Family Activities

Looking for something to do that the whole family will enjoy and keep them occupied? Look no further. Below are ideas that will be fun for everyone in your family. Including great activities for kids to do when you hear those dreaded words of "there is nothing to do" or "we are bored." From family road trips to rainy days when going outside is impossible. These family activities will keep everyone entertained!

Road Trip Fun

Tired of "Are we there yet?", or "I'm bored!" Here are a couple of VERY easy family games great for in the car.

Rhyming

Start with the letter A. Say a word that begins with the letter, for example: "apple". The next person has to find a word to rhyme. Everyone takes a turn finding a rhyming word. The person who can't think of a word that rhymes goes to the next letter of the alphabet and starts over. This keeps going until you reach the end of the alphabet.

One Word Association

Start with any word. The next person has to say another word that comes to their mind from the original word. This game can go for a long time because each person comes up with the new word which allows for a new association. A great family activity that will make a long road trip more like a short trip to the grocery store!

Example: Dog - bone - eat - dinner - cook - groceries - money - allowance - etc.

Seek Color

Look around as you are driving. Name items by color, not using a color twice.

The person who finds the most colors wins.

Example: Tree/green, road/gray, sign/yellow, car/blue, truck/red, etc.

Story

Begin a sentence with 2 to 4 words. The next person repeats your words and then adds 2 to 4 words of their own and so on. This continues until it has gone around enough that the story is all mixed up or forgotten. A new person then starts a new story.

For example: (1st person) Yesterday I saw...

(2nd person)Yesterday I saw a big blue...

(3rd person) Yesterday I saw a big blue ox that was ...

(4th person) Yesterday I saw a big blue ox that was sitting on top ...

(5th person) etc.

Rainy Day Actives

Can't send the kids outside to play? Try some of these activities for kids that are perfect for indoor fun.

MUSICAL STATUE

Have the children dance around to a favorite CD. Ideally one that is fun and upbeat. When the music stops, the children must hold the exact position that they were in. Anyone seen moving is out and the game continues until the last child remains. Have the children take turns running the music and you dance with them.

TREASURE CHEST

This game has been around for a long time. Although it is old, it is ALWAYS fun for both parent and child. Pick a few treasures... nothing fancy is needed... it can be candy, favorite toys, cut out stars, etc. Hide them in the house if it is a rainy day or outdoors if it is a nice day. (Be sure to note where you hid them!) Draw a map with clues on how to find the hidden treasures. And, enjoy!!! If the game ended too soon, let the children hide the treasures and you try to find it!

OTHER INDOOR ACTIVITIES FOR KIDS

Have a picnic inside on the floor. Have the children help you plan the menu. Maybe make a party out it and have each child invite a friend. Tell stories, by someone starting it, and then everyone adding a line. Let everyone's imagination take the story to different places

Draw picture, take turns adding the details, and tell a story along with it.

MAKING A COLLAGE

What you will need: old magazines, safety scissors for kids, glue stick, construction paper, crayons or markers

Give each child a magazine and have them go through it and cut out their favorite things (favorite animals, food, flowers, toys, etc.) Have them paste the pictures onto a piece of construction paper. They can decorate their collage with the crayons and markers. Then have the children explain what their collage is about and why they cut out the items that they did.

Chris Lowrey

Author and Editor of Family Time Charm

A truly unique family magazine. Family Time Charm is absolutely designed for the entire family.

For more parenting articles, fun games for kids and educational activities for all, visit our website: http://www.familytimecharm.com

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The Cavaquinho - What Is A Cavaquinho?

No matter where you go in the world, you are likely to come across an instrument that looks like a guitar whether it's a balalaika in Russia, a ukulele in Hawaii or a cavaquinho in Brazil. Such instruments were spread by European explorers who traveled the globe in the early nineteenth century.

Not surprisingly, the cavaquinho has similar roots to the ukulele. Brazil was conquered by Portugal (as was Hawaii) and they introduced their instrument the machete to both countries. In Hawaii it developed into the ukulele and in Brazil it became a cavaquinho.

One thing to notice is that these instruments are all much smaller than the guitar. Obviously, explorers are restricted as to the size and weight of the instrument. So small, fretted instruments were the obvious choice. Once introduced to new countries they to keep their diminutive size.

How Big is a Cavaquinho?

