Did you know that social dancing reduces stress and tension, adds romance, strengthens your bones and muscles, improves posture and flexibility, creates social connections, wards off certain illnesses like dementia, builds confidence AND makes you smarter?! It’s true! The benefits of social dancing are endless.
“What exactly is social dancing?”, you may be wondering. Social dancing is any style of dance that you can use out in the clubs, at weddings, on cruises and at holiday parties. Some of the most popular social dances in Arizona include Salsa, Swing, Country Two Step, Hip Hop and Argentine Tango. Even line dancing is fun and useful-especially in Arizona. Social dancing is different than traditional ballroom dancing in that you can take it out and use it anywhere. Whereas traditional ballroom dancing usually requires a lot of space to dance, social dancing can be done on any crowded dance floor.
Dance FX Studios is the first strictly social dance studio created for adults in Phoenix, AZ. Over a decade ago, we created a social dance syllabus that can make a dancer out of anyone. With our exclusive approach to teaching the everyday person how to become a confident social dancer, it is our mission that each person receive as many of the benefits of social dancing as possible.
Have we piqued your interest in partner dancing yet? If so, read on to uncover even more of the social, mental, emotional and physical benefits of learning to dance. See how dancing can be so much more that steps and how your life can be enhanced through dance. Give social dance lessons a try and see how many of these benefits can be yours. Through a combination of private dance instruction, group dance classes and dance events at Dance FX Studios, both couples and singles will soon discover the many advantages of learning to dance.
Make new friends with social dancing lessons! Have you ever wondered why people who are dancing can’t seem to help but smile? Connecting with others on the dance floor adds a new dimension to any relationship. From friendships to romantic connections, social dancing brings people together.
As a low pressure way to meet others, social dancing opens doors for people to get acquainted. Before long, and out of a simple and mutual love of dance, bonds are created. From there, a shared sense of community through dance encourages long-lasting ties.
In fact, dancing has even aided in bridging those of different communities together. In a study done in Northern Ireland, Blackpool and Sacramento in the U.S. by Jonathan Skinner, a lecturer in Social Anthropology at the School of History and Anthropology at Queen’s University Belfast, tensions between neighborhoods were alleviated through dancing. Where friction among neighborhoods was still an issue, Dr. Skinner found that “social dancing leads to a continued engagement with life – past, present, and future” and that social dancing provided the opportunity to enjoy life together and create tolerance between each other.
For the perfect way to meet others through dancing, group dance classes for adults, both singles and couples, begin every 4 weeks at Dance FX Studios. Our dance classes include Salsa, Swing, Country Western, Argentine Tango and Hip Hop. See our schedule of classes to find out when you can get started with social dance lessons.
Who would have thought that something that brings as much fun and excitement as social dancing would also aid in mental health? Amazingly, dancing has been proven to help keep the brain healthy and to even protect against dementia!
According to Dr. Kay Judge and Dr. Maxine Barish-Wreden, medical directors from the Sutter Downtown Integrative Medicine program, “The ability of the brain to change structurally and functionally has been shown to increase and improve as a result of input from dancing. This is literally a “use it or lose it” phenomenon. Because of how our brains must constantly think about the next move literally before the previous one is complete, and how the body has to respond in a timely manner, among all the other things that go on in learning to dance, it is thought that perhaps this greater mental reserve and increased complexity of electrical and/or chemical signals being sent from cell to cell keeps dementia at bay!” In fact, in a study done with Alzheimer’s patients, some were even able to recall forgotten memories when they danced to music they once knew.
In a 21-year study of people aged 75 and older that was led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City, funded by the National Institute on Aging, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, dancing proved to be the greatest risk reduction for warding off Alzheimer’s disease and other dementia. The method in this study for objectively measuring mental keenness in aging was to monitor rates of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, researchers wanted to see if any physical or cognitive recreational activities influenced mental acuity. They discovered that some activities had a significant beneficial effect. Other activities had none. One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against dementia. There was one important exception: the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing! Dancing also out-scored the more prescribed cognitive activities such as doing crossword puzzles and reading books. Here are the results comparing the different activities and their effect on reducing the risk of dementia.
