This year, resolve to live your very best life – with dance! Ballroom Dance 
Especially for new dance students, it’s important to keep the following mantras in mind during dance lessons:
• I will give 100% of my attention to my Ballroom Dance Instructor during my
lessons
• I will always come early to practice, so I have time to warm up, cool down and
stretch properly
• I will wear appropriate shoes and clothing I can easily dance in
• I will believe in my abilities and my Ballroom Dance Instructor every step of
the way
What can you gain from Ballroom Dancing? Quite a bit, actually.
Personal Growth
Learning new things can sometimes be uncomfortable, but dance lessons are a great way to step outside of your comfort zone and spread your wings. You’ll get to learn something new, in a positive and supportive environment, along with like-minded people you’ll enjoy socializing with. If you take every opportunity to dance, either during a social event or a dance lesson, your comfort level and confidence will improve your skills on the dance floor, and you may also notice other areas of your life improving. Areas such as, the ability to feel at ease with other people, your sense of accomplishment, and increased sociability, and motivation to do things that may seem challenging. You can accomplish anything, if you are open to trying something new!
Improved Posture
Whether you’re learning to Waltz or Cha Cha, you’re building strength in your core, for better balance and posture. For good posture, here are some tips to remember when dancing:
• Keep a small natural curve in your back while standing or dancing
• Pull your chest up without opening your rib cage, as you want to be tall from the front and the back
• Move your body with some resistance (much like a spring), as opposed to being rigid or “locked up”
• Keep your chin (and eyes) up, but also maintain a long neck in the back, elongating the spine
Good posture is all about symmetry and natural alignment, not forcing yourself into contorted positions. Of course, like anything new, it takes practice and awareness but you will notice a great difference in your dancing and overall physical health!
Improved Concentration & Memory
As you learn to dance, you’ll notice it may be a challenge at first to manage dance steps, patterns, and counting all at the same time. But within just a few short lessons, this can become more like second nature, because practice maximizes your cognitive function and muscle memory. Dance’s complex cross-body movements also work our procedural memory system (which relates to habits and learned sequences, making it so we don’t need to think much about how to walk, row a boat, or perform our favorite dance). This is also the form of memory that stays intact longer in people with Alzheimer’s disease, and may help compensate for losses in short-term memory. The most important thing is to focus on the experience, rather than how your body feels and what you are thinking.
Reduced Stress
Dancing is one of the best ways to express and free yourself from the commitments of the day. When you focus on dancing and your lesson with your dance partner or instructor, your brain will release endorphins and serotonin that will help you to feel less stressed and view things in a more positive light. So, enjoy your moment. You deserve it!
Start your New Year off right… with dance lessons at Fred Astaire Dance Studios