The cavaquinho is very similar in size to a ukulele. Most commonly they are under sixty centimetres long. The most common scale length (that is the part of the string that is actually played) is around thirty four centimetres.

How is a Cavaquinho Tuned?

The standard tuning of the cavaquinho is DGBD - giving the cavaquinho a G chord when it is strummed with all strings open. This is similar to the 'slack key' tuning of a ukulele (a popular alternative tuning for the ukulele in Hawaii). The difference being that the bottom D string is tuned low rather than being tuned between the E and G strings as it is on a ukulele.

There are a number of variations on this tuning. Many guitarists and ukulele players prefer to tune their cavaquinho to DGBE. This gives it the same tuning as a the top four strings of the guitar (but an octave higher) and allows ukulele players to use the chord and scale shapes that they are familiar with.

Famous Cavaquinho Players

Waldir Azevedo was a Brazilian composer of the 1940s. He wrote for many instruments, but his chosen instrument was the cavaquinho. He was one of the one of the pioneers of the cavaquihno and is widely credited with popularizing the cavaquinho and making it into a respectable musical instrument.

Paulinho da Viola was another Brazilian multi-instrumentalist with a fondness for the cavaquinho. In the 1960s and 70s he became a huge Samba star. As a result he spread knowledge of the cavaquinho world wide.

The cavaquinho is a great instrument to pick up. Particularly if you are a guitar player, it makes a great traveling guitar and will open your ears and your fingers to new possibilities for your music and your playing.

To find out more about the cavaquinho visit here: Cavaquinho

Al Wood writes about the ukulele.

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Piano Lessons With Frederic Chopin

Frederic Chopin was alone among the great composers in that he made his living almost entirely from teaching piano.

During the period around the 1840's he was the most famous piano teacher in Paris, largely because he was also one of the most famous and beloved composers in the world.

His roster of students contained many great and good pianists, among them Mikuli, who became the editor of Chopin's printed piano music.

Chopin taught at home in a lavish, well appointed studio. It contained two pianos: one beautiful Erard grand, on which the student played, and a small cottage upright, at which the master sat and demonstrated.

The master instructed his students to seek out and play only the finest pianos, as he thought playing on inferior instruments ruined a good finger technique. His emphasis at first was on relieving the tension found in many students' hands.

He began at eight in the morning and taught all day. This was because, as he said, "All those white gloves cost money." He was a dandy and fastidious dresser, and traveled only in the highest echelons of Paris high society, where he was in constant demand both as pianist and personality.

To the talented student, he was both inspiring and confusing. Giving great advice was his stock in trade, but one student pointed out that, "The master is so confusing. He demonstrates how I should play, but every time he plays a piece, it is completely different!"

To the untalented, he could be cruel. Many of his students were titled young ladies of very high social standing but little talent who took lessons from Chopin because they could afford to and because it conferred social status to study with such a great master.

But his assistant, Mikuli, noted many times when these rich young ladies would be reduced to tears and run away in horror because the master had criticized their playing most harshly.

Rich or poor, at the end of the lesson the student put their payment in gold on the mantelpiece, while the master discreetly turned his back.

Great masters do not tarnish their hands with money.

By John Aschenbrenner Copyright 2000 Walden Pond Press. Visit http://www.pianoiseasy.com to see the fun PIANO BY NUMBER method for kids.

John Aschenbrenner is a leading children's music educator and book publisher, and the author of numerous piano method books in the series PIANO BY NUMBER.

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Bachata Is Not Grinding

The next dance craze is bachata, a Dominican dance. Many people have been dancing it incorrectly. Since it's a very close romantic dance, most people dance it in a grinding way. It's not! You can grind during merengue, house, hip-hop and even lambada, but please don't grind during bachata!

There is big difference between gyrating and grinding. Bachata is NOT grinding! I have been trying to figure out why some women avoid dancing bachata. They think it's a freak dance. They think it's perversive. Being a bachata teacher that I am, I take offense with this notion. Any bachata teacher that teaches such false gospel should stick to house and hip-hop.

Grinding involves pelvises. And sometimes crotches. Also, back ends. Take two persons; add hormones, romantica music and lots of friction and you get the point. This dance is called "Freak Dancing," not bachata!

