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Nia Dance
Does anyone have experience with Nia Dance? It’s getting popular around town and I’m not sure what it is. I watched some Youtube videos, but they didn’t seem like anything specific – just a languid wiggle motion.
Is it a dance? Is it just a movement form? Is it like yoga? Anyone know? https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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9 Replies
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I have never heard of this before. Googling came up with :Nia Now. Sounds interesting….
Dancing Through Life: The Nine Movement Forms of Nia
Martial Arts: T’ai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, Aikido
Dance Arts: Jazz Dance, Modern Dance, Duncan Dance
Healing Arts: Yoga, Alexander Technique, The Teachings of Moshe Feldenkrais®Through Nia practice, you learn to foster awareness of your life through physical sensation, allowing the Voice of The Body to direct your actions and choices, leading to a general state of what Nia calls Dynamic Ease. Practiced barefoot to music, each person is invited to move at his or her own level of intensity, adapting the 52 Moves to their body potential at any given moment. While delivering cardiovascular, whole-body conditioning, Nia creates a loving relationship with one’s own body by tuning into The Body’s Way: the innate intelligence of the body.
Most of all, Nia is exhilarating and fun!
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I have a friend who is a Nia instructor–I will ask her about it. I can tell you one thing: she is in WICKED good shape!!!
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This sounds so interesting!! i wanna learn more about it! Polergirl i can’t wait to see what you’ll find out from your friend!
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Ooh, that does sound interesting! Can’t wait to hear what you find out. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif
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my gym offers it, and i tried it a couple weeks ago. this instructor ran the class as a follow-along sort of dance class, with moves that seem to be borrowed largely from modern dance, with a little jazz thrown in. i would imagine basic principles are the same, but that all instructors will differ a bit. imo, nia’s good for cardio.
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Here’s what my friend said…
i tell ppl that nia is a barefoot cardiovascular dance class that uses elements of the martial arts, dance arts and healing arts. we use many different types of music and although each routine is unique, there are certain moves that we incorporate into each.
a 60 minute class follows the traditional aerobic format: warm up, get moving, cool down. the teacher introduces a focus at the beginning of class and then weaves that into each song so that there is a sense of continuity from one song to the next. the focus is even taken to the part of the class we refer to as floorplay, when we go to the floor and stretch. the focus might be a particular body part, exploring form and freedom, the 5 sensations (strength, agility, mobility, agility, flexibility), the breath, the joints, etc.
nia adresses the whole body, the whole you: mind, body, spirit and emotions. this is just one of the many reasons why it isn’t dance aerobics. it’s not a fad either. i’ve been doing nia since 2000 and the technique itself was created in the early 80s. the co-creators were the first to introduce the idea of fusion fitness that is so popular now. they were asking ppl to take their shoes off and incorporating elements of yoga into their classes long before yoga was even available in gyms.
one of my favorite things about nia is that it feels GOOD. yes it keeps me healthy and strong but i feel so damn good doing it. it’s no wonder the basis of nia is the joy of movement. it’s pleasure driven and that’s what keeps so many coming back for more. i have ppl in my classes that have been doing nia even longer than i have!
what else can i say? i’m addicted. i teach 7-8 classes a week and i try to be a student at least twice a month. if i had time to do more, i would!
i will add that each teacher is unique and brings their style to class. my classes are high energy and focused on working out and having a fun time doing it. some focus more on the spiritual aspect of the practice. if you decide to give nia a try, i suggest trying out a couple of teachers if you can.
lmk if you have any specific questions and certainly lmk if you go to a class!
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Sounds fascinating. https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_cheers.gif
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I went to a Nia jam once; I was invited by a friend who goes to a class. It was a great workout and definitely incorporated mind and spirit. I felt really good afterward, like I had meditated. Worth a try!
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hmmmm…interesting https://www.studioveena.com/img/smilies/icon_scratch.gif
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