The Physical & Mental Benefits of Dance
Why Dance?
As humans, most of us have a desire to constantly acquire knowledge and learn new things, while stimulating our senses, both physically and mentally. We're going to take an in-depth look at some of the obvious, and not so obvious benefits of dancing, and also, the benefits of tap dancing specifically.
Fitness and strength
No doubt about it, dancing is a fabulous way to stay fit (if you're doing enough of it - remember to get the cardio benefits you need to be doing at least 30 minutes of it several times a week). This is one of the many reasons why practice is so important - don't just practice the steps, practice doing them faster and/or over and over to improve your cardio and endurance.
The social aspect
For many, dance classes present a wonderful opportunity for social interaction with other like-minded people, both for adults and children.
Learning new skills
In addition to fitness and social benefits, you're also improving your knowledge base and learning new skills.
Dancing makes you smarter!
The benefits of dance are certainly not limited to physical exercise and social interaction. If you didn't have enough to get you to a dance class with just those two, there is new evidence showing that dancing, over most other forms of physical exercise, stimulates the brain the most, and provides a highly reduced risk of dementia. Check out a fascinating article here.
Taken from the same article, which uses the findings of a 21-year study conducted by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, funded by the National Institute on Aging, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, to demonstrate the evidence for dancing being the one of the best forms of mental stimulation, and the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia.
Here are some examples of the many activities observed during the study, and the rough percentages of the reduced risk of dementia as a result in frequently undertaking these activities.
Reading - 35%
Bicycling and swimming - 0%
Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week - 47%
Playing golf - 0%
Dancing frequently - 76%.
The 76% reduced risk of dementia from frequent dancing was the highest of any activity studied, cognitive or physical.
But! It's not quite as simple as dancing around a lot.....
One of the most interesting findings of the whole study was that the benefits were most apparent in activities 'which require split-second rapid-fire decision making, as opposed to rote memory (retracing the same well-worn paths), or just working on your physical style.' - another reason that we promote improvisation (particularly tap dance improvisation), and the learning of new styles - not just new dance styles, but new and different variations of the same dance style.
Self expression and self-image
To most of us, our self-image is very important, and we want to be able express ourselves accordingly. Dance is not only an artistic and beautiful path towards individual self expression, it also raises confidence individually and in a public performance situation - particularly important for children of all ages.
Click here for benefits specifically related to TAP DANCE: The benefits of tap dancing
Check out information on Red Hot Rhythm's tap dance classes in Brisbane, or professional tap dance entertainment.
Last note - read before attending any dance class
Any dance style you learn is a skill, and with any skill, the way to get better is to practice. No skill will come to you straight away - it takes time and a great deal of work, and in the end, you'll only get out what you put in.
Remember, you generally only have a small window available to you with your dance teacher -
make the best of it, and be ready to work. Remember your teacher can only guide you - you
have to put in the work yourself. Make a commitment to learning the skill, to working on
and perfecting it, and try not to miss classes. Think about ways to ensure you keep going back to class.
Your brain and your body will thank you for it!