Yes, If you have taken my classes and workshops, I have always emphasized leading from the hips, and that, you must do when you are both close to each other. If you are a good leader, your hips along with your partner's, naturally and automatically, move in unison. If you are grinding, you are doing it wrong!

Bachata is not frottage!

On the other hand, I love the gyration of the hips because this type of movement is accepted since the beginning of dancing. It is one good expression of dancing. Some dancers perform it while dancing solo (merengue or salsa shines), or they gyrate with their partners in unison!

Now If I ever see you in the clubs again grinding to bachata, I'll slap you upside the head!

Rodney Aquino is the founder of http://www.Salsagang.com and a bachata site called http://www.Rodchata.com. He had been dancing Latin dance for 10 years. He holds a Masters Degree in Counseling Psychology, a certified Personal Fitness Trainer and holds 4th Degree Black Belt in the Martial Arts. Contact him at Rodney@rodchata.com

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A New Twist on Old Waltz

The term Ballroom Dancing is the most general and the oldest term that is used to describe formal dances and generally includes Waltz, Tango, Slow Foxtrot, Quickstep and Viennese Waltz dances as well as some of the Latin dances. There two types of waltz in this group, the Classic Waltz and the Viennese Waltz.

The Classic Waltz is known as the mother of dances as it was the first dance where people actually danced in front of each other. This made it a very exciting dance when it was first introduced. It is based on an 18th century Austrian folk-dance and the steps are based on a box step with a rotary motion. The Classic Waltz, or the 'slow' or 'English' Waltz as it is sometimes called, is known for a gliding motion with a slight rise and fall and is normally danced to a slow tempo which requires a large degree of control to dance well.

The Viennese Waltz on the other hand is elegant and beautiful to watch. It is sometimes seen in movies and even Disney cartoons! As the name suggests it is linked to Vienna where the Aristocracy danced the Viennese Waltz to music by Strauss and other classical composers. The Viennese Waltz is a faster movement than the Classical Waltz, and is danced at about 180 beats (58-60 measures) a minute, as opposed to about 90 beats per minute with 3 beats to the bar for the Classical Waltz.

The Viennese Waltz is a rotary motion where the dancers are constantly turning either in a clockwise (natural) or anti-clockwise (reverse) direction. This is interspersed with non-rotating change steps to switch between the directions of rotation. Furthermore, in a properly danced Viennese Waltz, couples do not pass, but turn continuously left and right while they travel counterclockwise around the floor following each other in procession. Although this dance is still danced on social occasions, it is more usual for the Classical Waltz to be used.

In the Standard dances such as the waltzes, men traditionally wear formal coat-tails, vests or waistcoats, and bow ties. Women wear elegant and colorful gowns, often with sheer fabric draped from the shoulders or arms. Partners remain in closed position facing each other, throughout the dance, and movements tend to be elegant and sweeping.

American Smooth allows more open work where the partners can separate from each other and dance in open positions. American Smooth can be best described as a variation of ballroom dancing with an enhanced range of movements and exciting steps. All basic principles and the technique of ballroom dancing still apply, however partners are not required to maintain a continuous body contact. The removal of the body contact restriction allows the dancers to perform a variety of new steps such as: lady under arm turns, spins, side by side positions, parallel turns, dips, drops and other variations that would never be allowed in the traditional ballroom dancing.

The term 'Ballroom' has been used to describe Waltz, Tango, Slow Foxtrot, Quickstep and Viennese Waltz as a group of dances together with a range of Latin dances such as the Rumba, Quickstep and Cha-Cha-Cha. Ballroom dances may have at one time also included historical dances like Minuet, Quadrille, Polonaise, Pas de Gras, and Mazurka. However there was no standard definition and so as different dances were introduced new terms were introduced to differentiate these. "Modern Ballroom" (in short "Modern"), was introduced in Britain to referring to Old Time, Sequence or Latin-American dances.

But in Europe the term "Modern" was already frequently used to describe a totally different type of dancing (eg. jazz or other form of solo dancing), so the term Standard was introduced instead. But "Standard" had an unclear meaning in America, where there is an American version of it called American Smooth. Therefore American's introduced the term "International Standard" to make the difference clear.

