Tag: UK

What do you do on a Saturday evening? If you are like a lot of other people in the UK you will be sitting down in front of the television waiting for the latest instalment of Strictly Come Dancing to appear on your screen.

This dance programme has become a phenomenon. It began back in 2004 and was immediately loved by millions. Its format of putting together an expert dancer with a television or sports personality well known for having something other than dancing skills has been a ratings winner on many occasions. .

Undoubtedly some of the credit must go to the show’s hosts, Bruce Forsyth and Tess Daly. Bruce is known for his professionalism and is himself a good dancer. Tess is also a key part of the show and, like Bruce, has presented it since the very first series.

Clearly one of the main reasons the show is so successful is the fact that we get to see famous faces in very unlikely situations. Can you imagine seeing the likes of Esther Rantzen, Gloria Hunniford and even tennis player Martina Hingis digging into ballroom dancing? You wouldn’t have to imagine it if you watched Strictly from its inception – you would have been able to see it all playing out on your television.

Another key part of the show involves the dances themselves. In a modern society it might seem strange that we would all fall in love again with some of the older dances, but that is exactly what has happened.

You can enjoy watching both professional dancers and amateurs attempting the waltz, the quickstep and the foxtrot together. With other dances including the paso doble and the samba in the mix as well, you can always be assured of a great competition.

The competitive nature of the show is undoubtedly another big draw. The judges’ often controversial comments add the piece de resistance to a wonderful programme that constantly pulls in good viewing figures.

Names such as Craig Revel Horwood and Len Goodman have become household names now thanks to their appearances on the programme. They all have experience within the dancing industry and have themselves been dancers in the past.

Perhaps the most exciting part of Strictly Come Dancing is the process of elimination that sees one couple dance off the show each week. As the end of each series draws near we get closer to discovering who will win this time around. Since the public can vote for their favourites this is a real interactive show that never fails to garner headlines and draw in viewers.

So far there have been seven series of the show and there is no sign that the end is in sight. As long as people enjoy seeing famous people join up with dancers to have a go at some of the most challenging dances there are, it will continue to run.

In the UK, so many dance styles are popular among people. But as a general rule some of the styles remain in spotlight for the time till another style comes up. Off late, one style that is attracting people particularly youngsters is street dance. You may wonder what’s so special about this dance style. Well, the scene in London is quite different from elsewhere and you will know its worth only when you explore it. To enroll in a good dancing school, type in the keywords dance classes London on Google and you will find quite a lot of well known schools where you can learn street dance.

Street dance encompasses various dance styles like hip-hop, street jazz or jazz, popping, locking and even acrobatics. Of course people may have different opinions regarding this style but usually this style is similar to hip-hop and also includes elements from other styles.

Dancing is not only a great activity but is physically challenging too. You will require lot of strength, stamina and flexibility. Moreover, you need to feel comfortable while dancing. And for that you require the right dance clothing. In case you don’t have much idea in this regard then you can try out dance clothing London where you can decide from a range of dancewear that suits your body as well as the style of dance that you practice.

Another dance style that is quite a craze is salsa. Even if you are an average dancer you can easily pick up the basic steps of salsa dancing. Salsa classes London is a great place to learn this dance. After learning the basic steps, you can at least dance comfortably in salsa clubs. Initially it may not be possible for you to execute intricate steps but the steps that you learn will gradually prepare you for the actual dance. Experienced and skilled teachers will constantly monitor your progress and will offer suggestions as well as constructive criticisms which will inspire you to improve your performance.

This craze and popularity is not a new phenomenon but in recent times with the advent of reality dance shows, more and more people are coming forward to shake a leg or two. Just check out dance shows London on Google and you will discover many popular dance shows that are being aired on television. These shows select participants through nationwide casting calls and there is no hard and fast rule.

