable
Diseases
Assessing Intensity Of Physical
Activity
- Physical activity includes play, games,
sports, recreation (or active leisure
pursuits), physical education or planned
exercise, active transportation (e.g .,
biking, walking), household chores, and
manual work. This shows that physical
activities can be classified into leisure-
time, commuting, household (or
domestic), and occupational activities.
Dancing as a regular physical activity of
moderate to vigorous levels contributes
to the lowering of the risk of non-
communicable diseases (NCDs).
- Since a physical activity refers to any
bodily movement produced by our
skeletal muscles that require energy
expenditure, the metabolic equivalent or
one MET can also be used as a
reference for assessing intensity.
- The intensity of your activities are also
related to the time or duration that you
spend on-task. In general, moderate-
intensity activities can be sustained for
25-50 minutes while activities that are
vigorous, because of the intensity of the
effort, take less than 25 minutes.
FORMULA IN MET
METs x 3.5 x boy weight in kg / 200
= calories you burn per minute
Physical Inactivity And
Noncommunicable Diseases
- NCDs are medical conditions or
diseases that are non-infectious and
non-transmissible among people. These
include cardiovascular diseases, stroke,
diabetes, colon and breast cancer,
osteoporosis, obesity, anxiety, and
depression, and their risk factors such
as hypertension, elevated blood sugar
levels, and overweight.
- Physical inactivity has become a major
risk factor for global mortality (or deaths)
and for the prevalence of NCDs
- Physical inactivity implies a level of
activity that is lower than that required to
maintain good health.
- Incorporating more physical activities
into your daily routine is crucial to
preventing NCDs and also improving
your fitness levels.
- Examples of daily PAs are walking to
and from your school or work, a nearby
store or church, taking the stairs instead
of the escalator and/or elevator, doing
house chores, walking the dog, and
gardening.
Philippine Traditions on Dance
- Dance has been a part of Filipino since
time immemorial. Since the ancient
times, early Filipinos have used rhytmic
movements to express their emotions,
beliefs, and faith. Most of these
movements are imitations of what they
see in their environment such as the
swaying of trees and the motions of
animals. In the long run, these rhythmic
movements develop into dances that
have become part of people's traditions.
According to Basilio Esteban S.
Villaruz, in his book Treading Through:
45 Years of Philippine Dance (2006),
Philippine dance is generally composed
of the following:
- Those that propitiate the spirits
- Those that are imitative of animal life
or activities
- Those meant for socializing and
celebrating
- Those that were inherited from colonial
masters
- Those mentioned above that have now
been performed for tourism programs for
both cultural and economic use
Pre-colonial Dances
- In the Philippines, many of the pre-
colonial or indigenous dances are
basically Malay in origin untit Western
colonizers came and influenced the
native dance traditions. Nevertheless,
precolonial dances can be classified,
- According to Villaruz (2006), as being
religious, imitative of life activities and of
the movements in the environment, and
as being for socialization.
Religious dances, which often involve
communicating with the gods, include
dance rituals on death, after-life,
recovery from illness, and veneration of
gods through the babaylan or catalonan,
a female spiritual leader who was
regarded as an expert in communicating
with the divine. In such dances, dancers
normally make offerings to the spirits.
Related to the religious dances are the
occupational dances, which are dance
rituals that mimic work-related activities
such as hunting, planting, and
harvesting. These kinds of dances are
often lengthy since they mimic the
actions performed before, during, and
after a specific activity.
Mimicry is actually common in many
traditional dances. For instance, dancers
imitate movements that they observe in
nature.
- Examples are the tinikling, which
mimics the movements of the tikling (a
kind of bird) and;
- the itik-itik, which imitates the
movements of the itik (duck).
Colonization - Influenced Dances
- During the Spanish occupation, the
lives of the early Filipinos were
restructed in terms of politics,
economics, religion, and culture. The
same thing happened in dance, as the
Spanish colonizers brought in their own
dances.