In spite of its historical image as a pastime for the privileged; formal competitions, sometimes referred to as DanceSport, allow participation by less advanced dancers at various proficiency levels. In the United States, amateur dance proficiency levels are defined by USA Dance (formerly United States Amateur Ballroom Dance Association,) The International Olympic Committee now recognizes competitive ballroom dance. It is doubtful that it will be included as an official sport in the Olympic Games especially in light of efforts to reduce the number of offerings, but the application has not been permanently rejected.

Of all of the dances, the Waltz is the perfect one to learn first. It can be learnt in a few minutes and yet can take a lifetime to master.

Roger Titley manages a successful Internet Marketing Company that operates a number of websites that cover a range of topic. For more articles and information like this article, then visit http://www.studiodancing.com

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So You Want to be a DJ

There is glitter and glamor, music and dancing. Maybe even your name up in lights on the marque. But at the end of your DJ party, it's time to do the real work. Which is a lead in to this article on why Disc Jockey's deserve and earn every cent they make. It's what's behind the scene that counts and a four hour job can mean many more hours of hard work and a lot less money per hour as the end result.

So many times It has been said by friends, family or future customers "That is an awful lot of money for only four hours work". Yes indeed, I am just getting rich quick for doing nothing but playing some music. It gets under your skin sometimes. If only the truth were known (and if you could get anyone to listen to you), a four hour night would be a sweet dream Indeed.

If you have been a successful DJ for awhile, I am not going to be telling you anything new. If you have considering becoming a professional DJ then I have a few things for you to ponder. If you plan on hiring a DJ please read on.

You buy some equipment to get you going, a good chunk of change, but a good DJ also has backup gear to fall back on in case of an emergency (now it's more than a few bucks). It takes a lot of 4 hour jobs to pay for it. You need to advertise, promote yourself and do a lot of legwork visiting clubs, bars and maybe a few afternoons at some wedding promotion events (you pay for a X booth). You would like to drive a nice sports car but your stuck with that 15 passenger van, not to mention that it gets 12 miles to the gallon.. Every week you jog down to the local record store and buy that much needed CD for $16.95. You know the one that only has one good song that you will ever use. But some guy just has to hear that song the next time you play (then multiply that by 50 people who want a different song). Got to please your fans. A good library of music can set you back a few hundred or thousands of dollars.

You make that appointment to meet with your clients and sign the contract. If your into beat or scratch mixing you spend a bit of time just practicing your art. The weekend comes and your out in the heat or cold (I live in New England) packing your gear in the van. With any luck it's a fairly local gig that you can drive to in about an hour, sometimes it's 3 hours both ways. You will unpack, setup, test the equipment and wait. Because if your a good DJ, then you arrive at the gig with plenty of time to spare. Time that could be used to fix a problem that might have happened but with luck did not or time to make sure your all setup before the guests start arriving. If all goes well, you have got time to wait (bring a book).

So here comes the four hour gig. You play your best music but you also put up with the people who are drunk, the people who request songs but do not know the name of the song or the artist who sang it (you must be a mind reader) and then there are the people who just want you to play some music that you know for sure would just kill the festivities (they won't listen to reason).

Finally it's pay time. Too bad the work is not over. Time to pack up, load the van, drive it home, unpack the van and get to bed. Maybe it's 4:00 in the morning and you have got another gig that night. Maybe all your friends were having a great party (wish you were here)while you was out just playing your music. If your in demand, you have not had a weekend off all year. If you have a day job then you find yourself working a seven day week. Your four hour job can end up taking up to 10 or 12 hours to do. But hey, I just got a big load of cash for only playing music for four hours. The heck with my social life. I am a DJ and I got lots of money (and deep in debt, plus van repair bills) to prove it.

DJ RON B Has over 38 years of on stage experience. A former drummer and singer in many of New England's top show bands, worked with Jerry Lewis and the MDA Labor Day Telethons, radio announcer, studio musician (worked with Miss Piggy original soundtrack, commercials etc.), host of Talent Showcases, writes music scores for submission to TAXI for TV and movie tracks, owned and ran The Bouchard Agency from 1976 to 2002. A top disc jockey for over 25 years. DJ's be sure to check out Ron Bouchard's website at http://www.djdropins.com for great DJ Drops to add to your show. You can also read this entire article at http://www.djdropins.com/articles.html

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A Website Without Video Is Like

Jell-O Without Whip Cream

Do you like Jell-O? It's okay I guess; I mean it's not a hot fudge sundae is it? But if you add a little whip cream, then my friend you've got something worth calling dessert. My question to you is, does your website have that something extra, that dollop of whip cream on top that says, "oh mama let me at it," or does it just lie there squirming in your dish with the sound of Peggy Lee's voice ringing in your ears, "is that all there is?"

