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Should You Learn Ballroom Dancing?

I’ve got to say that I cannot take full credit for this particular article, however I had to re-post because it explores the possibilities of Ballroom and Latin dancing and how it is beneficial for your mental and physical health. Anyway, with that being said, please enjoy this article once again!

So You Think You Can Dance?

Quicksteps, Cha-Chas, Tangos, Waltzes, Sambas, and Foxtrots have been gliding across America’s TV sets on the #1 hit ballroom dance show, Dancing with the Stars for years.

Do you tap along with the beat as you watch? Or shimmy during the commercial breaks? This may be one time when health experts won’t fret if you follow in the footsteps of prime-time TV. Ballroom dancing could help the mind and body, they say.

Make Your Move!

You’re not likely to practice for hours with a world-class dance partner as on the show. But you also won’t face live national TV and the judges’ barbs.

Will you get a good workout? What about those two left feet? And how can “twinkle toes” benefit your brain?

WebMD posed those questions to science, dance, and fitness pros. Here’s their spin on ballroom dancing’s health perks.

Is It a Challenge?

The TV show’s contestants are often winded after their routines. One dancer from last season said he lost 15 pounds.

How typical is that? It depends on the type of dancing and your skill level, says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, MS, of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wis.

“Once someone gets to the point where they’re getting their heart rate up, they’re actually getting a terrific workout,” says Cram.

Dance is a weight-bearing activity, which builds bones. It’s also “wonderful” for your upper body and strength, says Cram.

Would-be dancers should consult their doctors first, especially if they have any health problems, says Cram.

Let the Calories Burn!

How many calories will you burn? That depends on your body and how vigorously you dance.

Dance is a “moderate activity,” say the USDA’s physical activity guidelines. Adults should get at least 30 minutes of moderate to vigorous activity daily, according to the guidelines.

It can be easier to stick to that with fun activities, says Cram.

Shake What Your Mama Gave Ya!

New ballroom dancers may feel muscles they didn’t know they had. That often happens with a new activity, says Ken Richards, spokesman for USA Dance, the national governing body of DanceSport — the competitive version of ballroom dancing.

Ballroom dancing often means moving backward, especially for women, says Richards, a professional ballroom dancing veteran.

“If you’re dancing the foxtrot, you’re taking long, sweeping steps backwards. That’s very different than walking forward on a treadmill or taking a jog around the neighborhood,” he says.

Ballroom dancing works the backs of the thighs and buttock muscles differently from many other types of exercise, says Richards.

Core Experience

The legs and arms often do the flashy dance moves. But they’re sunk without a strong body core.

The “core” muscles — the abs and back — are also used in Pilates, says Janice Byer. A lifelong dancer, Byer is group exercise director of The Courthouse Athletic Club in Oakland, Calif. Byer and her husband (whom she met through dancing) are avid swing dancers.

Body Strengthening and Mind Bending

Dance can challenge your mind as well as your muscles.

At least one observational study has shown sharper minds with ballroom dancing.

The study appeared in The New England Journal of Medicine two years ago. Joe Verghese, MD, and colleagues studied 469 people who were at least 75 years old.

At the study’s start, they answered surveys about mental and physical activities, like doing crossword puzzles or dancing. Back then, none had dementia.

Five years later, 124 had dementia. Frequent dancers had a reduced risk of dementia compared with those who rarely or never danced.

Of 11 physical activities considered, only dancing was tied to a lower dementia risk, Verghese tells WebMD.

Most dancers did ballroom dancing, says Verghese. He’s an assistant neurology professor at Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York.

Dancing Mentality

How might ballroom dancing help the mental and psychological health? Verghese outlines three possibilities:

  • Increased blood flow to the brain from the physical exercise
  • Less stress, depression, and loneliness from dancing’s social aspect
  • Mental challenges (memorizing steps, working with your partner)

“Dance, in many ways, is a complex activity. It’s not just purely physical,” says Verghese.

An Amazing Choice!

No one is prescribing ballroom dancing, and Verghese’s study doesn’t claim dancing drove the results.

To get real proof, a study could assign one group of people to ballroom dancing, comparing them to inactive people.

So says Carl Cotman, PhD. He directs the Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia at the University of California, Irvine.

“There aren’t any experimental models in animals that would be equivalent to ballroom dancing, that’s for sure,” says Cotman. His rat studies have shown brain benefits from voluntary running.

If dance is aerobic enough, it could aid the brain, says Cotman. The social and mental aspects could also help.

“You’ve got togetherness, and … training the brain to do a new motor skill,” says Cotman. “I think it’s pretty exciting.”

