Benefits of Dancing

“I just don’t have time to try dancing.” “I’d like to, but where am I going to find money for lessons?” These kinds of objections are what inspired me to create Social Ballroom Dance – so the benefits of dancing could be available to everyone, not just those with money and the means.

What if I told you that ballroom dancing could help you make a better impression at a job interview? Or a better basketball or hockey player?  Would you think I’m being wild?

The reality is ballroom dancing can do all these things, and so much more:

It feels good to dance! But it’s one thing to know it, another to know WHY we love dancing so much. Knowing where our enjoyment of ballroom dancing comes from helps to motivate us through the hard times, and enhance the good times.

In this penultimate episode on the benefits of dancing, I’ll be covering:

  1. How ballroom dancing helps you know people from every walk of life.
  2. Why the connection you get with your ballroom dance partner can be one of the deepest connections there is.
  3. Why ballroom dancing helps bring out your natural authenticity.
  4. The surprising reason why social ballroom dancing can be a great team-building exercise.
  5. Why your confidence benefits from learning a skill like dancing.
  6. A simple way to use dance to destress from work.
  7. How dancing can be good for your health – but not in the way you think.
  8. The way in which ballroom dancing allows you to express your best self, on AND off the dance floor.

In part two in our benefits of ballroom dance series, we explore some of the ways dance can improve the speed and flexibility of our mental capacity.

We also take a closer look at studies that talk about how dancing reduces your risk of neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or Dementia. What we find isn’t what you would expect!

Welcome to our series on the benefits of dance! Dancing is quite unique, in that it really is a full-body strengthening activity. In this video, I discuss some of most important ways dance does a body good.

Every time I greet a new student, I like to take them out on the floor and move them to music right away, so they can get a taste of how much fun ballroom classes can be. It’s usually then that I hear the phrase ‘I wish I’d started dancing sooner.’

Why do we hold off on pursuing the things we enjoy? There’s a mentality that traps us, where we feel the things we really want can’t come to us without years of hard work and toil – as though we could somehow free ourselves of all responsibilities, if we just pushed hard enough. 

I’ve previously written about how ballroom dance became my key to building successful relationships. Although it began as a source of confidence for me, I gradually became aware of just how much it helps create meaningful connections between people.

In fact, ballroom dance partners are often jokingly compared to romantic partners, because excelling at romance can help you in dancing – and vice versa. Even social encounters help prepare you for meeting potential friends and more-than-friends.

Ready to learn how to dance any pattern without losing your footing? Now that we know the shoes to buy, the posture to strive for, and the muscles to strengthen, it’s time to try some exercises that build your dance balance for all the main movements in ballroom. Continue reading “Exercises to Improve Dance Balance”

Dancing or no, balance is the difference between looking graceful or awkward. I’ve often heard the best way to improve balance is simply by practicing the activities that challenge you in the first place. Fair enough… But a few fundaments won’t hurt either.

In the social jungle, making a good impression, or just having a good time can depend a lot on how well you make new connections. And of course, having a few tricks, like a sharp wit, dashing good looks, or ballroom dancing, can help you stand out from the crowd. In fact, knowing how to dance with others is like a superpower in the social arena. Here’s just a few ways it can transform you from a wallflower into a social butterfly.