DVDs all contain complete, gentle but thorough
workouts that will improve your balance. They
are designed to be taken individually in one-
hour sessions, and in any combination that
works for your particular needs. Her programs
are 45 minutes of seated exercise and 15 minutes
of standing exercise.
Vanessa has a great instructional approach that
is based on this philosophy: She believes “we
can get stronger and more agile as we get older
instead of the reverse. Our balance can get better
instead of worse. We can get taller instead of
shorter. Wonderful that Vanessa’s instructional
approach is both “fact filled” and “empathic
instruction with gentle encouragement”. She
begins sessions with questions that stimulate us
to think about our aches and pains and difficulties
and challenges faced in daily living. Answering
yes to these questions lead us to the organized
listing of what the session will teach you and
provides encouraging dialog e.g. “making it
easier to walk and climb stairs”, “your legs will
feel lighter”, “standing using much less effort and
strain”, or exercises will “release stress”, “reverse
spinal compression”, “release lower back tension”.
Each of Vanessa’s instructional sessions is
valuable to dancers of any age; however, I
believe that two sessions in particular work for
professional dancers and dance teachers. “Legs
and Feet: Walking Made Easier” – Learn how
to easily walk and no longer shuffle, plus great
techniques for climbing stairs and standing
up, all while improving the fitness of our legs
and feet, and knees. Special Feature: Peripheral
neuropathy of the feet. What I liked about
this particular session is the special feature on
peripheral neuropathy of the feet that includes
exercises to increase the mobility of the foot
joints plus exercises to improve the health of
the nervous system. Targeting feet and the
nervous system are key to enabling dancers to
perform through increased fitness of legs and
feet. And, “Arthritis, Rotator Cuff Injuries and
Other Chronic Conditions,” because most
dancers and dance students carry stress and may
Vanessa
Vanessa Kettler is an expert in the
field of fall prevention and balance
improvement. At the age of 76 she is
also a professional dancer with over
40 years of fitness training.
For 20 years Vanessa taught
within Santa Rosa Junior College’s
Older Adults Program, teaching over
8,000 classes in exercise for those
older. She is the producer, creator
and developer of Building Better
Balance, a series of DVD balance
classes designed to help those who
are older age well through exercise.
Photo by Chuck Lehnard
So many of the challenges we face
can be either solved or significantly improved if we follow some
simple guidelines. Vanessa continues to contribute to this field
of knowledge through her web site and newsletter BALANCE
NEWS where she frequently publishes articles describing real
solutions to some of our most daunting problems. Recent titles
include articles on pain, depression, obesity, spine health, stopping
leg cramps, getting grounded, foot health for those older and how
to fall if a fall is already in progress.
Vanessa also continues to give presentations on any of these
subjects. Please contact her by phone or e-mail if your residence
or senior facility would be interested in hosting this type of event.
Vanessa is a professional dancer at the age of 76. She is a
soloist and independent choreographer who practices daily and
performs frequently. Her dance background includes 20 years
of study in the modern dance field and 25 years in Middle
Eastern fusion styles of dance. She was artistic director of the
MoonFire Bellydance Company and produced a long series of
dance performances in San Francisco known as Choreography
Consciousness. Her teachers include Doris Breyer, Anna
Halprin, Richard Haisma, Suhaila Salimpour, Terry del Giorno
and Kimberly Charp. She is the producer of Vivid, a dance series
seeking to give artists a venue for experimenting in their chosen
field, with each performance focusing on a particular challenge.
The theme of the 2020 Vivid performance is drama in belly dance
and how to challenge your boundaries.
For 35 years, Vanessa worked in the business world as a systems
analyst and programmer providing support for the investment
management process.
January 2020
The Belly Dance Chronicles
53