No one knows how much or what kind of exercise the brain needs, says Cotman. He’d like to see such studies done.

Meanwhile, “there’s no evidence that it’s going to hurt anything,” says Cotman.

No Divas Allowed, Check Yourself Before Ya Rek Yourself

Here’s some advice for beginners from New York dance therapist Jane Wilson Cathcart, LMSW, ADTR, CMA:

  • Look for a good teacher who emphasizes what you can do, not your limits.
  • Don’t be a perfectionist about it, just keep improving.
  • Don’t worry about your size. Dance is for everyone.
  • Get into the music, as well as the movement.

“Take in all the good feedback you’re getting and give your inner judge a couple of dollars to go to the movies,” says Cathcart.

“We are usually our own worst critic,” says Cathcart. “Think of how many other times your critical judge has limited you from doing something.”

New skills can bring confidence. At parties and social events, dancers may head to the dance floor feeling good about themselves without a martini’s encouragement, Richards jokes.

“Lay the pathwork of positivity through it,” says Cathcart. “The coolest dance begins with one step. The rest will follow.”

Article Sources:

SOURCES: Catherine Cram, MS, exercise physiologist, Comprehensive Fitness Consulting. USDA, “MyPyramid.gov: What Is Physical Activity?” CDC: “Physical Activity: Recommendations.” Ken Richards, spokesman, USA Dance. Janice Byer, group exercise director, The Courthouse Athletic Club. Joe Verghese, MD, assistant neurology professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine. Carl Cotman, PhD, director, Institute for Brain Aging and Dementia; professor of neurology and psychobiology, University of California, Irvine. Jane Wilson Cathcart, LMSW, ADTR, CMA, dance therapist.

© 2005 WebMD, Inc. All rights reserved.

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Why You Should Learn How to Ballroom Dance in 2015

So if you reading this article, my guess is that you’re curious or partially convinced that you should learn how to ballroom dance now rather than later. Maybe Dancing With The Stars, might have initially sparked your interest in Ballroom and Latin dancing like most of the planet. Now, you probably need some sort of justification or proof that ballroom dancing is awesome and that it can change your life for the better. I know the benefits of dancing are endless however, let me start off by giving you my top 3 reasons of why you should learn how to ballroom dance this year, starting with…

#1 Your Body and Overall Physical Well-Being

Did you know that dances like Salsa, Cha-Cha and Swing are a total body cardiovascular workout that strengthens your muscles and bones? Dancing actually increases blood circulation, and lowers blood pressure, while simultaneously reducing the risk of coronary heart disease! Isn’t that awesome?! Getting toned, sexy and fit while having fun learning a new hobby doesn’t hurt either!

#2 Your Psychology and Emotional Health

Endorphins are unleashed when the body exerts itself at a certain level. You might have heard of a “runner’s high”. Because dancing is a similar activity, this same emotional boost can happen as you learn to Tango or even Jive. Of course, all exercise releases endorphins, but dancing has an increased effect in this realm because it’s not only the physical activity, but also the music, that affect the mind. In a dancer’s context, a “dancer’s high” is felt when you really kick your body into high gear after a few minutes of continuous motion.

Dancing also affects the mind by contributing to a sense of accomplishment and satiation. While you may not reach new goals immediately, you will have the satisfaction of knowing that you worked hard towards those goals. Sweating through a series of rhythms and combinations can be very satisfying even if change comes about at a slow pace. In the long term, you will see the fruits of your efforts not only from year to year, but on a day-to-day basis, as you grow in your dancing abilities.

In addition, studies have also shown that activities that involve both physical and mental activity at the same time help to slow the onset of Alzheimer’s disease and reduce the chance of developing dementia by 70%. Who can argue with that?

#3 Your Happiness and Overall Social Life

Dancing gives a sense of happiness and spiritual fulfillment. Getting swept up in an intimate connection with another person can be an amazing and unique experience, which is why so many people enjoy dancing so much…So why not give it a shot? Aside from your mind and body; your soul is worth the time, the healing and the growth that you can achieve through ballroom dance.

In addition, social dancing is an amazing way to escape from life, let go and have some good old fashioned fun! Now, why would you want to miss out on that? Grab your partner or come solo to a local dance studio in your area and see what kind of offers they have for new students in this year so you can get in on the action.

To finish….

So in closing, I know there are much more reasons why to ballroom dance than just these 3, but I’ll let you go and save it for a potential part 2! Have I got you convinced? I hope so!

Again, if you’re in the Las Vegas area, come stop by at Ballroom Addiction and try our Free Dance Lesson. We’re located outside the Las Vegas Strip (Google map below). Great music, phenomenal dancing and fantastic fun! Come see these top 3 reasons in action here at Ballroom Addiction and once again….

