Of course, the best way to learn about the Nia Technique is to experience a Nia class.
To view a Nia class in action by video, visit http://www.NiaNow.com.
Nia is for everyBody — whether you never exercise or you are a professional dancer.
Nia combines elements of dance, martial arts, and healing arts. Created in 1983 by Debbie and Carlos Rosas in California,[1] Nia blends nine movement forms:
Martial Arts – T’ai Chi, Tae Kwon Do, and Aikido
Dance Arts – Jazz dance, Modern dance, and Duncan dance
Healing Arts – Yoga, the Feldenkreis Method, and the Alexander Technique
Nia is intended to deliver cardiovascular and whole-body conditioning. Nia teachers lead students through a series of 52 basic moves, each of which can be performed at three levels of intensity and three planes of movement, in each case, high, medium, and low. Nia classes are choreographed and accompanied by a wide variety of music styles.
As in some martial arts, Nia practitioners may choose to progress through levels of training, referred to as “belts”, that are required to teach Nia. A White Belt is the first level of Nia teacher training. Additional levels are Blue Belt, Brown Belt, Black Belt, and Red Belt (Trainers). Nia is headquartered in Portland, Oregon.
For more information about Nia Technique classes taught by Stacey, visit http://www.meetup.com/Nia-Joyful-Movement/