Nia and me

Every week, sometimes several times a week, you will find me among a multiage group of about 25 people who are dancing barefoot in a midtown Toronto church basement. In my midlife, I have returned to something I used to love -- and still love and need -- to do. I discovered it with Nia, a fitness hybrid that blends dance, martial arts and healing arts such as yoga. And while those latter two forms are good for me, it is that first one that keeps me coming back: I gotta dance, and I get to dance at Nia.

But I do it differently than before. Nia (pronounced knee-ah) stands for neuromuscular integrative action, a rather technical-sounding term that belies its creative nature. In Nia we take off our shoes and follow a series of steps, stances and stretches. Accompanying all this is music, which may range from Latin to Celtic and from Sting to the sweet vocal and harp chords of Loreena McKennitt. I often work up a sweat during the aerobic part of the routine, but there's no repetitive jogging, no relentlessly synthesized rhythm machine and nobody barking instructions.

Nia movement
Instead, my teacher, Martha Randall, calls out the moves using a vocabulary replete with visual imagery: "move your arms like wings; open your thighs in smiles; and swing your tails from side to side." Our bodies may be waves in one set and we could be casting off, with our hands and even our voices, the day's troubles in the next one.

It sounds very New Age, and certainly proponents call it a "soulful workout," but Nia is actually pretty down to earth, sometimes literally. While a short portion of each class may be devoted to free dance, the session consists mainly of a structured, concerted routine (indeed, Nia means "with purpose" in Swahili).

Martha encourages each participant to "find your own dance," and in doing so, I improve my agility, balance and stamina.

Calling all ages
My classmates are mainly women ranging in age from 20 to 75. Beside me might be an athlete, someone with arthritis, a woman with an anxiety condition or a professional dancer. We come in all shapes and sizes: buff, overweight or skinny. Some look much healthier and more toned after a few months of regular attendance; others simply seem happier. Many of us have spent a lifetime participating in other kinds of classes, sometimes with strident instruction that left us feeling tense or belittled. We all come here to experience a similar joyfulness, and no matter what our particular level or capacity, we move capably and sometimes riotously through the room.

Facing the teacher, who dances with us, we form several lines across the wooden floor of a very basic basement studio while Martha's portable sound system plays music.

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