"dance classes are the perfect antidote to mom brain"

Laurel Card's 9 am Dance Fitness classes were recently featured on TheMomEdit, a super popular blog for moms run by Shana D. the parent of two MoveMakers students. (MoveMakers is our kids after school hip hop dance program, if you don't already know.) Shana's team came in and filmed Laurel's morning class (our studios look so goooooood) and talked to Laurel about why Solo Salsa is important. Shana also gets the scoop on Laurel's beauty secrets (you'll never guess what makes her skin so bright!) and highlights her sexy-athletic style. 

Laurel teaches a bunch of adult dance classes here at UMA. See her full teaching schedule here. Over at MoveMakers, Laurel helped launch Mini Movers, an after school program for 3 - 5 year olds. All of Laurel's adult classes will get you sweating. They will also all leave you feeling sexy as hell no matter how man left feet you have. Laurel is all about the combination of athletic, fun, and sensual. Laurel's classes are motivated to help moms and women stay in touch with the power of their feminine side, despite the demands of raising kids or running a business.

As Shana points out from her experience as Laurel's student "Not only am I in much better shape, but I swear dancing this often (and constantly trying to learn new choreography) is changing my brain for the better.  If you ask me, dance classes are the perfect antidote to mom-brain." There's plenty of science to back up Shaina's claim that dancing is good not only for getting fit, but for mental clarity and brain health. 

"A 2003 study in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine discovered that dance can decidedly improve brain health. The study investigated the effect leisure activities had on the risk of dementia in the elderly. The researchers looked at the effects of 11 different types of physical activity, including cycling, golf, swimming, and tennis, but found that only one of the activities studied—dance—lowered participants’ risk of dementia. According to the researchers, dancing involves both a mental effort and social interaction and that this type of stimulation helped reduce the risk of dementia." 
​ - Scott Edwards, "On the Brain" Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute at Harvard University 

Informed by her experience dancing for Montage, an all female hip hop crew active in Philadelphia in the 2000's, combined with years of professional ballroom dancing, Laurel created her Solo Salsa dance class. It is ladies' (but open to all) salsa styling class that doesn't require a partner.

In addition to the full time job of being a single mom, teaching a million classes, and working with wellness clients, Laurel hosts a BYOB Salsa Party at UMA every month. It is welcoming social environment for solo and partner dancing. 
The next Salsa Party is this weekend! March 24! See you there. 

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Reference:
Edwards, Scott. “Dancing and the Brain.” Dancing and the Brain | Department of Neurobiology, "On the Brain Newsletter" Harvard Mahoney Neuroscience Institute, 2018, neuro.hms.harvard.edu/harvard-mahoney-neuroscience-institute/brain-newsletter/and-brain-series/dancing-and-brain.