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All the right moves: cardiofusion merges muscle and mind with music and design

American Fitness, March-April, 1996 by Robert Kernodle

Cardiofusion literally means "heart combination." What it refers to is dance moves in a sequence that continuously cycle backward. It is a method of fusing body movements into a harmonious routine.

Heart rhythms combine with music, muscle and mind activity. During a class, dance forms unfold in segments, like a poem or a song. Think of "The 12 Days of Christmas" or "99 Bottles of Beer on the Wall." In the same way these songs use words, cardiofusion uses movements to create fun repetition. Like a song, it requires learning the individual components and blending them into a repeating composition.

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This is not freestyle high-impact, low-impact, hi-lo, step or funk aerobics in the traditional sense. This is a dance/aerobic hybrid--a crossbreed that mixes dance moves with an aerobic attitude. It is dance done with strength, power and grace. It is fun, coherently structured athletic dance that engages the mind while fully expressing the music and totally conditioning the body.

Cardiofusion utilizes natural-feeling movements that involve multiple planes of motion and rotation simultaneously. It incorporates a sense of balance and proportion to avoid overstraining any one region of the body, and calls for rhythmic variation of the music with a conscientious use of horizontal and vertical space.

Cardiofusion diffuses the idea that people who exercise dislike dance moves. This perception was played upon by step manufacturers with the slogan, "This ain't no dance class." Not that step aerobics isn't a good workout. But playing on people's reluctance to move creatively denies them the opportunity to explore their full spectrum of personal power. It provides no incentive to experiment.

Creativity often comes about through new experiences. More people are exploring yoga, martial arts, ancient Eastern philosophies, early art motifs, and an array of herbal and body therapies they would not have considered years ago. A mood of introspection seems to be brewing, and at least a small segment of the fitness market is ready to act on it. These are intelligent and discerning fitness enthusiasts with a lust for life. They are open to experiences that go beyond fat-burning fests and a mechanical view of exercise. They know what it is to move for the pure thrill of it, or they are willing to learn how.

Constructing the proper atmosphere for a fitness adventure such as cardiofusion requires some investment--a good audio system, superb wireless microphones and creative planning. For those who take the classes, a greater time investment is required to learn the movements. Many will say they cannot afford the extra time to learn something new. These people are at risk for becoming bored, unfulfilled and stuck in the same exercise routine. Adventurers will grow and have fun.

Besides being a compilation of dance styles and a method of linking movements, cardiofusion encourages exercisers to reach for more than tangible results. It strives to connect people to the dynamic, grand design of nature. Where better to make this connection than in our most fundamental possession--the moving body? And how better than in the health and fitness arena where well-being should be celebrated?

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Cave men did it before the hunt to gain spiritual power from the animals, Ancient Greek soldiers did it as training for battle. In every era and culture, people have done it to celebrate or commemorate just about anything conceivable.

Dance is undeniably the most universal way of confirming and honoring our physical existence. It is the basic energy of life shaped and displayed in the medium of the human body. So basic, perhaps, that it intimidates lots of people in the modern world who have lost touch with their physical nature--perhaps through an over reliance on technology. People set on quick-fix solutions, glitzy packages and calculated results. People bent on counting calories, fat grams, fiber content and cholesterol points.

Socrates once remarked that the best dancer is also the best warrior. He was referring to the skilled practitioners of pyrrhiche--a serious from of dance used as conditioning for war. Since dance requires a heightened sensitivity to motion, position and rhythm, a general consensus exists that dancers also make better lovers.

All this suggests maybe we've given dance a bad rap in the fitness industry. It's not just for prima ballerinas, MTV stars or scantily-clad entertainers. Maybe it belongs in health clubs as much as it does anywhere else.

Dancing to celebrate life makes perfect sense. Maybe more exercises need to enjoy their efforts, feel, sense and respond in a way that is not calculated or measured.

Robert Kernodle lives in Greensboro, North Carolina where he teaches at Sportime Racquet and Athletic Club. His experience includes 10 years of dance training.

All the right moves: cardiofusion merges muscle and mind with music and design

American Fitness, March-April, 1996 by Robert Kernodle

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