The Shocking Truth About Hip Hop Dancing: Who Knew It’s Actually A Hellaciously Fun, Heart-Healthy Workout That Also Benefits Your Brain?
September 4, 2008 by Anne
Filed under Anne Holmes, Blog, Health & Fitness, Memory Loss, Wellness
If you’re like many Baby Boomers, you’re always planning to get to the gym “next week” when you life won’t be quite so busy. (Yeah, right.) You probably already know that what you really need to do is to find an exercise program that is so much fun you can’t wait to get back to it. (And of course, it’d be even better if you could do it wherever you find yourself – at home, at work or on the road – without having to buy any expensive equipment). Otherwise, with your “busy-busy-busy” lifestyle, fitting in a trip to the gym falls to the bottom of your to-do list…
Maybe the Beijing Olympics Inspired You a Bit?
No doubt watching 42-year old Dara Torres anchor the U.S. women’s 4×100-meter freestyle relay to a silver medal finish encouraged you to find time to get back into a fitness routine. Dara’s certainly a testament to dedication, passion and willpower. Doubtless she motivated millions of Boomers who’ve slipped away from the health benefits of a regular exercise routine. But for fitness-challenged Boomers, Dara may not have been the most inspirational presence at the recent Beijing Olympics. Nor were the 20 other older Olympians – motivational as they were — who represented other sports, including:
- John Dane, a 58 year old sailor, whose pursuit for an Olympic berth began 40 years ago in 1968. Dane has teamed with his son-in-law to make the team in the Star event.
- Libby Callahan, 56 year old pistol shooter and retired Washington, DC police officer, who competed in her fourth Games.
- Hiroshi Hoketsu, Beijing’s oldest Olympian at 67, who competed on the Japanese equestrian team.
No, For Pure Fitness Inspiration, Nothing Could Possibly Beat Beijing’s “Hip Hop Grannies” – Who Weren’t Even IOC-Sanctioned Olympians!
Did catch the Hip Hop Dancing exhibition led by Wu Ying, a 70 year old Chinese grandmother from Beijing? Her troupe, the Hip-Hop Grannies,” performed on set of the Today show, and were truly amazing. Check it out for true inspiration!!
For The Hip-Hop Grannies, Dancing Proves “50 Is the New 30″
Wu Ying is from a generation that lived through some of modern China’s most tumultuous decades, including the stifling Cultural Revolution era, when western cultural thought and influences were banned. She probably never heard of the Boomer slogan “50 is the new 30,” but she does know the benefits she’s gained from her fun exercise program that she can practice anywhere. And she plans to dance for as long as she physically can, noting:
“I think that dancing hip-hop has made me younger, happier, [and] improved my memory.”
Dancing Also Benefits Mental Health
The physical health payoff from dancing might appear obvious, but there’s more: Regular physical exercise also staves off dementia and improves mental acuity. Just ask the “Grannies:”
- Liu Jian Zhu, a 59-year-old former pharmacist with the Chinese air force, said dancing hip-hop has been “a breakthrough” for her. “Since I was in the military, my life had been required to be serious and intense,” Liu explained. “It has really changed my life and personality.”
- Wen Di, 55, used to work as a railroad construction technician, but after retiring just last year she wanted to find something to fill what she called the emptiness in her life. “I saw Wu’s dancing on TV and thought that it was very inspiring.”
- Says Wu: “We represent a new image, a new fashion for Chinese grandmothers. We develop with time and connect with the world. We don’t just learn our own Chinese culture. We learn cultures from other countries to enrich ourselves and our lives to lead a more colorful and high-quality life.”
How the Chinese Dancing Grannies Got Started
Wu Ying began performing hip-hop routines in 2003, after catching the first National Hip-Hop Dancing Competition on Chinese television:
- “The competitors were all young people, wearing headscarves, headdresses, hats, and various clothes,” recounted Wu, a retired accountant who was 66 at the time. “I thought that was very fresh.”
- Inspired by “the look they had in their eyes, the way they moved their fingers, heads and bodies,” Wu thought hip-hop dancing would be perfect for herself and China’s aged and infirm.
- Wu set out to learn hip-hop dancing at a local gym.
- She also began looking to put together a five-member troupe to promote hip-hop dancing by touring the country and by performing on Chinese TV.
The Hip-Hop Granny Dance Team soon formed and the Grannies – whose average age was 60 – made their debut in August of 2004 at the Beijing qualifier for the National Hip-Hop Dancing Competition.
- They faced off against people several decades younger.
- “They (the younger competition) were professionals.”
- “We seniors didn’t know much so we were very nervous.”
But their daily rehearsal routines paid off; the women walked off with third prize.
So Now It’s Your Turn to Get Up Off Your Couch and Started Dancing!
Here’s how to start hip-hop dancing in your neighborhood!
- Download your free Hip Hop Radio toolbar, and start dancing to the hip hop beat from the comfort of your home.
- Find out if there’s a dance studio near you offering adult hip-hop and sign up. Do it now. Don’t let the grass grow under your feet! (They really wanna be dancing!)
- Check out this great list of hip hop dancing videos which you can order online and start learning in the comfort of your own home.
And one last parting thought: Wu Ying says the next dance she plans to tackle is break dancing! Think you can keep up with this spry septuagenarian Chinese grandmother?
Having lived in China, I’m not surprised by anything anymore! There’s always someone who’s willing to try just about anything…
By the way, thanks for using KeywordLuv (I’m the plugin author).
What an excellent idea to use dancing as a means of achieving good mental and physical health. Dancing would also be a good way to increase interaction with like minded people, making it further beneficial!
This is a fun way to burn calories, keep our vital organs well oxygenated, good for our bones … oh, the benefits seems endless. =)
I love dancing and it’s true that it is a great way to get exercise. I have to check out the hip hop toobar.
