Physical Benefits of Dancing

The benefits of dancing are endless, especially when it comes to the physical aspects of this art. Regardless of the style of dance, whether it is ballroom, ballet, zumba, hip-hop, or the salsa, they each play an active role in helping people stay fit. All types of dance styles work to engage all parts of the body to not only create harmony, but to create a graceful workout.

As dancing is done with the entire body, dancers never skip leg day. Dance actively involves the muscles of the arms, legs, torso, back, and even the facial muscles, as the goal is to create oneness with the body as a whole. Through dance one can increase their endurance and stamina monumentally. For example, I had to give a three hour performance for my graduation show and after practicing over five hours everyday, I had built more muscle than I had from six hour long soccer tryouts. Thus, although many people discredit dance and claim it is not a sport, it still has an incredible number of physical benefits.

Dancing is also a great cardio workout through which people can considerably lessen the risks of getting heart disease. Furthermore, it often results in increased flexibility and is a good source of motor and aerobic fitness. Dance is also beneficial when it comes to weight management. In relation to the picture we had to observe for last week’s RCL Blog, dancing could also contribute to one’s physical confidence. Often times when people feel comfortable with their external appearance, they feel better internally as well. This is quite analogous to the instances in which people have good hair days and they automatically feel better about themselves.

Another benefit of dancing is that it can help improve balance and keep the center of gravity within the body stable. Since many dance styles involve posing, it is often compulsory for dancers to have a grounded center of gravity in order to hold a pose for an extended period of time. To add to the list of ways dance can prevent health-related adversities, dance can also aid in reducing the risk of getting osteoporosis as it helps make not just the muscles stronger, but the bones too. Although it is common for dancers to have knee injuries and shoulder injuries, their overall bone structure is very resilient.

The list of physical benefits of dancing could go on forever; however the last thing I would like to touch upon are the improvements in coordination and spatial awareness that result from dancing. Since dancing involves all parts of the body to move fluidly to the beats in the music, coordination is a very important aspect when it comes to synchronization. In addition, spatial awareness is beneficial not in the world of dance but in the realm of everyday life. It is important in dance because it gives dancers a sense of stage presence, however it can also be helpful in math or physics classes at school or even presentations in English class and the workforce.

Ultimately, dancing is a great form of exercise with benefits that extend to not just those who desire to stay fit, but also to those who would like to improve in other aspects of their everyday life.