If your website disappointments, you need something that provides the 'eureka factor' and that can be provided with a creative, informative Web-video.

The Chicago Bulls Without Michael Jordan

How the mighty have fallen, at least in terms of brand personality. I mean it's not like the Chicago Bulls stink? It's just that without MJ they're not the Chicago Bulls of old. When Michael played we all watched, he was magic, he wasn't just a great basketball player, he was a great personality and he gave the team it's character; no Michael, no personality.

Is your website like the new Chicago Bulls, a talented group of players with skills but no singular personality? Time for a humanity injection, add a Web-video featuring a signature character host who can generate some excitement and establish your unique business personality.

Television Without Sound

You're watching your favorite television show, say CSI, the Vegas one not Miami, and the phone rings. It's your mother. You turn the television's sound down so you can hear her but you're still watching the show. You love your Mom but Grissom has just discovered a new miniature killer clue and you need to know what is going on, but your Mom is carrying on about how your Dad needs new dentures or something Frustrating. No audio, no information.

Does your website have the same effect as watching television without the sound. It's there, people visit, but they leave without getting your message. Time to add a little life to your presentation in the form of a Web-video that tells your story out loud.

Words Without Meaning

Have you ever reread someone's website copy several times and still not understood what the heck they're trying to tell you, or maybe you understand every word but still can't figure out what they're selling?

Words have meaning, they are meant to convey a message not hide it. A lousy video script is no better than lousy print copy. Your Web-audience has no patience for mumbo-jumbo that masquerades as information or for text and dialog that says nothing in as many words as possible in an effort to attract the search engines. Words have meaning, say them with style and deliver them with conviction.

The Rumba Without Rhythm

Have you ever sat at a wedding and watched people dance? There are the people who know how to move, how to respond to the their partners and to communicate with the slightest of gestures or movements. And then there are the others who look like they've got something icky stuck to the bottom of their shoes and are trying desperately to remove it.

If you want to communicate to your audience, you have to use all the techniques available. Communication is more than just copy, its voice, gesture, movement and meaningful dialog.

Romance Without Kisses

Ah the first kiss, something special that can seal a relationship or sour it forever. Your landing page is like that first embrace. Is yours as exciting as it could be, or is it like the guy who spends the entire first date talking about his double entry booking keeping skills?

A well-crafted, expertly presented marketing message is like a seduction; if you're not generating any excitement don't expect to produce any sales either. Boring mission statement gobbledygook and keyword-laden palaver are not the same as an enticing video. An engaging business story, well told, is like a juicy wet-one planted right on your audience's lips.

A Joke Without A Punch Line

Everybody likes a funny story. A good joke is nothing more than a short story with a set-up, an escalation, and a twist, but the real key to a good story lies in the telling. Even comedians with second-rate material can get their audience's howling if they know how to deliver their material.

It's all well and good to repeat the mantra, "websites are about content," but if that content isn't delivered with some style and panache, don't expect anybody to pay much attention.

A Song Without A Hook

Hit songs are highly structured stories with verses that function as chapters or acts, and a chorus that provides the hook that sticks in your audience's heads. Add a toe tapping beat and some instrumental flourishes and you've got something that people will listen to over and over again.

Does that sound like your website presentation? Are people willing to come back to your site just to watch your presentation, or does your website leave visitors with a 'been there, done that' impression?

Information Without Knowledge

Just because you're in business doesn't mean you've got to be boring. And just because you dump a lot of facts and figures and bulleted points onto your Web-pages doesn't mean you're making a convincing argument for anyone to buy your stuff.

Web audiences demand more. If you won't give it to them, you can be sure someone else will, like maybe your competition.

Interactivity Without Purpose

Can we all just stop and take a breath and think about this whole interactivity thing. Let's all get interactive, why? I mean what is interactivity anyway? Is it developing a hugely expensive game that people can play on your website to avoid working, or is it getting them to click on the "Tell Me More" button?

