It's a great way to get fit and have fun. Susan Seager takes to the floor. 

Finding your feet

Choose the style for you:  

• Originally a peasant dance, the waltz was considered too steamy for the court of Louis XIII and was banned. It's the simplest dance to learn with its basic three steps but, if it's exercise rather than romance you're after, not the most effective way to consume calories.
• If they thought the waltz was shocking, the delicate creatures of the 17th-century French court would have fainted at the tango. Seen as the epitome of passion, the dance actually owes more to a lady's need to keep her nose away from the smelly armpits of Argentinian cowboys. It's also claimed that her hand lurks near his pocket in search of cash. Scores well for high-octane exercise and drama, and fortunately the sweat-encrusted leather chaps flaunted by gauchos are no longer obligatory.
• More drama and Latin temperament on show with the paso doble, based on the moves of a bull fight with the man as the matador and the woman as his cape - although she also gets her moment in 'charge' as the bull.
• You can really let rip with the samba, the star of the Rio carnival. Thought to derive from an African word used to raise spirits, it fizzes with danger and excitement.
• The cha cha cha is a livelier Cuban version of the more romantic rumba incorporating extra beats. With all that hip and leg action it's perfect for toning flab-prone regions.
• Salsa is a distillation of many Latin and Afro-Caribbean dances. Similar to mambo - both having six steps danced over eight counts - they share many moves, though the salsa's turns are more flamboyant.
• African slaves in Brazil created capoeira more than 500 years ago, pretending that they were practising ritual dancing when they were actually honing fighting moves. This vigorous dance provides a real physical, mental and spiritual workout.
• Like many dances, jive was thought dangerously subversive when American GIs brought it here during the war. It's intense, non-stop, very physical, requiring bags of energy and spot-on
• co-ordination between partners.
• Devised in 1980, ceroc is a fusion of jive and salsa that is easy to learn, sociable and fun, and can be danced to any music with a regular beat.
• Romany-speaking Gypsies from India, fleeing oppression, began to migrate around the fifth century, taking their dance with them. This developed into what we know as belly dancing, with each region adding its own characteristics. Enthusiasts relish the chance to celebrate the voluptuous female form.

If none of these appeals, there's always line dancing, lambada, flamenco, tap, sequence dancing or bhangra. And disco is back - so dust off Staying Alive and strut your stuff with Travolta once again.

Great fit.

Those figure-skimming cossies leave little to the imagination. And why should they when they reveal the lithe and toned physique that comes with serious dedication to the dance floor? It's not surprising because dance offers an excellent all-round workout. An aerobic activity boosting heart and lungs, it also provides great exercise for muscles and helps improve co-ordination and balance. Regular dancing can also boost stamina, slow the heart rate and reduce cholesterol.

Weight-bearing activities, such as dance, can guard against osteoporosis by maintaining peak bone mass. Dancing can also ensure joints are kept flexible and in good working order. The need to move with a partner in time to music aids concentration and enhances hearing and sight, while learning the sequences keeps the memory sharp. It's also a relaxed way to meet people and adds to your social skills. Best of all it will raise your spirits and relieve stress. However, as with any physical activity, it's important to follow expert advice to ensure you are not putting undue strain on joints, muscles or heart.

First steps.

If you'd like to master some moves in the privacy of your own home before stepping out in public, there are dozens of videos, CDs, DVDs, books and websites to explore: 

• For everything you could possibly need in the field of ballroom and Latin dancing, from expert teaching videos and DVDs to fake tans and even partners, go to www.dancesport.uk.com ;
• You'll find videos on ballet, ballroom dancing, barn dancing, belly dancing, breakdance and funk, exotic dancing, Irish and Scottish dancing, jazz, tap, Latin American, line dancing, rock 'n' roll and much more at www.worldofhealth.co.uk or write to World of Health, PO Box 50274, London EC1P 1WZ, tel: 020 7415 7101;
• On www.worldwidedanceuk.com you'll find a special section devoted to Dance Your Way to Fitness, featuring videos from many dance styles all aimed at boosting your health as well as your spirits;
• The Complete Idiot's Guide to Ballroom Dancing by Jeff Allen (Alpha Books);
• Belly Dance Step by Step by Laura Cooper (Gaia);
• Turn the Beat Around: the Rise and Fall of Disco by Peter Shapiro (Faber & Faber);
• Dance Books Ltd, The Old Bakery, Lenten St, Alton, Hants claims to have the largest range of books, CDs, sheet music on the subject - tel: (0)1420 86138 or see the website at www.dancebooks.co.uk ;
• Dancer's Body: Dance Your Way to the Perfect Body (video or DVD);
• Peggy Spencer's Ballroom Dancing for Absolute Beginners (video, £10.99, Amazon);
• Dance-related films: Dirty Dancing, Saturday Night Fever, Grease, They Shoot Horses Don't They?, Waltzes from Vienna, White Nights, 42nd Street.

Moving on

Ready to rumba? There's sure to be a class near you: 

• See www.dancesport.uk.com mentioned above for details of dance studios and teachers in all manner of styles and locations;
• Imperial Society of Teachers of Dancing, Imperial House, 22/26 Paul St, London EC2A 4QE, tel: 020 7377 1577;
• For more information about belly dancing, see www.bdancer.com ;
• Take a look at www.ceroc.com for classes featuring ceroc.

Fancy footwork.

Dance has been hitting the headlines: 

• Country dancing is making a comeback with education authorities across Scotland set to introduce ceilidh dance lessons to help in the fight against childhood obesity.
• Ballet has become much more popular with boys since the release of the film Billy Elliot, says the Royal Ballet School.
• A recent study by the Albert Einstein Center, New York, monitored the mental health of 500 Americans age 60 and over who attended dance classes on a regular basis. The study showed that the senior citizens who danced experienced less mental deterioration than those who were inactive or who engaged in physical activity without the social components of dancing.
• The Women's Sports Foundation says dance is a great way to get women to exercise. "Public health messages about the link between a sedentary lifestyle and poor health are really important but they can be a big turn-off for women and girls who are sensitive to body image and fed-up feeling guilty. Dance is the perfect way to have fun and burn off the calories at the same time," says Policy & Research Manager Helen Donohoe.
• On the strength of her Strictly Come Dancing triumph, Jill Halfpenny bagged the lead role of Roxy Hart in the West End hit show Chicago.

Dancing at Denman

The WI's own Denman College offers some highly imaginative and enticing dance-themed courses. How about the Bridget Jones' Diary Dance Weekend? You'll learn moves to fit music from the film and, you won't be surprised to learn, no dance experience is required. You could emulate stars from a different Hollywood era with Dear Fred, Love From Ginger and those smitten by the work of choreographer Bob Fosse can learn to high-kick Chicago-style. If you prefer something more historical you could step back to Elizabethan times on the Tudor Dances course or discover the delights of John Playford's 17th and 18th century dances. All this plus belly dancing, Scottish country dancing, the Jazz Age and creative dance.

Denman College, Marcham, Abingdon, Oxfordshire, OX13 6NW, tel: 01865 391991, email: i This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it or visit www.womens-institute.org.uk/college where you can enrol online.