Dancing is good exercise and a fun way to keep fit. There are many forms of dance, from ballroom to ballet, belly dancing, hip hop, to disco. Dance has been a part of human culture, rituals and celebrations. People dance in a group, with a partner or on their own.
Today, there are lots of different places where people can enjoy dancing, for example at dance schools, social venues, community halls and in their own homes. Although for many people, dancing is about recreation and self-expression, some pursue dancing as a competitive activity.
Dancing has become such a popular way to be active and most fitness clubs now offer dance classes in their group exercise programmes. Now, researchers are learning that regular dancing as a form of physical activity can help keep the body, including the brain, healthy as one age.
There has been some promising research in this area. For instance, a new study suggested that dancing can help to overcome low spirits, stress, fatigues and headaches, besides contributing to the mental health and self esteem in girls. It also brings greater poise and capacity to deal with daily problems.
The study included 112 Swedish girls aged between 13 to 19 years. On multiple occasions, these girls had gone to see the school nurse for symptoms such as anxiety and depression, fatigue, headaches, and back, neck, and shoulder pain.
In the study, 59 of the girls were randomised to a group that regularly danced together two days a week and 53 girls to a control group where the girls did not change their living habits.
The results indicated that the girls in the dance group, despite all the challenges entailed by being a teenage girl, increased their self-esteem compared with the control group.
According to this study which was published in the American journal Archives of Paediatrics and Adolescent Medicine (JAMA), the positive effect persisted at follow-ups four and eight months after the dance training ended. Ninety one per cent of the girls in the dance group felt that the dance study had been a positive experience.
Whether it is ballet or ballroom, clogging or jazz, dance is great for helping people of all ages and physical abilities get and stay in shape. For instance, a 2003 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that ballroom dancing at least twice a week made people less likely to develop dementia. Research also has shown that some people with Alzheimer’s disease were able to recall forgotten memories when they dance to music they used to know.
Interestingly, dancing was the only physical activity out of 11 in the study that was associated with a lower risk of dementia. This is perhaps because dance music engages the dancer’s mind.
Dancing may be a triple benefit for the brain. Not only does the physical aspect of dancing increase blood flow to the brain, but also the social aspect of the activity leads to less stress, depression and loneliness. Further, dancing requires memorising steps and working with a partner, both of which provide mental challenges that are crucial for brain health.
If feeling tense or stressed out, dancing might help to unwind. In a controlled study in the Journal of Applied Gerontology, researchers found that partner dance and musical accompaniment can help bring about stress relief.
Moreover, dance is a great activity for those at risk of heart disease, hypertension and stroke. An Italian study in 2006 indicated that people with heart failure who took up waltzing improved their heart health, breathing, and quality of life significantly compared to those who biked or walked on a treadmill for exercise.
A study by Dr Paul Dougall at Strathclyde University in 2010 concentrating on older women found that Scottish country dancers were more agile, have stronger legs and can walk more briskly than people of the same age who took part in exercises such as swimming, walking, golf and keep-fit classes.
The amount of benefit from dancing depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing that is done, how strenuous it is, the duration and skill level. For instance, jazz is more rigorous than waltz. Also, specific different dances have specific benefits. Ballroom dancing works the backs of the thighs and buttock muscles differently from many other types of exercise. Belly dancing improves posture and muscle toning, maintains flexibility and helps prevent lower back problems.
If you don’t know what kind of dance you might like, the best thing to do is experiment. If you used to dance and are getting back into it, you can pick up where you left off. Some adults decide to resume ballet classes after years of having had them as children.
So what are the other benefits of dancing? This includes:
• Strengthen the lung, heart and body muscles.
• Minimises the chances of the disease osteoporosis (makes bones weak and more likely to break) as it makes the bones stronger.
• It increases the flexibility, agility and the coordination in the body.
• It enhances physical confidence.
• It enhances the functionality of mind and the nervous system.
• It increases the levels of self-esteem and confidence.
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