Let's Dance to Health

Dancing can be magical and transforming. It can breathe new life into a tired soul; make a spirit soar; unleash locked-away creativity; unite generations and cultures; inspire new romances or rekindle old ones; trigger long-forgotten memories; and turn sadness into joy, if only during the dance.

On a more physical level, dancing can give you a great mind-body workout. Researchers are learning that regular physical activity in general can help keep your body, including your brain, healthy as you age. Exercise increases the level of brain chemicals that encourage nerve cells to grow. And dancing that requires you to remember dance steps and sequences boosts brain power by improving memory skills.

There has been some promising research in this area, according to Rita Beckford, M.D., a family doctor and spokesperson for the American Council on Exercise. 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 are able to recall forgotten memories when they dance to music they used to know.

Whether it's ballet or ballroom, clogging or jazz, dance is great for helping people of all ages and physical abilities get and stay in shape. There's even chair dancing for people with physical limitations. A 150-pound adult can burn about 150 calories doing 30 minutes of moderate social dancing.

Like other moderate, low-impact, weight bearing activities, such as brisk walking, cycling or aerobics, dancing can help:

• strengthen bones and muscles without hurting your joints
• tone your entire body
• improve your posture and balance, which can prevent falls
• increase your stamina and flexibility
• reduce stress and tension
• build confidence
• provide opportunities to meet people, and
• ward off illnesses like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, osteoporosis, and depression

So if you're tired of the treadmill and looking for a fun way to stay fit and healthy, it might be time to kick up your heels!

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Dancing is a great activity for people age 50 and older because you can vary the level of physical exertion so easily, according to Marian Simpson, a retired dance instructor and president of the National Dance Association.

For instance, people just getting back into dance or physical activity can start out more slowly, then "step it up a notch" by adding things like dips and turns as they progress, says Simpson. The more energy you put into a dance, the more vigorous your workout will be.

Although some dance forms are more rigorous than others - for instance, jazz as opposed to the waltz - all beginners' classes should start you out gradually. Ballroom dance, line dancing, and other kinds of social dance are most popular among people 50 and older. That's because they allow people to get together and interact socially, while getting some exercise and having fun at the same time. Dancers who have lost partners can come alone and meet new people, since many classes don't require that you attend as a couple.

If your doctor hasn't restricted your activity in any way, you're ready to rock, says Beckford. If you haven't been active or seen the doctor in a while, ask yourself the following questions:

1. Has your doctor ever said you have a heart condition and that you should only do physical activity recommended by a doctor?
2. Do you feel pain in your chest when you do physical activity?
3. In the past month, have you had chest pain when you were not doing physical activity?
4. Do you lose your balance because of dizziness, or do you ever lose consciousness?
5. Do you have a bone or joint problem that could get worse from a change in your physical activity?
6. Is your doctor currently prescribing drugs (for example, water pills) for blood pressure or a heart condition?
7. Do you know of any other reason why you should not do physical activity?

Source: Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q), Canadian Society for Exercise Physiology, Inc., 1994

You should make an appointment to see your doctor if you answer "yes" to any of the questions above.

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.

If you take a class, give it some time before deciding you don't like it, recommends Colleen Dean, program coordinator for the American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance. Try going with a friend and keep with it for at least a month. You can find dance classes at a dance school, dance studio, health club, or community recreation center. Some YMCAs, churches, or synagogues offer group dance classes followed by a social hour.

Here are some forms of dance you might want to explore:

• Square dancing
• Swing (traditional or West Coast, which is more technical)
• Line dancing, which can be done to country, rock, pop, or salsa music
• Folk dancing, which can reconnect you to your ethnic roots or introduce you to a whole new culture
• Ballroom
• Belly dancing
• Salsa
• Flamenco
• Jazz
• Tap
• Modern
• Clogging (double-time stomping and tap steps)
• Contra (square dance moves in lines with men and women switching places)

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Some dance schools or dance halls hold social dances that are open to the public on certain nights of the week. Often, you can take a class before the dance begins.

You also can join a dance club that meets regularly at different places, or join an amateur or professional dance troupe.

