| Dance for Joy! |
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| Georgina Guedes | |||
| Wednesday, 18 June 2008 | |||
  You know how sometimes you think you know the words to a song that’s playing, and you belt it out at the top of your lungs, but the sneaky band went and changed the words in the third chorus and you look like a bit of a fool for getting it wrong? Well, Nia is nothing like that. Nia is a form of dancing exercise that involves free-form expression in a structured class. So there are certain steps involved, but you can interpret them however you’d like to, and incorporate your own hip and arm movements. And if you get so caught up in the thumping trance or world beats that you end up doing a few steps of your own devising, you don’t end up feeling like a fool; in fact it’s encouraged. A friend of mine – a Nia enthusiast – was also at the Jam. She likes it when the instructor has a more structured approach and the movements are clear and repetitive. On the other hand, I liked it when we were encouraged to find our own movement in the music and to use our bodies in whatever way felt good for us. There is no right or wrong in this – rather it shows how widely Nia can vary, as there were teachers who were more in tune with each of our different preferences. Even the music varied from teacher to teacher, and while trance beats and world music were definitely the order of the day, hillbilly folk and even Celine Dion made an appearance in one selection. Whatever the music, the rhythm is the key, and even if there wasn’t an instructor upfront egging me on, I would have felt compelled to shake my booty – it was like being at a really great party with no booze and almost no men (they’re trying to attract more). Nia is not entirely interpretive. There are steps borrowed from waltzes and polkas, there are warm-ups and cool-downs, there are levels for beginners intermediates and pros, but unlike aerobics or even yoga and tai chi, there are no right and wrong ways of going through the motions. And there is something in the collective energy of a class that carries you through it so you don’t even realise how hard you’ve worked your body until you wake up the next morning aching all over – but in a good way. The purpose of the Jam4Joy was to raise money for refugees and victims of recent xenophobic attacks. People talk about Nia being a gift for yourself - by contributing to the collective energy of the group, you are taking away positive benefits. The Jam4Joy took this to the next level, and the money raised for refugees must have been significant, from the number of people at the Jam as well as the food and clothing donations that piled up outside. I came away feeling filled with good health, energy and happiness – not a bad start to a public holiday. It may also be the start of a whole new exercise routine for me. And since Nia is a gift that keeps on giving, I’ll definitely be back for second helpings.
Disclaimer: Harmonious Living is written for and read by a community of individuals with strong and independent opinions. While the publishers of Harmonious Living are dedicated to providing a forum in which views can be openly expressed, those views do not necessarily reflect those of the publishers.
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