GO & DO Day of DanceWhen: 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday Schedule: 10 a.m.: Welcome 10:05 a.m.: Gymnastics Joe’s 10:20 a.m.: Fayetteville Pilates and Barre presenting Xtend Barre 10:35 a.m.: Hoot ’N Holler Cloggers 10:50 a.m.: Open dance for ages 10 and younger featuring performances by Rhythm & Shoes Pee Wee Dance Co.
11:05 a.m.: TerraNova Tribal Bellydance Company 11:20 a.m.: The Sophisticated Ladies of Bella Vista 11:35 a.m.: Fayetteville Senior Activity and Wellness Center presenting Exercise with Dance 11:50 a.m.: Prize drawing11:55 a.m.: McCafferty School of Irish Dance 12:10 p.m.: En Fuego Fitness presenting Zumba Gold 12:25 p.m.: Gymnastics Joe’s featuring Cheer Dynamix 12:40 p.m.: The Pride of Arkansas 12:55 p.m.: St. Joseph Aztec Dancers 1:10 p.m.: En Fuego Fitness presenting Zumba 1:25 p.m.: Arkansas Dance Connection 1:40 p.m.: Prize drawing 1:45 p.m.: Mascot dance, featuring Northwest Arkansas Naturals’ Sinker, Kellogg’s Mini-Wheat and Fayetteville High School Bulldog led by FHS cheerleaders Where: Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville Cost: Free Information: 463-3125It’s no coincidence that the National Day of Dance comes on the heels of Valentine’s Day. Like the month of February, it’s a day dedicated to matters of the heart - not just how to stay heart healthy but how dance, and exercise in general, can help mend hearts and guide them.
The event was founded by and is offered in partnership with Spirit of Women, a national network of hospitals dedicated to improving women’s lives with innovative health and community education programs. According to Washington Regional Medical Center spokeswoman Gina Maddox, the Fayetteville hospital has been a member of Spirit of Women since 2009.
Washington Regional and the Walker Heart Institute will sponsor a Day of Dance from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the Northwest Arkansas Mall in Fayetteville. Maddox pointed out that it’s dance for all ages and all interests.
“I am very excited that this is the largest number of dance groups we’ve ever assembled for Day of Dance, representing the widest variety of styles and cultures,” she said.
Taking the stage at Center Court to introduce participants to “a fun and energizing way to prevent heart disease” will be cloggers, belly dancers, Irish dancers, students from Gymnastics Joe’s and members of the Sophisticated Ladies of Bella Vista.
FOR THE YOUNG
The students at Gymnastics Joe’s don’t swing from rings or leap over pommel horses, said owner Joe Garrett. He’s found that what most children enjoy is “floorexercise” - tumbling and cheering - and that’s the focus of the business he runs in a renovated movie theater space at the Northwest Arkansas Mall.
Garrett’s students start asyoung as 41 /2 - they’re called“minis” - but other schools enroll them even younger, he said. Along with cartwheels and back flips, they’re learningdiscipline, self-esteem, confidence, trust and perhaps a lifelong passion, he adds.
Two of Lindsay Williams’ daughters, Kinley, 9, and Sydney, 10, are students at Gymnastics Joe’s. Both of them love it, their mom said, but for Kinley it is a rare extracurricular outlet.
Kinley was born with Smith-Magenis syndrome, a developmental disorder that includes wide-ranging symptoms. One of hers is what Williams simply calls “meltdowns.” Her gymnastics classes have taught her how to follow directions and get along with fellow students and teachers plus building her confidence and self-esteem as she succeeds at learning tumbling moves.
But Williams thinks the classes are just as important for Sydney, the middle daughter.
“It’s her own time, her own chance to make friends with kids from schools all over Northwest Arkansas, to have fun, to laugh and sing in class,” she said. “Plus she’s learned to trust her instructors not to let her fall on her head.”
Jake Cale is one of the instructors at Gymnastics Joe’s, a coach for Arkansas Cheer Dynamix. He’s coaching competitive cheer, which he describes as “like a half-time performance with a lot of tumbling and jumping and people flying in the air - organized chaos, as we call it.” He started out studying karate, then, at 17, went to work for Garrett, cleaning the gym.
Just 25, he’s not only become a successful coach - with teams winning grand-championstatus in several recent competitions - but he’s also found his life’s calling. He will graduate from the University of Arkansas in 2014 with a degree in kinesiology and plans to be aphysical education teacher and a strength and conditioning coach.
“I didn’t know what I wanted to do exceptmake money,” he said, “then someone asked me what I would do if money wasn’t an issue. I knew then I would coach kids because that’s what I love to do.” AND YOUNG AT HEART
There’s a definite generation gap between Gymnastics Joe’s students - or his instructors, for that matter - and the Sophisticated Ladies of Bella Vista, who will also be performing at Day of Dance. The 35-member troupe includes women ranging in age from their 50s to their 80s - “although we don’t discuss that,” joked instructor Carol Roller.
