The Rumba and Cha Cha Cha require
quick leg actions following by stillness
that develops fine-tuned control of the
knees, feet and hips as well as fluidity
through the arms and upper body, not to
mention the Jive which can dramatically
improve cardiovascular fitness. Some
people compare 3 minutes of Jiving to
running 1 mile!
planning and continuous learning to
perfect a dance. This includes avoiding
collisions on the floor, executing
different combinations of steps as well
as constantly thinking about the correct
technique, alignment, body rotation
and amount of turn whilst sending and
reading physical signals to and from your
partner.
Alongside remembering and executing
the steps, we aim to maintain perfect
poise and posture, improving spinal
alignment to assist bad back and
posture problems. This can in turn start
to release tension all over the rest of the
body, enhancing your life in general.
All of this will make you more efficient
at everyday tasks that involve problem
solving, thinking quickly, learning new
things and retaining them. Your everyday
movements will have better form and
placement, cutting the risk of back, neck,
shoulder and other pain associated with
bad posture as well as other injuries due
to strength imbalances,
But what effect do all of these skills
have on your mental well being? A
21-year-long study conducted at the
Albert Einstein College of Medicine in
USA found that dancing can ward off
Alzheimer’s, Dementia and cognitive
degeneration (memory loss) better
than almost ANY OTHER PHYSICAL
ACTIVITY.
In a nutshell, the study concluded
that although physical exercise is very
good for keeping muscles, joints and
bones young through regular usage,
dancing actually strengthens the parts
of the brain that tackle problem solving,
memory and cognitive ability, keeping
the brain young through sustained use
across an evening’s dancing.
You have to do a lot of thinking, pre
In short, Ballroom and Latin dancing
strengthens and engages your entire
body, keeping it young. In fact, the study
mentioned concluded that with brain and
body function you either ‘Use it or lose
it!’ and dancing involves using “all of it”
whilst having fun, meeting new people
and gaining social confidence. Dancing
releases endorphins, eliminating stress
and promoting a sense of achievement,
anticipation and excitement at what you’ll
learn next. This all has a tremendous
positive effect in your work and family
life.
balance and self discipline but that is a
whole other article!
Now that it is coming to the end of the
article (and quite frankly I can talk all day
about dancing) I am going to let you in
on a secret… I only started dancing as
a purely sociable exercise. My cousin
Joanne dragged me along to my first
class and was my first dance partner. I
quickly got the bug, training every day
and have now qualified as a professional
dance teacher, training competitors
and social dancers of all ages, 7 days a
week.
I believe you can start dancing at any
age and with enough focus and passion,
you can reach the level you want to be.
This is why I love dancing so much and
why I am a great advocate of starting
dancing at any age, from 2 years old to
92 years old. Dancing benefits everyone,
it does not discriminate and it could be
the best thing you ever do. And it beats
the treadmill any day…
By Marcus Edwards
eastsussexdance.com
Of course Adult Ballet, Disco, Street
Dance and Rock and Roll also develop
aerobic and anaerobic fitness as well
as tremendous flexibility, core strength,
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