In the UK, so many dance styles are popular among people. But as a general rule some of the styles remain in spotlight for the time till another style comes up. Off late, one style that is attracting people particularly youngsters is street dance. You may wonder what’s so special about this dance style. Well, the scene in London is quite different from elsewhere and you will know its worth only when you explore it. To enroll in a good dancing school, type in the keywords dance classes London on Google and you will find quite a lot of well known schools where you can learn street dance.

Street dance encompasses various dance styles like hip-hop, street jazz or jazz, popping, locking and even acrobatics. Of course people may have different opinions regarding this style but usually this style is similar to hip-hop and also includes elements from other styles.

Dancing is not only a great activity but is physically challenging too. You will require lot of strength, stamina and flexibility. Moreover, you need to feel comfortable while dancing. And for that you require the right dance clothing. In case you don’t have much idea in this regard then you can try out dance clothing London where you can decide from a range of dancewear that suits your body as well as the style of dance that you practice.

Another dance style that is quite a craze is salsa. Even if you are an average dancer you can easily pick up the basic steps of salsa dancing. Salsa classes London is a great place to learn this dance. After learning the basic steps, you can at least dance comfortably in salsa clubs. Initially it may not be possible for you to execute intricate steps but the steps that you learn will gradually prepare you for the actual dance. Experienced and skilled teachers will constantly monitor your progress and will offer suggestions as well as constructive criticisms which will inspire you to improve your performance.

This craze and popularity is not a new phenomenon but in recent times with the advent of reality dance shows, more and more people are coming forward to shake a leg or two. Just check out dance shows London on Google and you will discover many popular dance shows that are being aired on television. These shows select participants through nationwide casting calls and there is no hard and fast rule.

Street dance relates to dance styles that have a strong element of improvisation in their steps, routines or moves, it is a dance style that can be performed in groups or by individuals. Popular examples of Streetdance include Breakdancing, Melbourne Shuffle and Tecktronik.

Breakdancing (or B-boying) developed as part of Hip Hop culture in 1970s New York and can be danced to hip hop or other musical genres that contain prolonged musical breaks. Street corner DJs would play rhythmic break beats by mixing and looping records, whilst dancers would usually perform during the musical/rhythmic breakdown sections. The performances turned into impromptu competition or ‘battles’ between individual dancers or groups of dancers known as crews, as they try to outperform each other with a series of more complex moves. Organised battles have evolved into a number of competitions that take place around the world as the dance genre gained popularity and has given rise to street dancewear fashion.

The Melbourne Shuffle originated from the underground music scene in Australia during the 1980s and is danced to electronic music. Tecktronik is also known as Electro Dance, and as the name suggests this type of dance is performed to electro house music. Having originated from Parisian suburbs in 2000s, Tecktronik evolved from blending of different dance styles including disco, hip hop and freehand glowsticking. The original Tecktronik dance features controlled movement with very few hand and feet movements, whilst the modern version (Electro Dance) is characterised by its improvised nature, that is faster with a lot more of the ‘free’ hand and feet movement. The growth of street dancing has been helped predominantly because it is a fun hobby and by the popularity of the associated music, films and increasingly the internet (YouTube) which has helped spread dance shoes online by helping dance moves cross borders instantaneously.

The popularity of these new modern dance forms and the mutual appreciation of dancers regardless of their genres is indicated through the dance films that have highlighted the cross over between dance genres. Following hot on the heels of dance films such as ‘Save the Last Dance’, ‘Step Up’ and ‘Stomp the Yard’, a UK film called Streetdance 3D was launched in 2010 as an uplifting and ground breaking movie featuring some of the best UK dance artists including Britain’s Got Talent winners Diversity and Flawless. Streetdance 3D is a story that combined students of classical ballet and streetdancers into a team for a dance competition entwined in a classical tale of betrayal and friendship.

A particular dance style is becoming more and more sought after in the UK. Many dance styles have had their turn in the limelight over the years and it seems like it is the turn of street dance now.

