Mangalore: Ballroom Dancing has captured the imagination of the youth of Mangalore, be it the aggressive Tango or the sensual Bachata, the energetic Samba, the lively Jive, or the smooth elegance of the quick step or waltz, and, it is RipVins Ballroom Dancing Class that has fuelled and maintained interest in this western art form.
RipVins celebrates its 22nd anniversary this month. Ripson Soans, co-founder of RipVins recalls how it all started.”I learnt Bharatanatyam for four years in my younger days, however I always had a liking towards Ballroom dance and was passionate to learn it”. “An Anglo-Indian lady taught me to Jive, then, and I along with my colleague Vinaya started this class on a small scale basis in 1992. She later left to join her husband in Bahrain since then I am running the class”, he added.
RipVins dance classes are held at the YMCA premises at Falnir in Mangalore on all weekday evenings (Monday – Friday). Ripson who currently has 50 odd students says, “We started this project, with the motto of nurturing talent. Initially it was difficult, but after a year, it picked-up, and now we have a steady flow of students”. Ripson is helped by wife, Nisha in the conduct of the dance classes.
The major plus point of Ballroom dancing is that it is not restricted to the young. One can find school students, college students, engineers, businessmen, housewives and elderly retired persons as well, who come there to burn a few calories, rejuvenate, or experience the sheer pleasure of swaying rhythmically to the foot tapping numbers that are played at the classes.
Ripson was of the opinion that ball room dancing, being a low impact aerobic activity, improves the cardiovascular system, helps burn calories and improves balance and body alignment. On the social side it enables people make new friends, stay away from the TV and showcase their talents at various social functions like weddings and parties.
Elaborating on the mental health benefits, Ripson said. “It also helps relieve the stress of a hectic day and most importantly, I believe that, the confidence learnt on the dance floor translates into every other aspect of life”.
Interestingly, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine, which conducted a 21 year study of senior citizens, found that dancing is the only activity that increases cognitive acuity at all ages and reduces the risk of dementia by 76%.
So don’t hesitate to put on your dancing shoes. After all, what would life be without a little tango?