I vote for the interactivity that leads to opening a dialogue with a potential client, one that gets visitors to pick up the phone and call you to discuss their needs, not the one that generates a "Game Over" message. Of course that assumes you're willing to actually talk to customers.

Frequency Without Resonance

I happened to like vinegar on my fries, okay it's weird I admit it, but the Dutch like mayonnaise on theirs, even weirder. I once had a chef in a Tucson restaurant come out of the kitchen and confront me when I asked the waiter for vinegar (it's a Canadian thing). The chef approached the table and asked who ordered the vinegar? I reluctantly raised my hand. "You must be from Canada," he said, "I'm from Victoria, where you from?"

Good advertising is all about delivering a message that resonates with your audience. It doesn't matter how many times you run an advertisement if that advertisement doesn't make an impression on your audience. You can't be afraid to be creative or even a bit weird.

Humor Without Laughter

Dr. Max Sutherland in his e-mail newsletter report, "False Alarm Theory: How Humorous Ads Work" describes how laughter is a hardwired residual mechanism that developed in our ape days as an 'all clear' signal once a danger had past. The 'all clear' message is passed on from one ape to another, until the entire troop is screeching with the ecstasy of survival.

A guy slips on a banana and breaks his neck - that's not funny. A guy slips on a banana, jumps up and looks around to see if anybody saw - that's funny. Humor is based on creating some sense of uncertainty or tension that is ultimately relieved with a humorous punch line or comforting resolution. The safe or amusing resolution creates a chain reaction in the audience that signals, "hay guys, all is well; everything is back to normal."

Without tension there can be no relief, no opportunity for an entertaining resolution that creates a cascading viral reaction among your audience. So don't expect your website to be passed on to friends and colleagues unless you deliver a compelling presentation that offers the opportunity to signal the rest of the world that all is well.

Jerry Bader is Senior Partner at MRPwebmedia, a website design firm that specializes in Web-audio and Web-video. Visit http://www.mrpwebmedia.com/ads, http://www.136words.com, and http://www.sonicpersonality.comContact at info@mrpwebmedia.com or telephone (905) 764-1246.

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Wal-Mart Music Downloads

Wal-Mart music downloads site is one of the easiest services available. Every song on the Wal-mart music downloads site has the same Always Low Price of .88 cents.This easy to use site offers new releases, top songs, and classic favorites all priced the same. Album pricing varies depending on the number of songs available for download. In almost all cases, buying an album will be less expensive than buying the individual songs that make up an album. Before I go on any further, sorry Mac users this program is only available for PCs and Windows operating systems.OK, back to the good stuff.. Each title has a 30 second clip so that you can preview the song (just to make sure its the right one). It also comes with a free song storage program that helps you list your new songs in playlists ready for listening or burning to CD. Bottom line.just as their ad says .88 cents Every Song. Every Day.There is no monthly subscription fee with Wal-mart music downloads or any other additional charges. You pay for only the price of the songs or albums you want and (of course) any applicable sales tax, with no other fees. And its all legal, licensed, and free of viruses. A great program especially if you are a diehard Wal-mart fan. Oh, I almost forgot they also offer a Wal-mart Music Downloads Gift Card. Perfect for those special people who love music, but you really dont know what they like.
You can purchase any amount between $10 and $2,500.(guaranteed they wont return this gift).

John Rivers has been involved with music for over 30 years as a student, performer and teacher. His site The-NetGuide-for-MusicDownloads.com helps individuals to find safe and legal Music and Movie download sites. Subscribe to "NetMusic News" and receive Free music downloads each month.

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Too Old To Learn To Dance? Never

Did you always want to learn to dance, but never had the time? With college and career, marriage and children, and then your kids' college and careers, and their marriage and children, the years have a way of spinning away from us. Before you know it, you've gone from being a young adult to an empty nester in the blink of an eye. You and your spouse may find yourselves retired, looking at each other over the breakfast table saying, "What should we do now?"

If one of the things you and your spouse always meant to do but never got a chance to, was learn to dance, don't push that aside, thinking you're too old. You are never too old to learn to dance.

Dancing is excellent low-impact exercise. You are up and moving, getting your blood pumping a little. Dancing helps to increasing your stamina and strength. It improves balance and coordination, and it helps to relieve stress.

