By LESLIE FOTTRELL
Contributing Writer
The dancers whirl across the floor in pairs, stepping and turning to the polka music in the air. There are 12 students in Ann Neilson’s ballroom, folk and square dancing class today, which means everyone has a partner. Even the students struggling to learn the steps seem to be enjoying the class. A group of students polka across the room four abreast, with Neilson, silver ponytail bobbing merrily, leading them at halftime pace with the music, and they are smiling too.
“I have two left feet, so I’m doing pretty well so far,” Trista VanAmburgh said with a laugh as she pondered why the class makes students smile.
“It’s fun. Maybe it has to do with endorphins. Dance is a good way to de-stress,” said VanAmburgh, a junior majoring in criminal justice, behavior and law at The College of Saint Rose.
The College requires two credits of physical education as part of general education requirements and VanAmburgh said she was intrigued by the idea of dance class “Ballroom dancing is excellent for stress relief,” said Neilson, who is chair of the physical education department. She would know—she also teaches a course in stress management. Since 1992, Neilson has been an assistant professor of the physical education department, part of the School of Mathematics and Sciences at The College of Saint Rose. Prior to that she worked as an adjunct professor at the College.
“Stress is the one of the main reasons people go see doctors today. It’s one of the major reasons people get sick. What we teach in stress management is there are ways to handle stress after it has occurred. And ways to be pro-active prior to it occurring,” said Neilson.
The stress management class, Neilson said, is typically offered at least once per year on the undergraduate level at Saint Rose. The one-credit class meets for an hour once each week.
“Physical education is about the mind, body and the spirit,” Neilson said. “Physical education is wellness, meaning it looks at the whole person with regard to their health.”
There are, she said, many stressors for students including: financial issues, work, grades, time management and relationships. Neilson uses these classes to help students tap into their knowledge of how they react to stress and how they can reduce stress in their lives.
The mission of the College has always been to look at the whole person, said Neilson. The Sisters of Saint Joseph of Carondelet were the founders of The College of Saint Rose and who, she said, believed in mind, body, spirit connection.
This approach lead Neilson to develop the seven dimensions of health. Represented in the acronym SPECIAL (spiritual, physical, emotional, career, intellectual, altruism and loving relationships) which she incorporates into her physical education classes.
Neilson puts on waltz music and makes the students switch partners. But the scope of the class extends beyond dancing. There is a portfolio, which requires students to speak and interact with one another on a different level. The students measure each other’s flexibility and record the data in their respective portfolios. They will record blood pressure and even design their own wellness programs.
“I think the group activities get us involved with one another,” said Hianny Martinez, a senior majoring in psychology, who studied ballroom dancing when she was younger. “It’s a great class.”
There are, she said, a wide variety of physical education classes from which to choose.
Neilson hopes that students enrolled in her physical education classes will take what they have experienced at the College and carry it with them for the rest of their lives. She also believes that dancing is a great lifetime physical activity the students have moved on to square dancing, which Neilson said is a good intellectual activity. “It keeps the mind sharp,” she said. The students form groups and Neilson begins calling out cues. “Honor your partner,” she said and the students turn and bow. Giggles arise as one student turns in the opposite direction and inadvertently bows toward another student’s back. They start again and cycle correctly through an intricate series of calls.
“I would recommend this class. She’s a well-rounded woman and she’s passionate about what she does,” said VanAmburgh of Neilson. At semester’s end, “we’ll be having a ball. We get to dress up and practice our dances.”
Neilson offered some advice: “Your health is your wealth. You came to The College of Saint Rose to get a career,” said Neilson. “But if you lose your health you can lose your career and lose your wealth.”