Roller and her co-teacher, Barbara Frye, have been at the helm of the dance troupe since 2005. Both of them come from a dance background - Roller in Kansas City and Frye in Atlanta - but Roller is adamant that it’s never too late to start tapping.
“That’s what makes the Sophisticated Ladies unique,” she said. “Because of what they did in their ‘real lives,’ so many of them never got an opportunity to dance.
“You see that a lot in Bella Vista: People might go back and play the instrument they played in high school band, or maybe they did dance in high school or college, but they haven’t since then,” she mused. “It’s a great form of exercise, so of course it’s good for your body, but it’s also good for your mind - because you have to remember steps -and it’s good for you emotionally. You come in and work hard, and you feel better. You always feel better when you exercise - and in my mind, there’s no better exercise than dancing.”
The big event for the Sophisticated Ladies is a show that happens every couple of years.
“We don’t do recitals, because really, they’re kind of boring,” Roller said. “So we do a show. We write a story, and then we tell the story through dance.”
This year’s event, set for September, will be favorite numbers from four previous productions - a cabaret show, a rock ’n’ roll show, a Broadway show and 2011’s Heart of America tour, in which music and dance were chosen to represent cities in the heartland.
But the women also dance at schools, nursing homes - anywhere they’reasked to perform - in hopes of inspiring others to get up and get moving.
Just as Williams said about her daughters’ dancing, “when you’re having a lot of fun, you don’t realize you’re exercising.” HEART HEALTH
This is the fourth year that area residents have had an opportunity to attend a local Day of Dance, Maddox said, which is in its ninth year nationwide. More than 1,000 people participated in last year’s Day of Dance at the Northwest Arkansas Mall, and nationwide, more than 75,000 people in75 other communities across the U.S. are expected to get in the groove on Feb. 23.
According to Amy Jetton, director of cardiovascular services at Walker HeartInstitute, the health fair portion of Day of Dance also “offers information about the risk factors, chronic diseases and lifestyle choices that contribute to heart disease and also educates consumers on a variety of cardiovascular conditions such as atrial fibrillation, stroke and more.
“Our hope is to educate the public,” she said. “Even though we’ve done tons of research and tons of education, people still don’t realize that heart disease is the No. 1 killer of men and women in this country. Our goal is to get the message out.
“This is a way to make a big impact and still have fun.”FAST FACTS Know Your Numbers
For optimal health, here are the
numbers you need to watch:
Total cholesterol - Under
200
LDL “bad” cholesterol
- Under 100
HDL “good” cholesterol
- 50 or higher
Triglycerides - Under 150
Blood pressure - Under
120/80
Fasting glucose - Under
100
Body mass index - Under
25
Waist circumference
Under 35 inches Source: American Heart AssociationFAST FACTS Top 10 Myths About Cardiovascular Disease
I’m too young to worry about
heart disease.
- I’d know if I had high blood
pressure because there would
be warning signs.
- I’ll know when I’m having a
heart attack because I’ll have
chest pain.
- Diabetes won’t threaten
my heart as long as I take my
medication.
- Heart disease runs in my
family, so there’s nothing I can
do to prevent it.
- I don’t need to have my
cholesterol checked until I’m
middle-aged.
- Heart failure means the heart
stops beating.
- This pain in my legs must be
a sign of aging. I’m sure it has
nothing to do with my heart.
- My heart is beating really
fast. I must be having a heart
attack.
- I should avoid exercise after
a heart attack.
Warning Signs
of a Heart Attack
Some heart attacks are sudden
and intense - the “movie
heart attack,” where no one
doubts what’s happening. But
most heart attacks start slowly,
with mild pain or discomfort.
Often people affected aren’t sure
what’s wrong and wait too long
before getting help. Here are
signs that can mean a heart at
tack is happening: Chest discomfort. Most
heart attacks involve discomfort
in the center of the chest that
lasts more than a few minutes,
or that goes away and comes
back. It can feel like uncomfort
able pressure, squeezing, full
ness or pain.
Discomfort in other
areas of the upper body. Symp
toms can include pain
or discomfort in one or both
arms, the back, neck, jaw or
stomach.
Shortness of breath with or
without chest discomfort.
Other signs may include
breaking out in a cold sweat,
nausea or lightheadedness.
As with men, women’s most
common heart attack symptom
is chest pain or discomfort. But
women are somewhat more
likely than men to experience
some of the other common
symptoms, particularly short
ness of breath, nausea/vomit
ing, and back or jaw pain.
Even if you’re not sure it’s a
heart attack, have it checked
out. Don’t wait more than five
minutes to call 9-1-1.
Source: American Heart Association
Style, Pages 19 on 02/21/2013