The studio “Dancing in the Desert, LLC” arose from a combination of the owner’s passion for dancing, shared by many of the locals in greater Abiquiu, and the lack of a place where this could actually be put to practice. “Build it and they will come.” The ‘Dance Studio with a View’ (a view that only the Georgia O’Keeffe Country offers) has the finest sprung floor in the area. The studio lends itself ideally to any other movement exercises and at present dancing is complemented by yoga, tai chi, and Feldenkrais. We are certainly receptive to other forms of movement modalities in the future.
Viktor Smolik painting of Argentina Tango
You may recognize the dancers – Ici and Vassily.
Dancing
“There are short-cuts to happiness and dancing is one of them.”
Martha Graham described dance as the “truthful expression of the psyche’s deepest feelings, revealing through the body’s movement the innermost impulses of the human soul.”
Significantly, dancing improves the quality of life by increasing balance, enhances cardiovascular and muscular endurance, agility and coordination, and stimulates memory. Loss of equilibrium, agility, falls, and bone fracture are the leading cause of accidental death in the elderly. While certain declines with age are unavoidable, balance can be preserved and often restored through various exercise. Studies with patients with Parkinson’s disease show improvement in symptoms, such as mobility, balance, gait and quality of life, and Tango dancing has demonstrated one of the highest levels of evidence of efficacy. Moreover, stimulation of memory and the teaching social skills in general is beneficial for patients with Alzheimer’s or relate disorders. Our programs are focused to the population at large, tailored to each group, from children to seniors, whether healthy or restricted in their movements.
Ici has carried out research for 45 years on hearing and deafness and on balance and its disorders. She combines this with her sports dancing experience read more on Instructors.
What dances do we teach?
We prefer the term ‘social partner dancing’ to ballroom/Latin dancing. We don’t expect to be asked to join “Dancing with the Stars”, or take part in dance competitions and dance 29 styles of ballroom dances that are generally performed in competitions. However, even those with two left feet can enjoy Waltz, Foxtrot, American Tango, Argentine Tango, Salsa/Mambo, Rumba, Cha Cha, Merengue, Swing, or Night Club 2 Step.
Wedding Dance
We offer to make your wedding even more memorable with a wedding dance. The dance will depend on the song/music you choose. We will select the perfect choreography for you.
Yoga
“If anything is sacred, the human body is sacred” – Walt Whitman
If you want to reduce stress, improve health, enhance athletic performance, recover from injury or illness, or to improve the enjoyment of everyday life – you might want to try yoga with Kat and/or Sue. For the type of yoga taught see Instructors.
Tai chi
Tai chi is an internal Chinese martial art practized for both its defense training and its health benefits. Medical research has found evidence that tai chi is helpful for improving balance and for general psychological health, and that it is associated with general health benefits in older people. For the type of tai chi taught see Jeff Nitz’s website, Michael Stenson’s website, or Instructors.
Feldenkrais
“Feldenkrais” is a somatic educational system that aims to improve and enhance our performance of movement, focusing on its quality, expansion, and function as we accomplish our daily tasks. As a result the method promotes decisive change of habits, general well-being and, in many cases, works to lessen pain and limitations. How? By increasing people’s awareness of themselves and expanding their movement repertoire. The creator of the method, Moshe Feldenkrais, believed that “without movement there is no life.” For him, moving with ease, without effort, and elegantly is as significant as our capacity to feel, sense, discern and think.