Ballroom dancing is a wonderful way for people from all walks of life to get in shape while also releasing their creative juices. And this goes past merely benefiting your body. Dance can also benefit your state of mind and social connections. Dancing is a great social activity. Research has proven that socializing regularly can have vast health benefits on your self-esteem, stress, and even your BMI.
Uplifting and Fun
Not many activities are as joyful as artistic dance moves. Concentrating on moving your body to the beat of the music instantaneously puts you in a positive head space. After you get the moves down, it’s pure fun and laughs.
Muscle Toning
Ballroom dancing contributes to muscle toning by forcing dancers to resist their partner’s body strength. Fast turns, spinning and two-stepping all contribute to muscle building.
Bones and Joints
Since dancing is a weight-resisting activity, it can help protect your bone density and prevent osteoporosis. It can also help you speed up knee recovery after surgery since it’s a lower impact exercise than jogging or biking. If you have weak knees or are gradually introducing your body to exercise, ballroom dancing is a great low-impact activity. Additionally, it can promote a fit lifestyle while also decreasing your chances of exercise-related injury.
Flexibility
Flexibility is a major benefit of ballroom dancing. Ballroom dancing itself contains plenty of stretching and bending. Therefore, the more you dance, the more flexible you will become.
Brain Food
In a 2016 study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, it was concluded that ballroom dancing, as well as other forms of social dancing, can help prevent the onset of dementia in elderly patients. According to this study, you can “improve all cognitive areas” (especially spatial memory) by dancing regularly (Dafna Merom, et al., 2016).
Burns Fat
Dancing is a low-impact aerobic activity that can boost your metabolism. In just thirty minutes of dancing, you can burn anywhere between 200-400 calories. That’s roughly the same amount burned by running or cycling.
Creative Outlet
Ballroom dancing is an amazing creative outlet! Not only does it allow you to move your hips at ease to the beat of the music, it also allows you to release your emotions and thoughts through artistic movements.
Conditioning
Engaging in just about any cardiovascular or aerobic activity can help improve your heart health, lower obesity and type 2 diabetes risk, and also promote lung capacity.
Endurance
Dancing is an effective way to improve general endurance. As the dance sessions get longer and longer, your muscles will be working harder and for a longer period of time. In turn, you will find yourself being able to go on with little to no fatigue.
Social Connectivity
Joining a ballroom dance class will expose you to a sea of new people who may potentially share common interests with you. Instead of spending your evenings glued to your television screen, you can engage in uplifting conversations and strengthen your social connections by trying this partnered activity. It’s been proven that being more social can help improve self-esteem, lower stress levels, increase sense of purpose, and promote a positive outlook on life.
More about Ballroom Dancing at Cornerstone . . .
Our Ballroom Dance classes are taught by the fabulous instructors of Dancers Extraordinaire which was established in 1995. Classes were opened to the general public in the ballroom, Latin, and swing styles of dance. Their classes and experienced staff have expanded to include most forms of dance and exercise for all ages and experience levels. In 2006, Dancers Extraordinaire had the opportunity to join the Cornerstone Clubs to provide instruction for their members as well as the general public.
In addition to teaching classes at Cornerstone, every third Friday (check web site for specific dates: www.dancingdancing.com) there is a dance practice/party for the students to practice what they have learned in class. With wedding season soon upon us, please keep in mind that Dancers Extraordinaire also provides private dancing lessons to individuals and couples. For more information, contact Jeff Falabala.
Our studio’s philosophy…
Although imitation is a primary learning method, we encourage our dancers to create as well as absorb. Often the simplest activities have the greatest learning possibilities. Many of the exercises act as introductions and preparations for more complex dance movements. Our students are encouraged to use their imaginations during class. Our mission is to ensure that our students have an enjoyable experience.
Latin, Ballroom Dance now available at Cornerstone. Contact us for more information.