- The most popular among these
Spanish dances are the jota, polka,
waltz, and fandango.
- Other Spanish dances include the
paseo and the pateado as well as the
surtido and the habanera, which both
came from Cuba, another Spanish
colony. Today, these dances have
numerous variations with distinct Filipino
dances. Similarly, traditional Filipino
dances were influenced by the tempo
and temper of the European dances
brought in by the Spaniards.
- For example, the tinikling and itik-itik
acquired the tempo of the jota and the
polka (Villaruz, 2015)
Today, these dances have been the
contributing factors in the traditons of
folk dances in the Philippines. While
many of the traditional dances today are
of Spanish origin - Some are having
English and French influence - these
dances have already been part of the
customs of the Filipinos people for so
long that they already made their own
interpretation, execution, and
expression, making these dances
already traditionally Filipino.
Nutritions for an Active Lifestyle
- A healthy diet cn also prevent
diseases, but it is best to combine sound
eating and exercise habits to optimize
the health benefits.
- However, many factors affect how
much (or how little) we eat. Our food
choices are our preferences; what is
convenient for us such as when we grab
a coffee and sandwich on the go; or
what gives us pleasure and emotional
comfort such as sweets. We are also
influenced by social pressure, such as
when we are invited to accompany
someone to eat and we end up eating
too even though we are not really
hungry. Lastly, how we perceive
ourselves in terms of how we look and
how others see us too, that is, our body
image influence what and how we eat.
- It is important to realize that we eat in
order to provide our body with nutrients,
which in turn performs the three
essential functions of fueling, sustaining
and promoting our body's growth.
Although "diet" is popularly associated
with a weight loss plan, it is more than
that-it is what we eat and drink to fuel
and nourish our bodies so that we
become and stay healthy.
Using Calories
- A calorie is the energy value of food
and it is measured in terms of the
amount of heat it takes to raise the
temperature of 1 gram of water to 1-
degree Celsius.
How does our body use calories? In
order to sustain our bodily functions,
such as our cardiovascular and
respiratory processes, the transmission
of nervous impulses, cellular growth,
maintenance and repair, our body uses
up calories.
- People who are inactive and do not
exercise as much burn fewer calories
than people who are active. Now, if your
caloric intake from food consumption
happens to be greater than your energy
expenditure (positive), an energy
imbalance occurs resulting in weight
gain. On the other hand, if energy
expenditure exceeds your caloric intake
(negative), weight loss results. Thus,
maintaining a healthy weight is a matter
of energy balance.
- The best way to create a negative
energy balance is through a combination
of reduced caloric intake and increased
energy expenditure. However, some
people tend to go on a "crash diet" by
cutting back on their calories so as to
lose weight. These people do so
because they need to lose weight
quickly and are primarily motivated to
appear a particular way, that is, achieve
an ideal image for an event, such as a
wedding, party or date. This results in
weight loss, but mostly fluid not fat loss.
What can you do to create a negative
energy balance?
- If you need to lose fat because you are
overweight or obese, the recommended
amount of fat loss is no more than 1
pound (of fat) a week. Remember, one
pound of fat equals 3500 calories
therefore, you must plan to create a
3500 caloric deficit.
- You can engage in any dance activities
wherein the METs range from 3 to 6
METs (moderate intensity), an
equivalent of 3.5-7 calories per minute;
or those that are more vigorous such as
high-impact aerobics or disco dancing
which are over 6 METs, an equivalent of
more than 7 calories per minute. Should
you choose to engage in any of these
for 35 minutes or over an hour, you will
be able to burn at least 250 calories.
- Besides dancing, another healthy way
of losing weight is by enhancing your
muscle mass through resistance training
exercises. Muscles are caloriehungry
tissues so the more muscles you have,
the higher your RMR to sustain them.
Thus, focusing on shedding excess fat
while minimizing loss of lean body mass
can be the goal for achieving a healthy
body weight.
