Health Benefits of Dance

Dancing can be a way to stay fit for people of all ages, shapes and sizes. It has a wide range of physical, and mental benefits including: improved condition of your heart and lungs, increased muscular strength, endurance and motor fitness, increased aerobic fitness, improved muscle tone and strength, weight management, stronger bones and reduced risk of osteoporosis, better coordination, agility and flexibility, improved balance and spatial awareness, increased physical confidence, improved mental functioning, improved general and psychological wellbeing, greater self-confidence and self-esteem, and better social skills. Most forms of dance may be considered an aerobic exercise and as such reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, help weight control, stress reduction, and bring about other benefits commonly associated with physical fitness. In addition, studies have demonstrated a considerable correlation between dancing and psychological well-being. It also helps with discipline, coordination, balance and memorization.

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A major study at Stanford University added to the growing evidence that stimulating one’s mind by dancing can ward off Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia, much as physical exercise can keep the body fit.  Dancing also increases cognitive acuity at all ages. Dancing integrates several brain functions at once — kinesthetic, rational, musical, and emotional — further increasing your neural connectivity.

 

Dance often. Seniors who did crossword puzzles four days a week had a measurably lower risk of dementia than those who did the puzzles once a week.  If you can’t take classes or go out dancing four times a week, then dance as much as you can.  More is better.  And do it now, the sooner the better.  It’s essential to start building your cognitive reserve now. Someday you’ll need as many of those stepping stones across the creek as possible.  Don’t wait — start building them now. For me personally it hoped to understand just how hard I have to try to achieve my full potential in everything I do.

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Our goal at Turning Pointe

Every student who dances must receive all the health benefits of dancing. The better the quality of training the more beneficial the results and effects are. We want to balance proper training with opportunities for serious dancers to pursue professional career in dance as well as dancing for health benefits and joy. Those who wants to be serious about dance, will have to practice more often and more vigorous. Communicate to your instructors if you want to be more/less serious about dance training you are getting.

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What helps achieve best results?

1. Supportive parents. You have to have parents who can give proper directions and support.

2. Professional and caring teacher. Without a good teacher there would be very little progress.

You want a teacher who has a professional dancing background as well as experience in teaching.

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What does it take to really learn how to dance?

Attendance, Hard work and Talent are three the most important components for dance training in our opinion. If either one out of three is missing it still can be quite good. If two out of three are missing than it will be a struggle for the student and the teacher. If three out of three are present, then a student can become a very good dancer, and possibly a professional dancer.

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1. Attendance. Ideal attendance would be at least 90% of required classes are attended. Anything below 75% would be a challenge, and in advanced levels it can cause injuries.

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2. Good work ethics, quality work, meaning analyzing your mistakes and make smart corrections in every class. Those who fully utilize their intelligence in dancing, at all levels, love the way it feels. Spontaneous leading and following both involve entering a flow state. Both leading and following benefit from a highly active attention to possibilities.

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Using your mind to create proper muscle memory. When the brain gets scared or nervous, then the muscle memory kicks in. Once during piano exam, I forgot what to play and my muscle memory took over. After that I often played for people in the dark to amuse them. Sometimes kids think that when it counts they will try hard and get the results, like exam or auditions or recital instead making best effort every class and improve every day. What happens when they all of a sudden decide to push hard for a special occasion to achieve an immediate result is an injury, accident, or disappointment. Pushing hard in every class for continuous improvement will create proper body and brain connection. This is the key to building proper technique.

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3. Talent, someone who can be called a “Natural” consists of several facets. Every talented individual is different from another and nobody is perfect, that is what makes it fun.

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For dance it includes musicality, coordination, flexibility, turn out, strength, high jump, natural lines and desirable body type, artistic presentation, joy of performing, and of cause passion and love for the activity. Many of these qualities can be improved with practice and time, but of cause if someone possesses some or all of those right of the bet, they will progress faster.

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Very often though the ones that are physically talented, or very smart and get good grades at school with minimum effort, they tend to get discouraged when are faced with challenges in ballet class, because they do not know how to deal with a challenge. They feel if they didn’t get it right away they are just not good at that particular movement. I was one of those kids who got all As without really needing to try hard in school. I got discouraged when things didn’t happen right away in ballet class. With time I understood what it means to work on a challenge, think, apply corrections and you get results. Just because there is a challenge it doesn’t mean you are not good at it. Ballet teaches how to be patient with yourself and learn how to work every day to improve your mind, your body ,and your technique.