Benefits of Dance

Dance Offers So Many Benefits!

fred astaire dance studioBallroom dancing offers you the opportunity to combine a number of life-affirming activities – a physical workout, enjoyable social interactions with others, and mental stimulation. Dance offers a great cardio benefit; provides physical and mental health benefits; may allow for a more enjoyable social life, reduce stress and depression and promote relaxation. Not only that, it’s fun. With all that stacked one our side of the ledger, we challenge you to find a good reason not to hit the dance floor.

BALLROOM DANCE IS A GREAT WORK-OUT!

fred-astaire-dance-studioBurn Fat / Lose Weight / Increase Metabolism.
Ballroom dancing, as a low-impact aerobic exercise, boosts your metabolism and burns fat. In just thirty fun minutes of dancing, you can burn anywhere between 200-400 calories – that’s about the same amount that you’d burn running or cycling! Burning off an extra 300 calories every day can help you lose between ½-1 pound a week – that adds up pretty quickly. In fact, a report in the Journal of Physiological anthropology found that dance as a form of exercise works just as well for weight loss as jogging and cycling. Dance training also serves as an effective form of “maintenance” exercise that helps you stay toned and fit once you’ve reached your goal weight. Finally, since ballroom dance is so much fun, you’ll receive all those benefits without feeling like you’re even working out!

Increase Flexibility.
As any reputable dance class would do, our ballroom dance classes begin with warm-ups and stretching exercises so that you can execute your dance steps with comfort and ease. Furthermore, these exercises help protect against injury and soreness. The benefits of these exercises (not to mention the act of dancing itself) will extend beyond your ballroom dance lessons. Over time – especially if you’re a beginner – you’ll find that your range of motion improves and that you have more flexibility overall. Besides making it easier to dance, you’ll decrease the amount of joint pain and muscle soreness that you might have felt after exercising before. On top of that, your core strength and balance will improve. Your Fred Astaire Dance Studios instructor will even recommend a warm-up regimen that fits your individual needs.

Increase Muscle Strength & Endurance.
In addition to fat loss and enhances flexibility, ballroom dance also serves as a form of resistance exercise because it uses the dancer’s own body weight to “strain” the muscles. The lifts, twists and turns, and quick steps involved in the dance style helps you developer more muscle strength in your legs, arms, and core as you progress with your dance lessons. The longer you partake in ballroom dancing, the better your endurance will become. You’ll find that your body is able to exert itself harder and longer without experiencing fatigue in dance and other physical activities. Ballroom dancing as exercise is especially effective at building up your stamina – focusing on your dance steps keeps your mind off the fatigue, allowing you to push yourself and condition your body faster. The end result? You’ll look and feel toned, strong, and sexy.

Great for All Ages.
Ballroom dance is a fun activity for everyone – from children to senior citizens, which is another reason it’s such an effective form of exercise. At Fred Astaire Dance Studios, we work with students of all age groups, physical abilities and skill levels – and will create a custom dance program that’s comfortable yet challenging, and will help you attain your dance AND exercise goals.


Click the images below, to read more about the health benefits of Dance:

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Click the images below, to read more about the social benefits of Dance:

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PHYSICAL HEALTH

fred astaire dance studioThe physical benefits of ballroom dance are immense. Dancing regularly can help decrease blood pressure, reduce cholesterol and improve general cardiovascular health, strengthen bone while slowing or preventing bone loss due to osteoporosis altogether, lower the risks of diabetes and obesity, and increase lung capacity. On top of that, dancing can speed up the recovery period after orthopedic surgery. Also, not to mention, ballroom dance is an even lower impact exercise than biking or jogging.

The positions and rapid movements required in ballroom dance also increase stability and balance, which is especially beneficial for those aged 50+ that might be more prone to stumbles and falls as they age. To receive the full physical benefits of ballroom dancing, we recommend dancing for at least half an hour up to four days a week.