Dance…dance…dance..dancing is fun isn’t it? It also the best exercise, good way to burn calories.And some consider dancing as a way of expressing themselves, and for relaxation also.
I’ve done dance for a few years now. its really good for you. excellent cardio!
i have gone through the post and checked the hip hop tool bar it is amazing.
I agree with many of the comments. Good nutition, anything that increases the circulation, such as dancing will help with memory. I is a proven fact that having a stimulating hobby, doing puzzles or math problems also helps increase those brain cells. Taking supplements that have RNA factor that help multiply brain cells will also hlep with increasing memory.
Hip Hop Abs is awesome also. Hip Hop works!
I am a big fan of Hip Hop.
Now in India lot of people are doing the Hip Hop.
It really a difficult dancing.Lot of workout needed for it.
I am not good in dancing and the last time we had a dance performance in the company I was oblige to dance hip hop, I thought it was easy but when we do the routine I am in shock and my body is soooo aching for days. After our performance I promise myself not to dance hip hop again, but now I’m attending a dance class (specifically ball room dancing). Well, dancing is indeed a really good exercise.
Hi,
I think this is an excellent idea for dancing.
I am also fond of dancing and will definitely try this.
Thanks for sharing.
hip-hop grannies remind me of the rapping grannies that you see on the funniest home video shows, but you can only see that so many times…
Well, Hip Hop is just another form of dance. And dancing is a very good alternative exercise. Thus, what would you expect? Of course it’ll have a lot of benefits.
Street dancing also known as hip hop dancing is amazing!!!!!!! If u want to see what i mean go to youtube.com and search for caspers boom boom pow. This is an amazing hip hop dance that i am trying to learn since i take dance myself and want to learn it to become really good. If u by any chance have good tips on street dancing and how to become better please feel free to share them with me through your comments. Thanks!!!
Thanks for your comment–yes it’s so true that dancing takes years of practice to develop technique, and then individual dances take weeks or even months to master their choreography. This is also something that makes everyone really appreciate dance; knowing how much effort and dedication it takes to master dancing makes audiences much more appreciative!
Now that’s neat. I knew dancing is good for your health but not as such. I feel I should ditch all my routines and stick to dancing and be done with it
It’s fun and it gets the job done. What more can I ask for. Thanks
was surprised this story slipped by me during the Beijing Olympics. When you think of hip-hop dance, I’m sure you usually think of a much younger generation not only enjoying it, but taking part in it. That isn’t the case for China’s 70 year old Wu Ying. She is the leader of a dance troupe known as the Hip-Hop Granies.
I think hip hop has always had its unique edge, probably one of the best tunes to dance to actually. When you are at the club there are only two types of tunes you want to dance to, hip hop and electronic vibes!
Fun choice for exercise. Though dancing can be cardio, so if you’re into gaining and not for some endurance exercise, might as well incorporate breakdancing. Intense.
Dancing helps even more when you attach it with your soul. This is the only thing which gives you all the benefit of exercise with fun and if it can help the brain..nothing can be better than this one.
Exercise has countless benefits on our body and brain, we feel more active and we can concentrate better. I can say it personally because I’ve been through it, I’ve given my everything in the gym and had been better physically and mentally as well. I don’t like dancing much so hip-hop dancing would be a bit awkward for me lol, but I am seriously planning to start my exercise routine again. Who doesn’t want to get the best body
I was watching tv late and I seen this thing called Hip-Hop abs or something like that. i know one thing is for sure hip hop dancing will definitely help if you did it regular. thanks for the great post.
My advice is to get into running, it is fantastically addictive but I would also really recommend running outdoors and not at a gym. Running machines only work a specific set of muscles because your are generally running flat, hill running uses different muscle groups. It doesn’t matter how unfit you are, it is free and great fun. Start with small distances and gradually work your way up over time. We’ve been running for a couple of years and a standard run is now 6/7 miles, when we started, it was 2!
Exercise has always been best for our health may it be body and or mind. But dancing is a sure fun way of doing it. You don’t get bored out of monotonous movement or lifting heavy weights. You’ll just have to move along the music and thats about it.
This is a great creative way to get into shape. You’re absolutely right, that if you can find a workout program you enjoy, the probability of you actually using it increase dramatically!
This is whats so great about hip hop dance, win win situation. I’ve always found the best workouts and ways to get healthy need to be fun, its the best motivation in the world!
Dance is a great way for exercise, it incorporates the fun and joy of dancing (who does not like to really dance) while giving you a fat blasting cardio workout. When you finish even one dance workout, you feel really good and alive!
Exercise is always more effective if you enjoy it, and hip hop dance is very addictive… assuming you like dancing of course! Dancing, in general, is also a very good cardio workout. The combination of an improved self-image and health can very well benefit your brain!
Another type of dancing that will make you burn calories fast is salsa dancing – since most of the music is very high tempo you are always moving your hips fast, great workout for the abs !
Belly Dancing or Hip Hop Dance Class: are a great alternative to aerobics and boot camp because both include dynamic movement while promoting good posture. The big bonus is both types of dance boost flexibility, and build endurance. Do it for an hour and you can burn anywhere from 200-500 calories depending on what type of dance you choose. Burn Calories Tip: Laugh at your mistakes and have fun.
DANCE MATS – they should be compulsory with every console, there would be no more obese kids!
Thank you, Anne, for posting this informative blog post about Hip Hop dancing! It’s true that the dancing itself can increase your stamina and strengthen your heart’s muscles. And since it’s a highly physical activity, it can also help almost anyone out there to shed off those excess pounds. That said, I now regret that I didn’t get to join the hip hop dancing club of our university when I was still an undergraduate student. But it’s never too late yet! Thanks again!