“Have a great time dancing, you’ll never know where your feet will take you until you start moving!” 

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Choosing The Right Ballroom Dance Studio For You

Now, I know what you are probably thinking….Here come’s another author trying to promote his favorite dance studio over another. However I beg to differ, being on both sides of the fence as a student and as a ballroom dance instructor, I’ve always thought in the student’s point of view first. The reason why is because I know what it’s like to be charged $145+ per 45 minute private dance lesson, getting completely swindled in the end and I also experienced what it’s like to have a high quality dance lesson at a fairly low cost, while learning so much in the process.

My goal is to help you find the right ballroom dance studio to suit your needs, whether you are a complete newbie to Ballroom and Latin dancing, a seasoned competitor or someone who’s been in the dance scene for a while.

So here are my top criteria I look for in a Ballroom and Latin dance studio, before I decide to invest the time, energy and money into my dancing.

#1 The Cost to Value received, is it worth it?

We might as well have the answer to the most obvious question that everyone will ask and that is “price”, but more importantly the value we’re getting back from the time and money we’ve spent. Some studios charge as low as $65 per lesson, others as high as $175 per private lesson, depending if you’re looking into an individual instructor, independent dance studio or a franchised studio. Most studios and instructors will offer discounts the more lessons you buy, however beware of those who hold consumers hostage by hard-selling a 20+ private lesson package that costs more than a college semester or your mortgage!

Also, notice I didn’t mention group classes, especially if you’re a newbie. You should be coached 1-on-1 first before doing any group sessions to avoid any bad dance habits early on. That tip alone will save you a lot of money and time in the long run, trust me on this one. Based on fun factor, dance ability, ease of learning and what our needs are, price can have a big effect on who we decide to learn from.

#2 Do they have the styles of dance I’m looking for?

All ballroom and Latin dance studios are not created equal, most studios will advertise that they have every dance style under the sun and that might be true, but from what I’ve found, coming from a student’s point of view is that most studios specialize in certain styles more often than others. Some studios predominantly focus on International Latin, others teach American Styles most of the time, depending on the owner and staff. We, as the consumer have to decide whether we want to be a social dancer (which is most of us), a competitive dancer or to simply have wedding choreography made for just ourselves and our significant other.

#3 Is the studio and staff well qualified to teach me what I want to know?

Now, I find credibility to be pretty important as a consumer, because I’ve seen plenty of studios where their instructors know a few dance moves more than their students, but not much else. Many of these beginner instructors are people who have very little dance training from a video tape and have decent sales experience to reel you in. Most of them aren’t dance certified at all which can truly ruin the credibility studio altogether and the ones who really suffer the most are us, the students.

I hate to say this, but I have to call it as I see it. The types of studios that are most guilty of having unqualified teachers are “franchised dance studios” and trust me you can tell who the new instructors are vs. the true expert. Watch the instructors who are dancing and teaching their students, especially during a social party setting and you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about.

All ranting aside, if we do our own research we’ll be able to separate the “wheat from the chaff” by asking if their staff and/or dance director is certified. How long they’ve taught dancing, but more importantly how well they teach is a critical factor to consider. Also, we should discover the kinds of praise they’ve received as dancers and most importantly, as teachers, because I’ve also witnessed the other extreme where a studio has terrific dancers and competitors, but don’t have the know how, patience and humility to clearly teach what they know. Dancing well and teaching well are interrelated, yet are two very different animals don’t you agree?

#4 Side by side comparisons, testimonials and overall client reviews.

Now, even though this maybe an obvious factor, we both know that Yelp and Google reviews aren’t always truthful, some are testimonials are fabricated. If we as consumers really want to know how well a studio is doing, then look at their overall atmosphere and quality of students that studio produces. The proof is truly in the pudding. Is the studio that we’re visiting have a welcoming and helpful atmosphere? Are they full of dance divas who can’t really dance or teach and have fragile egos? Who are their long time students and why have they continued learning from this particular studio till now? Have I got your brain cranking yet? Ask better quality questions to get better quality answers.

In conclusion…

I hope these points really help you find the dance studio you’re looking for. As a shameless plug, if you’re in the Las Vegas area, stop by at Ballroom Addiction and try our Free Dance Lesson. We are conveniently located outside the Vegas Strip (check our Google map below). No pressure, no BS and all fun! If you find that we’re not the right studio for you, there are still plenty of studios in the valley to choose from.

“Have a great time dancing, you’ll never know where your feet will take you until you start moving!”