But what exactly is it? And what can you anticipate to learn from a street dance class in London? The scene at dance classes London or dance shows London is very different from many other countries and it is worth considering. Classes many a times teach routines, which roughly take dance moves from a collection of dance styles, which may include hip-hop dance, locking, popping, and street amongst others. It can include acrobatics, having dance clothing London on, as well when performed in dance troupes and can blendwith other different styles such as contemporary.

In fact, looking at the term minutely, ‘street dance’ is more an umbrella term, which encompasses all these dancing styles and many more. People have varying opinions about what it comprises. For example, some people would also put dance styles like the breakin’ and the Crip walk under the category where as others would not.

So if you see a dance class publicised as ‘street’ you can expect to learn dance moves, which are very similar to hip-hop dance and including parts of the other styles, but not necessarily hip-hop music. Whereas most of the times a hip-hop dance, class will have groove to hip-hop or R&B music for most part.

There are other hints for what you might expect from a class. Sometimes ‘street’ will be preceded by another name. For example ‘street jazz’ would be street and jazz, ‘street locking’ combine lockin’ and ‘street urban’ would be the same as hip-hop dance or urban dance. The term ‘street dance’ is usually used in the UK and a number of other countries. Therefore, if you determine that you want to join some class it is helpful to know what style of dance you want to learn.

Dance moves, which might fall under the ‘street’ category such as locking and popping and hip-hop often, have dance classes, which are called by their names instead of ‘street’ something. Even Salsa classes London offer street dance lessons. If you have doubt about a dance class in London, take a class so you can figure out whether it’s general styles you’ll be learning or a specific street style. Many times, you will find that you enjoy a dance style that you were not even planning to learn!

Essential oils are used in perfumes, in aromatherapy, in creams and lotions and for many other purposes where pleasant aromas are needed. Several methods are used to extract essential oils from flowers and other plant material. Essential oil makes up only a very small percentage of the plant or flower so a large amount of plant material is needed to produce a small amount of oil.

More than a hundred pounds may be needed to produce an ounce of oil. Some flowers are also too delicate to use the easier methods and more time consuming and expensive methods must used. Essential oils can be expensive but they are very concentrated. Most recipes only require a few drops so a small bottle will last for a long time.

Steam Distillation

Steam distillation is used for the majority of essential oil production. Pressurised steam is passed through flowers or other plant material spread on screens inside a still. The oils are absorbed by the steam which is then passed into another chamber and cooled. On condensing the oil floats on the top of the water and is skimmed off. The water remaining is not wasted as it contains small amounts of the oil and can be used for toners and facial mists. As it is not as concentrated as the essential oils floral water can be used by people who are sensitive to essential oils.

Dance Therapy For Spinal Injury

Dance your heart out to get rid of the terrible spinal injury!
Surprised? Well, if we are to believe the recent medical report published by the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre (ISIC), dance therapy is used to cure patients who are suffering from spinal injury. If we look at the global figures, estimated 20,000 spinal operations are carried out in the UK each year, than any other type of operations. The same figure probably applies for operations in the USA.

Deepti Aggarwal, head of the lifestyle management department of the Indian Spinal Injuries Centre said, “The benefits of dance therapy – both psychologically and physically has been identified since long. But it is for the first time that it has been introduced in a healthcare centre under strict medical supervision. Needless to say the results have been amazing,” The dance not only did strengthen the muscles but also boosts the morale as well as enhances the patient mood.

The Magic of Aromatherapy Essential Oils

Aromatherapy utilizes the essential oils from plants and other aromatic compounds to revitalize and relax the human mind. Aromatherapy essential oils are the pure essence of plants, known to cure certain forms of illnesses. One should know that these essential oils which have a pleasant and calming odor are not the same as perfume oils or fragrances.
Perfume oils contain artificial compounds, as against the natural essential oils, which have therapeutic and curative benefits.

Aromatherapy seeks to find the effects of various aromas on human behavior. It can be taken through inhalation. Aromatherapy essential oils also can be absorbed by the skin through massages, compresses and baths.