Here’s a list of popular benefits of dancing…
For health reasons it: strengthens bones and muscles without hurting your joints; tones your entire body; improves your posture; improves your balance that can prevent falls; increases your stamina; increases body flexibility; reduces stress and tension; wards off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression; reduces weight; is good for your heart, muscles and body frame; is a mild form of exercise; boosts brain power by improving memory skills; makes people less likely to develop dementia; improves some of the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
Out of 98 common activities studied including many sports, reading, board games, crossword puzzles, singing, acting, playing an instrument, listening to music, using computers, working out, aerobics, bicycling, bowling, etc. ONLY BALLROOM DANCING was effective at staving off the progression of Alzheimers disease. It is postulated that the combination of exercise, learning of step patterns & social interaction confers this remarkable preventive power to dancers! Dance improves our memory by making us recall steps, routines and dance patterns, making it a great mental exercise for our brains. The big benefit is that increasing mental exercise keeps your mind young, quick, alert and open.
"...the waltzers had better oxygen uptake and less muscle fatigue than a group doing more traditional exercises and a control group who did not exercise. They also reported a better quality of life." - R. Belardinelli, MD of the Lancisi Heart Institute in Ancona, Italy
For social reasons it: boosts ego; builds confidence; provides opportunities to meet people; fosters increased bonding with friends, lovers, and life partners.
Some other reasons for the popularity of dance are: it requires no special equipment; is an activity you can enjoy as often as you like and fit to any schedule; it is great fun!
So, we can say that all of the above benefits are undeniably good. On closer examination, it is obvious that people will select those benefits that most suit their lifestyle needs. Obviously, younger dancers are less concerned about the health benefits and very much more interested in the social aspects of the hobby. Those sorts of differences affect dance school and dance event planning of teaching techniques; selection of types of dances; and selection of music.