Jim Maxwell, 61, helped form a dance troupe seven years ago that performs at local retirement communities, nursing homes, and community events in the Northern Virginia area. The 37 members, who perform clogging and Irish dance routines, range in age from 9 to 62. The group gives Maxwell and his fellow cloggers an opportunity to perform a useful community service while having fun and staying fit.

"We get the benefits of physical activity, but we also serve our community," says Maxwell, who started dancing because he needed physical activity but hated to exercise. To help recruit people for the troupe, Maxwell began teaching clogging, tap, and Irish dance to all ages at local recreation centers. He now teaches six classes.

"Dancing is a lot of fun, and I like performing," says Maxwell. "[Plus], we actually do things for people. It's not just exercising as an indulgence."

If you're afraid you have two left feet or are short on time, you can do your own thing just by turning on some music and dancing around the house. Or turn a night on the town into a dance party by finding a hot spot with a good dance band.

You also can "sweat to the oldies" or sashay around your living room with dance videos that you can buy or rent from your local library or video store (check to see if they're available). So crank up the volume and shake a leg. Once you start dancing, you might not want to stop!

http://www.aarp.org/health/fitness/get_motivated/lets_dance_to_health.html

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The power of dance: health and healing.

Hanna JL.

University of Maryland, Bethesda 20817, USA.

Dance involves the culturally mediated body, emotion, and mind. So do illness and pain. Dance may promote wellness by strengthening the immune system through muscular action and physiological processes. Dance conditions an individual to moderate, eliminate, or avoid tension, chronic fatigue, and other disabling conditions that result from the effects of stress. Dance may help the healing process as a person gains a sense of control through (1) possession by the spiritual in dance, (2) mastery of movement, (3) escape or diversion from stress and pain through a change in emotion, states of consciousness, and/or physical capability, and (4) confronting stressors to work through ways of handling their effects.

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Dance as a therapy for cancer prevention.

Aktas G, Ogce F.

State Conservatory of Turkish Music, Department of Dance, Ege University, Izmir, Turkey.

Even though the field of medicine has developed tremendously, the wide variety of cancer is still among chronic and life threatening disease today. Therefore, the specialists constantly research and try every possible way to find cure or preventive ways to stop its further development. For this reason, studies concerning the chronic disease such as cancer have been spread to many different fields. In this regard, many other alternative ways besides medicine, are used in prevention of cancer. Nutritional therapy, herbal therapy, sportive activities, art therapy, music therapy, dance therapy, imagery, yoga and acupuncture can be given as examples. Among these, dance/movement therapy which deals with individuals physical, emotional, cognitive as well as social integration is widely used as a popular form of physical activity. The physical benefits of dance therapy as exercise are well documented. Studies have shown that physical activity is known to increase special neurotransmitter substances in the brain (endorphins), which create a state of well-being. And total body movement such as dance enhances the functions of other body systems, such as circulatory, respiratory, skeletal, and muscular systems. Regarding its unique connection to the field of medicine, many researches have been undertaken on the effects of dance/movement therapy in special settings with physical problems such as amputations, traumatic brain injury, and stroke, chronic illnesses such as anorexia, bulimia, cancer, Alzheimer's disease, cystic fibrosis, heart disease, diabetes, asthma, AIDS, and arthritis. Today dance/movement therapy is a well recognized form of complementary therapy used in hospitals as well as at the comprehensive clinical cancer centres.

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What a fantastic post!!

This is right up my street!!

Thankyou Chris!!!

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“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth and it is yours for the taking.”
Author Unknown

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Dancing is like dreaming with your feet!  ~Constanze~

Dancers are the athletes of God.  ~Albert Einstein~

Dance first.  Think later.  It's the natural order.  ~Samuel Beckett~

Dancing is the poetry of the foot.  ~John Dryden~

Dance is the hidden language of the soul.  ~Martha Graham~

I see dance being used as communication between body and soul, to express what it too deep to find for words.  ~Ruth St. Denis~

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.  ~Kurt Vonnegut~

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The Most Magical Feeling

When you dance you forget everything
You and the music become one
It is a spiritual experience, actually quite relaxing!
You dance every dance as if you were a champion
When you jump into the air
Time stands still
As if you were the only one there
It's actually quite surreal
Living in the moment, realizing what it's worth
You never forget it
When you come back down to Earth.