The Philippine Food Pyramid
- It provides us with a daily eating plan,
which consists of a variety of foods that
ensure the proper amount and balance
of all the nutrients. The pyramid is a
visual reminder for all of us not only to
eat healthily by making the right choices
but also to choose to be physically
active each day.
The pyramid illustrates the following
concepts:
- Exercise and physical activity
participation are healthy habits which
form the base of the pyramid.
- Moderation as a nutrition principle is
represented by the narrowing of each
food group from bottom to top.
Therefore, the guiding principle that
allows you to control your calorie intake
through proper food and beverage
selection.
- Variety is another guiding principle in
nutrition. Since there is no single food
group that is more important than the
other, a balanced diet consists of
consuming the food groups in the right
proportions. Note how the pyramid
represents the different food groups
which are needed each day for good
health.
- The main message is, there is no
single food or food group that supplies
all your needs. Each food group must be
eaten in the right proportions.
- While it is easy to identify the foods
that we consume, it's more difficult to
approximate their amounts. Portion size,
or the amount that is served to us during
a meal or snack tend to be greater than
the serving size, or the amount that we
ought to consume.
- Knowing how much food is considered
a serving is therefore important. As a
practical reference, we can estimate
amount by the use of our hand. For
example, a clenched fist is equivalent to
one cup of rice. However, one serving of
rice is equal to half a cup. Based on the
food pyramid, six to eight servings of
this food group is recommended. This
translates to no more than two cups per
meal.
- Vegetables and fruits are also
carbohydrate sources that are rich in
fiber, micronutrients and water. The fiber
in fruits and vegetables help us feel
fuller. The recommended daily amount
is three servings each of fruits and
vegetables, wherein one serving is
approximately the size of your fist.
- The thickness and size of our palm
(excluding the fingers) is equivalent to
one serving of meat, poultry, fish or
shellfish. Choose low-fat or lean meat.
Two and a half servings of protein are
the daily recommendation.
- In terms of oils and sweets, one
teaspoon is equal to the tip of the
thumb, from the knuckle up. Remember,
three teaspoons equal one tablespoon.
Based on the food pyramid, the
recommended serving size is five to six
teaspoons for each of the fat and oils,
and sugar or sweets.
Reading Food Labels
- Food labels provide information on the
serving size, calories and nutrient
content of a food product (Note that
fruits and vegetables do not have food
labels). Ingredients are listed in
descending order of weight. For
example, an ingredients label on an ice
tea beverage lists: "water, sugar, citric
acid, black tea extract, sweeteners."
This informs you that water has the
largest proportion in the product,
followed by sugar. Be guided by the
food pyramid in terms of the serving
size.
- The first item on the Nutrition
Information/Nutrition Facts table is the
serving size. The information here tells
you that if you eat the product you will
be getting the amount of calories and
nutrients that are listed.
- The second item is a list of calories.
These mandatory nutrients were
selected because they are relevant to
health concerns. These calories tell you
how much energy you get from one
serving of the product.
- The % Daily Value or % RENI puts
nutrients on a scale from 0% to 100%.
This scale tells you how much of a given
nutrient is there in one serving of the
food product.
Hydration Before, During and After
Exercise
- Water constitutes 60% of our body
weight and it is considered the most
essential nutrient such that it is
important to replace water that is lost.
Water is also valuable for the prevention
of diseases such as gallstones and
kidney stones, while researchers have
found a relationship between water
intake and colon cancer
- It is advisable to drink periodically
throughout the day because it is
possible that you may already be
dehydrated when you are already
feeling thirsty. There are also other
symptoms of thirst such as dry eyes,
headache, sluggishness, nausea,
dizziness, dry skin, constipation, and
even your urine color.
