From the philosophers of ancient Greece to the neuroscientists and happiness experts of today, the benefits of dance are undeniable; dancing can make us happier, more intelligent, younger, and overall better people. Even if you think you have two left feet, think again, and maybe take up a dance class.
Plato said that “the dance, of all the arts, is the one that most influences the soul”, and he was right. Over a year ago, I attended a conference bringing together the world’s leading happiness experts. After tantalizing the audience on his definition of happiness, one of the keynote speakers suddenly started jumping up and down and called on the audience to join him on stage, to dance.
Of course there is a whole science behind this, with research showing that dancing reduces anxiety, depression and stress. When we dance we are not only releasing endorphins and increasing our serotonin levels, but we are also actively engaged, subconsciously expressing our emotions, usually with other people, and ‘in the moment’ (rather than scrolling through our phones). For some people, just the thought of dancing in front of others is mortifying, but once you take those first (dance) steps, it can have a dramatic impact on increasing your confidence and self-esteem.
Dancing offers one of the most authentic human connections in a world where we are over-connected but increasingly disconnected from one another. When was the last time you looked a stranger in the eyes for 3 whole minutes? In most partner dances, you have to make eye-contact with your dance partner for the time of a song, otherwise, you just can’t follow each other! In tango, where many (including myself) prefer to dance with their eyes closed, the connection is different but just as powerful. You learn to balance yourself entirely with another person on an axis as you move together as one. You learn to breathe with another person. It’s like collective meditation.
But dancing also makes you more tolerant and accepting of people’s differences. Something I learnt in my Bailando Journey is that people who dance are not what you might expect; they are of all shapes and sizes, backgrounds, with different abilities and sometimes disabilities. Dance is inclusive of everyone, regardless of appearance, ethnicity, age, gender or sexual orientation. Not to mention that it’s a great way to make new friends that you wouldn’t usually meet in your social circles.
When I started to learn how to dance, what I didn’t expect was what was going to happen to my brain. I don’t think it had worked so hard since learning a foreign language or doing a complex soduku puzzle. It turns out that dancing stimulates our intelligence in many ways as you need to recognize patterns and calculate spaces, all while moving your body to the rhythm of sounds with minimal reaction time.
According to an article from Stanford University, the key here is that intelligence is essentially about “split-second rapid-fire decision making, as opposed to rote memory”. When you dance, especially socially, you never know where you are going to step next, until you do, which means you could be making hundreds of these decisions in the time of just one song.
Latest research shows that dancing can slow down the ageing process, with studies showing that it can increase the number of neural paths, which improves memory, many of which are lost as we get older.
A recent study from the University of Colorado has shown that dance can offset some of the effects of ageing in the brain, and help to keep it healthy. Another study published in the New England Journal of Medicine found evidence that dancing is the only physical activity that has an impact on mental acuity, with those dancing regularly reducing their risk of dementia by 76 percent.
Balance, coordination, posture, muscle tone and strength, endurance and general cardiovascular health; these are just some of the many benefits that dance has for our physical health to keep our bodies fit. Dancing also boosts our immune system, makes us more alert and helps us to sleep better.
In our increasingly sedentary world, Dr Terri Lipman from the University of Pennsylvania argues that dancing also helps to tackle the growing challenge of obesity and reduce the risk of type 2 diabetes. Evidence also shows that dance can help maintain our bones and joints, as it reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
If you take up a dance class, you might get more than just a new skill, but an investment for your health and well-being, and you might even have fun too!
Behind every dance, there is a story. This book will take you dancing from New York to Buenos Aires, immersing you in the local culture, history, and happiness with every dance step. Aliénor Salmon is represented by Gregory Messina of the Linwood Messina Literary Agency.
© 2022 – Bailando Journey Ltd. All rights reserved.
