Will dancing make me slimmer?

Learning dance has always been one joy ride for me but teaching on the other hand has shown me some scarily weird sides of my students. Now, what students ask during sessions or how they behave is totally a different topic and will soon write an article about it. But, before joining the dance class people come up with some stupid and sometimes annoyingly pathetic questions like …

-   I have never danced before, but I want to perform 'gracefully' at New Year's party [which is just 5 days away]… Can u help me with it?

-   I have tried many things to lose weight but nothing helped. Will dancing make me slimmer?

And so on…

Let's talk practically.

a)  Grace is a god's gift. (End of discussion)… wait… what if we try hard, practice a lot… grrr … i repeat , Grace is a god's gift . (End of discussion)

b)  Oooohh, and will dancing make u slim…??? Ummm … let me think…. NO…!!! Dancing never made ME slim, how will it then make YOU slim…!!!??? 

Isn't it a very disappointing and rude answer? (Hahahahahaa… devilish laugh) Well… Truth is always bitter. 

Let's have a reality check. When you come to me to learn dance, I have no clue whether you do any other physical activity such as sports, gym, and aerobics, as I am not a fitness trainer. I have no clue about your daily routine. Similarly, I also don’t know what you eat, how and when, as I am not a nutritionist. Post dance class you must be hogging on junk food. Who knows? [ I have done that manyyyy times :( ]

There are many dance academies who claim that they can make you lose some weight with dancing. Well, thumbs up to them. I think one has to be very particular and disciplined about ones fitness and eating habits. To be able to dance you have to have a fit and healthy body as well as mind. This keeps you away from thinking about anything but dance.

When people ask me if they'll lose weight by joining my dance class, I say, NO. This simple 'NO' is always demoralizing for them. I ask them to join a gym or aerobics class and keep control on food intake, for the simple reason that 'I am a Dance teacher,' neither a fitness instructor nor a nutritionist. I teach dance, how to dance, what to dance, and blah blah blah. Dance is first and foremost an art form. It's an insult to me and to my art if you ask such silly questions as the purpose of it is to emote, express and entertain. AND NOT TO LOSE YOUR WEIGHT.

But, it is also true that with proper workout tips and healthy diet, you may lose some weight with dance, as dancing is a vigorous physical activity. But that shouldn't be your motive if you are going for dance lessons. Dance is a beautiful art form. Learn it; for it is an art which will mesmerize you, enrich you; not as a tool to make u slimmer. I hope to see more 'dance enthusiast and less fitness freaks' in future, not just in my dance class but at every passionate dance teacher's doorstep.

But again, why am I sharing all this? Dance is not something just to talk about. Dance is to dance. So get up and dance and you'll know the reason behind my smile: D (haha...) Trust me, dancing will surely make you happier.

Keep smiling and keep dancing