Submitted by Cape Coral resident Michele Faulkner
This season, would you like to begin an activity to not only help you get fit, but actually benefit your overall health, including your mind and spirit? If you did not have to travel very far, could have fun doing it, and also make new friends, would you try it? There’s a lot of buzz about the benefits (and fun) that Ballroom Dancing offers, no matter what age you are.
There are both physical and mental benefits to ballroom dancing. Dancing is a weight bearing exercise, which means it forces you to work against gravity, and can be very good for bone health. Ballroom Dance students often find that their coordination, balance, strength, and endurance improve. Learning, practicing, and remembering dance steps and routines can help with mental focus and concentration, not just on the dance floor, but in other areas of our lives as well. These improvements often result in greater self – confidence and social ease, not to mention the pure joy that dancers experience gliding across the floor to a beautiful piece of music. Dancing makes you smile, lifts your spirits, and has been known to help with depression.
Are you ready to learn more or want to know how you can you get started dancing? Cape Coral is home to “Y Not Dance,” an independent dance studio where students learn from owner, Nathan Maxwell. Nathan is a professionally trained instructor, who has been teaching Ballroom Dancing for over 17 years. Recently, “Y Not Dance” celebrated its 2-year anniversary in The Cape, and it continues to grow by offering both individual and couples private and group lessons, plus a monthly dance party. Student “outings” allow dancers to get out to practice and show off what they have learned. Nathan also welcomes wedding couples to the studio, who would like to learn a routine to their chosen special song, aimed at creating a memorable first dance.
Students come to “Y Not Dance” from Cape Coral and surrounding areas, some as far as Naples. They come for all different reasons – to enhance what they already know and to become a more accomplished social dancer, to learn a new skill and boost self-confidence, while others have aspirations of dance competitions in the future. “The most important thing,” says Nathan, “is that students have fun while learning.” This philosophy, and Nathan’s emphasis on what you can do and not your limits, makes “Y Not Dance” a very unique dance studio and a great place for dancers of all levels to learn.
New students quickly realize that the hardest part was walking through the door. Once inside, they are immediately welcomed into the “Y Not Dance” family and a positive and encouraging environment. Nathan has a true passion for both dance and teaching, while at the same time making it fun. Group classes are filled with laughter, but don’t be fooled by Nathan’s lighthearted teaching style approach — students systematically learn and practice an incredible amount each week, moving forward with every step.
Students at “Y Not Dance” can choose to learn both the Latin and Smooth styles of dance, including East Coast Swing, Cha Cha, Salsa, Waltz, Hustle, Foxtrot, Rhumba and also challenge themselves to work on more advanced dances like the Tango, Viennese Waltz and Samba. Group classes might even include a little country line dancing to really get dancers warmed up.
Why not get out this season and have some fun? “Y Not Dance”? Contact Nathan Maxwell about new student specials and holiday gift certificates at (239) 265-2400. “Y Not Dance” is located in the Cape, at 1490 NE Pine Island Road, Unit 7, and welcomes students of all ages and dance levels.