Urine Color Chart:
No Color - Over Hydrated
Pale Straw Yellow - Good
Translucent Yellow - Fair
Dark Yellow - Light Dehydrated
Amber - Dehydrated
Brown - Severe Dehydrated
Body Image and Eating Disorder
- We usually tend to associate our body
weight with our appearance or body
image. This is influenced by the mass
media which idealizes thinness for
females and muscularity among males.
Our body image represents how we
perceive our body-what it looks like to us
and to others, whether accurate or not.
When we become too focused on 'the
standard' of perfection that is created by
the fashion, advertising and movie
industries, we can be susceptible to
dissatisfaction and harmful eating
behaviors
Anorexia Nervosa
- Literally means "loss of appetite,"
however, it is more than that because a
person who suffers or experiences
anorexia has a distorted body image (i.e
., perceive themselves to be overweight
when they are in fact excessively
underweight). This unrealistic perception
leads to self-starvation and extreme
weight loss because the person
suffering from this disorder is afraid of
eating and becoming fat.
Bulimia Nervosa
- Literally means "to eat like an ox" the
uncontrollable recurrent and frequent
episodes of eating unusually large
amounts of food. Bulimia is associated
with binge-eating characterized by a
loss of control and consumption of large
amounts of food, but this is followed by
behaviors that compensate for
overeating such as forced vomiting,
excessive use of laxatives or diuretics,
fasting, excessive exercise, or
acombination of these behaviors
Alcohol Misuse And Abuse
- Alcohol is a psychoactive or mood-
changing social drug that is common
among college students ages 18-25.
Ethyl alcohol, which is the common
psychoactive ingredient contained in
alcoholic beverages, is produced by
fermentation, or the process in which the
yeast fungus feeds on the sugars or
starches of barley, grapes or other fruits
and excretes alcohol along with carbon
dioxide. It has a depressant and
anesthetic effect, or a slowing down of
mental (i.e ., level of consciousness)
and motor functions.
- People drink alcohol for a variety of
reasons-to relax, celebrate, and have
fun; to reduce anxiety and self-
consciousness, as well as for
companionship. Although drinking in
moderation may benefit one's health
and well-being, there is a health risk to
excessive alcohol intake.

Compulsive Overeating
- Is similar to bulimia in the way a
person consumes extremely large
portions or amounts of food even when
they are not hungry or even when they
are already full.
Quiz: NCD/NUTRITION
Non-Communicable Diseases - These
are medical conditions or diseases that
Dance Forms
are non-infectious and non-transmissible
Turn-out - This is the natural rotation among people.
from the hips, making the knees and the
Physical Inactivity - It implies a level of
toes point diagonally outward.
activity that is lower than that required to
Weight Distribution and Balance - It maintain good health.
makes the performer move efficiently
Stroke - It happens when brain is
without falling down. Also, it will give
deprived of oxygen-rich blood.
relief to one side of the body that is
usually overused. Calorie - It is the energy value of food.
Aerobics - It is a set of floor or land Moderation - It is the guiding principle
based vigorous dance routines set to that allows you to control your calorie
lively music. intake through proper food and
beverage selection.
Dance - Movement of the human body
in rythmical patterns through space, Food Labels - It provides information on
usually accompanied by music. the serving size, calories and nutrient
content of a food product.
Line Dancing - This dance is
choreographed to a specific music with 60% - Water consitutes how many
repeated number of sequenced steps percent of our body weight?
where people dance in lines and rows.
%RENI - This scale tells you how much
Dave Bush - He is the "Godfather of of a given nutrient is there in one serving
Soul Line Dancing" of the food product.
Ballroom Dance - It is a traditional Anorexia Nervosa - It literally means
partnered dance form performed by a "loss of appetite".
couple in a closed dance position
Compulsive Overeating - It means
(embrace).
compulsion to overeat.
Hip-Hop - This includes a wide range of
"street dance".
Folk Dance - This type of dance
embodies cultural tradition of a region or
nation which are passed on from one
geeration to another.
Alignment - It is the foundation of all
dance techniques, and is related to
developing good posture.