Dancing is not only great exercise, it's also a lot of fun. Taking dance lessons is such a fun thing to do that many people don't really consider it in the same category as taking an exercise class like aerobics, for example.

Aerobics and dancing are actually very much the same. The difference lies in the intent behind the movement. People usually take aerobics because they want to see a result after the class is over. The movements are done in order to be able to see an eventual change in their bodies; a change on the scale, on the tape measure or in the way clothes fit. The enjoyment of aerobics isn't within the class, but afterward. In a dance class, the focus is on the movement itself. The enjoyment is in the mirror as you are moving, not afterward. Any changes that happen after a dance class are a side benefit. But the joy and fun of learning to dance is the class itself.

Dancing is also very romantic. As we live our normal lives with jobs, kids and the activities of everyday life, we can lose touch with this part of ourselves and this part of our love relationship. Think back to when you and your spouse were dating. There was probably a little dancing involved, wasn't there? Believe it or not, that flirtation and fun that you shared when you were dating is still there within both of you. You just have to give it an opportunity to be expressed.

Knowing how to dance is a great way to connect with each other as well as enjoy more of what life has to offer. Going out for dinner and dancing with friends is a great way to spend any evening. Even the old family summer barbeque that you've been having for years can be livened up by setting up a small dance floor and some music.

So if you and your spouse have ever thought that you would like to learn to dance, there has never been a better time to do it. Learning to dance is something you'll never regret.

If you have ever wanted to learn how to dance it's time to take action. Some people talk about starting a new hobby or learning a new skill for years and but never do. Don't fall victim to inaction. Seize the day.

It far easier then you think to get started. Simply book some dance lessons and turn up. It's the only way you will find out if it's something you really want to do or not. At the end of your life you won't regret the things you did - you will regret the things you didn't do. Learn how to get started here: http://www.dancevogue.com.au/

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Belly Dancing Turkey - The Super Sultry and Seductive Belly Dancing Style From Turkey

Belly Dancing is a very popular form of entertainment in Turkey. It is quite common to find dancers performing in nightclubs and restaurants all over the country. However belly dancers are often hired for private events such as weddings, festivals, shows and parties.

In Turkey belly dancing has a long-standing tradition that has lately become a hot tourist attraction. In spite of its popularity these dances remain an intrinsic part of the private lives of all Turks regardless of age or class, and in its most basic form it is a dance for fertility.

In its native tongue it is called "Gobek dans" and it is still growing and changing even today especially as it comes under the influence of various cultures. And the authorities are mixed on where they believe the original dance came from, some say from the Greeks and others claim that it is from the Egyptians.

In The Clubs

The art is very popular in Turkish nightclubs and is a profitable profession for women who receive their tips from men literally showering them in paper money, or by stuffing bills into their costumes. And of course a little known fact is that men also belly dance. It is not uncommon for men to jump up out of the audience and accompany the woman on stage. Of course this happens more often at private parties or festivals than in the clubs.

Worldwide Popularity

As belly dancing spreads the globe it is enjoying increased popularity as it hits different parts of the world. Perhaps the allure of the dance is due to its rich heritage that makes it so unique as a dance style. Because of this heritage many people associate the belly dancing from Turkey with religion and exoticism. And of course this causes some strong opinions about the art; some love it while others despise it.

The Music

In Turkey the dancer is generally a well-curved woman, with strong abs muscles who dances to a backdrop of traditional music. She will often accompany the music with the use of clangs, which are the little bells used during a Turkish belly dance. The music is very rhythmic and the dance emphasizes the movement of the hips and chest. The movements are solid and organic as the dancer moves bare foot across the floor in order to remain connected to the earth.

The Movements

The cadence of the dancers body parts are the main characteristic of this style. The dancer moves with fluid, supple and well-integrated movements which are very sensual in nature. Most movements concentrate on the hips and shoulders, which alternate with shimmy and sliding moves.

Various other items are used by dancers, which are specific to Turkey such as serpents, swords, veils and candles. These items are most widely used in Turkish folk dances, and are said to have mystical powers. The use of a snake during dances come from the ancient cults and are a foundational element symbolizing male and female sexuality and even the concept of immortality.

Find out more about Turkish, Egyptian And Arab belly dancing visit http://belly-dancing-secrets.info a popular site for women who want to enjoy the beautiful art of belly dancing.

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