Copyright 2000 M.W.

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Fullmoon....thank you so much for the topic of dance and all your info and quotes. I am who LOVES to dance....

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The Health Benefits of Dancing -- Including Specific Benefits of Different Dances
Author: Brian Vaszily

If you secretly sashay across your living room when you're home alone or long to cha-cha with your significant other, you're in luck. Not only is dancing an exceptional way to let loose and have fun, but it also provides some terrific benefits for your health.

In fact, Mayo Clinic researchers reported that social dancing helps to:
Reduce stress
Increase energy
Improve strength
Increase muscle tone and coordination

And whether you like to kick up your heals to hip hop, classical or country, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says that dancing can:
Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
Decrease blood pressure
Help you manage your weight
Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips

Dancing is a unique form of exercise because it provides the heart-healthy benefits of an aerobic exercise while also allowing you to engage in a social activity. This is especially stimulating to the mind, and one 21-year study published in the New England Journal of Medicine even found dancing can reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia in the elderly.

In the study, participants over the age of 75 who engaged in reading, dancing and playing musical instruments and board games once a week had a 7 percent lower risk of dementia compared to those who did not. Those who engaged in these activities at least 11 days a month had a 63 percent lower risk!

Interestingly, dancing was the only physical activity out of 11 in the study that was associated with a lower risk of dementia. Said Joe Verghese, a neurologist at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and a lead researcher of the study, "This is perhaps because dance music engages the dancer's mind."

Verghese says 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 memorizing steps and working with a partner, both of which provide mental challenges that are crucial for brain health.

How Good of a Workout is Dancing, Really?

The amount of benefit you get from dancing depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing you're doing, how strenuous it is, the duration and your skill level.

Says exercise physiologist Catherine Cram, MS, of Comprehensive Fitness Consulting in Middleton, Wisconsin, "Once someone gets to the point where they're getting their heart rate up, they're actually getting a terrific workout. Dance is a weight-bearing activity, which builds bones. It's also "wonderful" for your upper body and strength."

Plus, dancing requires using muscles that you may not even know you had.

"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 ... Ballroom dancing works the backs of the thighs and buttock muscles differently from many other types of exercise," says Ken Richards, professional dancer and spokesman for USA Dance, the national governing body of DanceSport (competitive ballroom dancing).

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Specific Benefits of Different Dances :

If you're looking for specific health results, here's a breakdown of the benefits of some popular dances. Just remember that any type of dancing is better than no dancing at all!

Belly Dancing:
Improved posture and muscle toning
Maintains flexibility
Helps prevent lower back problems
Tones and firms arms and shoulders
Helps with weight loss
Helps prepare women for childbirth
Reduces stress

Dancing Off Those Calories:

How many calories will you burn while dancing? That depends on the type of dancing. Here's a range of some of the most popular varieties, based on a 150-pound person, per hour:
Swing dancing: 235 calories/hour
Ballroom dancing: 265
Square dancing: 280
Ballet: 300
Belly dancing: 380
Salsa dancing: 420+
Aerobic dancing: 540+

Ballroom Dancing:
Conditions the body
Helps keep the heart in shape
Builds and increases stamina
Develops the circulatory system
Strengthens and tones legs and body
Increases flexibility and balance
Helps with weight loss
Relieves stress

Salsa Dancing:
Builds endurance and stamina
Helps with weight loss
Relieves stress
Helps you release toxins via sweating
May help lower blood pressure and improve cholesterol levels
Can lead to a reduced heart rate over time

Square Dancing:
Provides cardiovascular conditioning
May lead to a slower heart rate, lower blood pressure and an improved cholesterol profile
Strengthens bones
Helps you develop strong social ties
Loosens and tones muscles

Physical benefits aside, dancing has a way of brightening up a person's day, says ballroom owner and operator Karen Tebeau.

"A lot of times, when people come into the studio, it's because there's been a change in their life: a divorce or they've been through a period of depression. They (continue) coming in, and you see a big change. After a while, they're walking in with a sunny expression. You know it's the dancing that's doing that," she says.

http://www.articlealley.com/article_14571_23.html

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Hi Libramoon,

thank you for the link. I will take a look.

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