MENTAL HEALTH

Mental health is just as vital as physical health and thankfully, ballroom dance provides just as as many mental health benefits as physical. As a matter of fact, research has found that ballroom dancing improves mental agility throughout a dancer’s life – and that there are also substantial benefits to those who start ballroom dance later in life. Ballroom dancing can help promote increased memory, alertness, awareness, focus, and concentration. It can prevent the onset of dementia and significantly improve spatial memory in elderly patients. Taking part in an activity like ballroom dance helps create more intricate neural pathways, which can ward off weakening synapses that often come with old age. Among younger dancers, the results can also be considerable. Swedish researchers studying teenaged girls with stress, anxiety and depression saw a decrease in anxiety and stress levels among those who took up partner dancing. They also saw marked improvement in mental health and patients reported being happier than those who did not participate in dancing. Perhaps most significantly, partner dancing has also been shown to decrease loneliness among all age groups, as its a goal-oriented social activity that brings like-minded people together.

CONFIDENCE

You will often find that dancing consistently will lead to an improved comfort level, confidence and communication skills on and off the dance floor. As your dance capability improves and you feel more comfortable with other people, your sense of accomplishment, motivation and confidence will continue to increase. And even better… you will notice these new attributes taking root in other areas of your life as well.

SELF-EXPRESSION & CREATIVITY

Dancing comes naturally to people, plus it’s an easy and fun activity for anyone to participate in. Not only does ballroom dancing provide an emotional outlet to express your feelings through body movements, but it can also be a wonderful creative outlet. You will be able to enhance your ability to permanently use these expressive qualities even when you are not dancing, and to share that creativity with others. After only a few lessons, you will start to find yourself moving more and more seamlessly through your dance steps, while you get lost in the music. You will unlock a beautiful rhythm your body may have been hiding. It can also help with your motivation and energy.

STRESS & DEPRESSION

In today’s hectic world, we sometimes forget to take a moment for ourselves. Dance lessons provide a fun escape from your typical daily routine, plus a chance to relax, relieve stress, and concentrate just on yourself. Our students often tell us that even if they’re “not feeling it” when they arrive for a lesson, once they stretch and start dancing, they’re able to forget about the day’s stresses, simply be, and let the dance take over. There’s also a growing body of evidence that indicates that dancing has a positive effect on the treatment and prevention of depression.

  • Group activities like ballroom dance lessons can expand your sense of social “connectedness”, which lowers stress and depression levels
  • Ballroom dance is similar to the practice of mindful meditation (which has also been shown to significantly reduce levels of stress and depression) in that it requires you to fully focus your attention, and be present in the moment. This meditative state can help you “turn off” the negative thought patterns associated with depression or stress. For those who are not interested in traditional meditative practices, ballroom dance can be a great way to reap the same benefits.
  • The physical act of dancing releases endorphins while lowering the levels of stress hormones in our bodies. This creates a sense of “alert calm,” and improving mood and energy levels.
  • Ballroom dance as depression or anxiety treatment is more likely to be voluntarily continued by participants than more traditional forms of therapy, which can further increase its effectiveness.

SOCIAL FUN & FRIENDSHIP

fred astaire dance studioOne of the greatest, and perhaps appealing, aspects of ballroom dancing is its ability to bring people together. Ballroom dance lessons give you the change to expand your social circle, develop connections and engage with people in a low-pressure environment, where there are no expectations. It’s a great activity for younger singles who want to step up their dating game, or couples looking to reconnect, and for adults interested in discovering something new and inspiring, just for them. Learning to dance does take dedication, but you will be surrounded and encouraged by artistic, positive and happy people who make learning enjoyable and rewarding. Whether you are attending group lessons, weekly practice parties, regional and national competitions or studio events and outings, you’ll meet a melting pot of people of all ages, with different cultural and occupational backgrounds. And the best part? Since they all share your passion for dance, these connections often transition into lasting friendships. At Fred Astaire Dance Studios, we are truly proud of the supportive, welcoming and warm environment you’ll find in every one of our studios.

So why not try it out? Come alone or with your dance partner. Learn something new, make new friends, and reap numerous health and social benefits… all from merely learning to dance. Call today and join us for some FUN!

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