Your Thoughts #4 - Dance your way to fitness!

"Since I was a kid, I always have that deep desire to empower women and help them discover who they truly are. That dream became true when I started Tahiti Dance Fitness ( TDF) with my sister Lila. 

TDF is for me the best way to share my passions and skills in order to uplift women the best I can. 

I feel blessed and honoured to be able to offer to every single student, guest or audience what I love doing the most such as dance, fitness, wellness knowledge, singing, playing ukulele, designing artistic costumes & outfits." Beatrice Heitiare Caisson.  

 

I had the chance to be introduced to the graceful (and soulful!) Tahiti Dance last week when a girlfriend tagged me in a shout out for a complimentary trial (Thanks Carolina!). Dumpling was excited to be attending along with her friend and frankly, I was quite curious to see what the dance is about.

Today I have with me, Beatrice, one of the co-founders of Tahiti Dance to share her thoughts with me on Dance and Positive Affirmations.


Me: Hi Bea, Tahiti Dance is such a niche area! Why the thought to start this genre here?

Bea: It's actually a funny story. At age of 23 my goal was to live in Japan for a long time.  I moved to Tokyo, but after some uneasy times, it became clear for me that I couldn’t get a full time job and build a life there. I then decided to fly to Singapore and visit my sister. That's when she shared with me the idea of building a Tahitian dance school together, and that's how we decided to start TDF. 

My sister and I share the same passion about dance, fitness and wellness. We both started dancing and performing since youth. And we believe that beyond the artistic expression of dance, we can also create a fun and easy to follow wellness activity for women willing to stay into shape and improve their lifestyle. That's how we came out with the idea of Tahiti Dance Fitness in 2009. 

We imagined together how fun it would be to share what we love the most in our culture (Tahitian drums, ukulele songs, happy tunes from Tahiti) with dynamic fun shaking easy to follow steps for a great cardio work out combined with our knowledge in health & wellness. That is why Tahiti Dance Fitness is not only a fun dance fitness program for women of all ages; it is also a philosophy and lifestyle we wanted to share by incorporating a unique Wellness part to our classes (relaxation, stretching, and health tips).    

Me: How is this dance good for children (and even mums!)?

The benefits from Tahiti Dance Fitness to children & adults are an improvement of focus, coordination, posture, self-confidence, self-discipline, stress release, staying fit; besides that we also strive to help our students understand that wellness & happiness is a holistic concept, a philosophy of life.

It includes not only the physical form (dance, fitness, physical improvement) but also an inner awareness on oneself & others. In addition to that, we aim to provide an uplifting community of ladies filled with positivity and being supportive to each other.


Me: In the class earlier, I saw Kim (one of the instructors) giving the girls some positive affirmation at the end of a dance sequence. (Kim got the girls to repeat after her, that they can achieve anything that they set their minds to.) Why the affirmation and is this something that is woven into the Tahiti Dance culture?

Bea: We have affirmations sentences in kids class about important values in life (ex: Confidence) and they are a part of our Character Building program in TDF. The purpose is to strengthen our students character to help them blossom into respectful, caring and self-confident individuals. 

The affirmations are not something that is woven in the Tahiti Dance culture. Rather,  we have worked over these past 4 years to come out with a holistic program providing dance, fitness, physical & psychological wellness. 

The class that Dumpling attended is a glimpse of our yearly programs & cycles. The TDF program is built in a way that it offers the very best tools to empower all students towards a healthier & happier lifestyle.

Me: Thanks Bea!

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Post note:

The dance class was a fun one for Dumpling. I like that there was positive affirmation being introduced to the girls in class. As it was Dumpling’s first time at a dance class of any kind, I think remembering the sequence was a challenge for her.

By the end of the class, however, the kids were able to do it with the teacher cheering them on and telling them that they can achieve anything that they put their minds to. She got the girls to repeat after her a few times and frankly, after the girls repeated the 'mantra', they started to say it with conviction too. J

 

I also love the fact that the activity helps to boost the children's confidence and the body awareness. The little girls were encouraged to step out and dance in front of their classmates. It was a pleasure to enjoy that energy and buzz in the class and certainly to watch Dumpling step out of her comfort zone and the moment where it 'clicked' and she could suddenly groove!  

TAHITI Dance & Fitness Pte Ltd
www.TahitiDance.com
8374 8408
43 Carpenter Street, #02-01, Clarke Quay MRT, Exit E

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post nor did I receive any compensation. This is part of series where I get to chat people up and share their thoughts! All opinions are 100% mine and so are the grooving genes from Dumpling! J

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