• Reading – 35% reduced risk of dementia
• Bicycling and swimming – 0%
• Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week – 47%
• Playing golf – 0%
• DANCING FREQUENTLY – 76% !!! This was the greatest risk reduction of ANY activity studied, cognitive or physical.
Would you like to add more romance into your life? How about relieve stress and unwind after a long week? Does gaining social confidence sound like something you could use? Social dancing is can give you these benefits and so much more!
Forget about bellying up to the bar the next time you’ve had a long day. In dance classes for yourself or even you and a partner, you will find a healthy way of relieving stress while learning a new hobby at the same time. In fact, with the release of endorphins that occurs after a Salsa, Swing, Two Step or Tango dance class, you will find a reduction in stress, tension, anger and even loneliness.
Now that you’ve found a way to manage stress through dancing, you can also explore the perks of social dancing and romance. Couples dancing is wonderful for connecting with your special someone in an intimate way. Imagine holding your loved one in your arms as you learn to move your bodies to music together. Dancing is the single most romantic way to enhance your relationship as it brings together the mind, body and the spirit.
For singles, meeting new people in a non-threatening environment, like a dance studio, is a great way to find love or friendship. Our new group dancing classes, specifically designed and created for singles, can foster new relationships.
Have you ever admired professional ballroom dancers for their poise and elegance? Dancing lessons greatly improves one’s self-confidence, helping you to walk taller and exude the charm and grace you often see in others on the dance floor. Whether you’re doing the Cha Cha Cha or the Waltz, dancing aides in in body awareness and a sense of assurance.
Finally, if you are looking for a creative outlet, adult dancing lessons are the perfect for developing self-expression and personal style. Investigate your artistic side (or create one) by learning to dance Latin, Swing, Country Western, Hip Hop or Argentine Tango.
Relish in a worry-free, passion-filled life with social dancing as a hobby. Reveal your inner visionary and improve your confidence as you learn to dance. See our Introductory Offer for how to get started with social dance lessons.
In addition to helping you socially, mentally and emotionally, dancing also has amazing physical health rewards. Strengthen your bones and muscles, improve your posture and balance, ward off certain illnesses and gain more stamina and flexibility-all through social dancing!
Now you can burn calories and avoid the gym by learning to dance! Why do things the traditional way when there are so many more fun and exciting ways to get into shape?! If you’ve tried an hour of Salsa or Swing dancing, you can attest to the fact that you at least “feel” like you have burned off at least 500 calories. This number is not far from accurate based on studies that reveal that a one-hour dance lesson can help you to shed anywhere from 300-450 calories.
While shedding those pounds, ballroom dancing can assist in you learning to lengthen your spine and gain better posture. Stronger core muscles earned through dancing over a period of time will keep the spine in alignment and improve spinal flexibility. These physical benefits can aid in relieving or erasing upper back and neck pain, not to mention improving balance, coordination and body presence.
Overall flexibility gained through dancing Salsa, Foxtrot, Tango and other styles of social dance comes as you execute new dance movements. Each dance genre lends itself to using different parts of the body that may not be often utilized. Through the process of learning to dance, new muscle movements gives your body diversity in terms of working out and getting fit.
Social partner dancing is even heart-healthy. At the Flagstaff Medical Center, they use monthly ballroom dance classes as part of their Cardiac Rehabilitation program. Heart patients benefit from ballroom dancing through aerobic activity to help improve their balance, stamina, and mental acuity. Another reason why social Ballroom dancing is good for cardiac rehabilitation comes from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. According to them, dancing can lower your risk of coronary heart disease and decrease blood pressure.
Ballroom dancing is also recommended during certain rehabilitation processes. As an alternative to other forms of exercise to strengthen your muscles, ballroom dancing has been known to be beneficial for those who have recently had heart or knee surgery. On the Knee Society’s website, for example, ballroom dancing is actually listed as a suitable activity. Ballroom dancing can help with stretching and strengthening muscles around the knee with low-impact pressure on the joints. **Always consult your doctor prior to any new physical activity if you are undergoing rehabilitation.
Feel good both inside and out and learn to dance! Social dancing heals the mind, body and heart while boosting confidence, offering a creative outlet and so much more. So what are you waiting for? It’s never too late to give yourself the gift of dance.
Follow Us!