Apart from benefiting your brain, heart and physical fitness, dance can also help widen your social circle, writes Fong Leong Ming
There are many reasons to take up social dancing: It is a great way to stay fit, make new friends (many from the opposite sex too!) and generate endorphins by the bucketloads. You feel great and happy... and since what goes around comes around, your improved confidence and cheerful nature make you more attractive to others.
According to researchers at academic medical centre Mayo Clinic, social dancing helps to:
• Reduce stress
• Increase energy
• Improve strength
• Promote muscle tone and coordination
Experts at other medical institutes concur, citing benefits such as:
• Lower risk of coronary heart disease
• Decreased blood pressure
• Helping with weight management
• Strengthens bones, especially those of your legs and hips
LOWERS DEMENTIA
A comprehensive study published in the New England Journal Of Medicine even found that dancing reduces the risk of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia in the elderly.
In the study, participants over the age of 75 who engage in reading, dancing and playing musical instruments as well as board games once a week have a seven per cent lower risk of dementia compared to those who did not. Those who participate in these activities at least 10 days a month have a more than 60 per cent lower risk.
Interestingly, dancing is the only physical activity out of those cited in the study that is associated with a lower risk of dementia.
“This may be due to the fact that dance and music engage the mind,” said one researcher.
Dancing is also unique among the many forms of exercise. It provides heart-healthy benefits of an aerobic exercise while allowing one to engage in a social activity.
Dancing is known to have a highly positive effect on the brain. The physical aspect of dancing increases blood flow to the brain while the social aspect of the activity leads to less stress, depression and loneliness.
As dancing requires memorising steps and working with a partner, it provides mental challenges that are good for brain health.
But like most exercises, it all depends on how strenuous the dance activity is.
Getting the heart rate up to the point where one is actually getting a workout is important. That’s where age and fitness come in. Dances such as jive can be fast and sweat-inducing and thus more suited for the younger set. Senior citizens can opt for ballroom dances or even attempt the sultry rhumba moves.
FEEL-GOOD RUSH
Whichever you choose, dancing is great for upper body and promotes overall strength, says Sean Lim Chong Shian, an instructor at Aesthetic Dance Academy in Kuala Lumpur.
“Whether it’s cha cha, salsa, rhumba or foxtrot, you’re working different muscles on your body. The movements are certainly more varied as compared to, say, walking on a treadmill or taking a jog around the neighbourhood,” he says.
Physical benefits aside, dancing also gives one an endorphin rush, that feelgood euphoric feeling.
“Yes, dancing has a way of cheering you up. You may have had a tough day at work but once you dance, you feel a load is lifted off your shoulders. It’s not uncommon to see glum faces turn quickly into big smiles after a few routines. The catchy music helps, I suppose,” he adds.
It also isn’t true that one has to be young and nimble to take up dancing. Can just about anyone dance? “
Of course!,” says Lim. “One just needs to have an interest in dancing and persist at it. As long as they don’t give up, anyone can dance, regardless of age.”
DEARTH OF MALE DANCERS
Most men shun dancing because of the misconception that it is not a manly pursuit, says Lim ruefully.
“Most times, parents consciously discourage their sons from taking up dance, thinking it is not macho and encourages a certain level of femininity. This is certainly not true. The male dancer has to portray masculinity to look good on the dance floor... to ably support his female partner to execute certain movements,” he says.
Lim, 34, hopes more men of all ages will take up dance, whether as a hobby or to realise a hidden talent or passion. “If not these reasons, at least it’s a fun way to good health,” he reiterates.
WHY COUPLES BENEFIT
“Couples who dance together stay together,” says Lim. “When you take up dancing lessons together, you spend more time together. You communicate more with each other and you’ll understand each other better.”
Of course, there have been times when couples argue because one partner is impatient or unsure of the dance moves but on the whole, when two people come together to dance, they learn to work together.
“Ego takes a back seat. Dancing teaches you qualities like patience and this carries over into your daily relationship,” says Lim.
There’s also the spark of intimacy generated by dancing. Dances like salsa and tango are, by their very nature, quite seductive. Who knows, both partners may discover a fresh attraction for each other, says Lim, winking.
There’s so much to love about social dancing that it’s a wonder it is not more popular with every generation. It keeps one’s mind sharp, improves physical fitness, combats stress, boosts self-confidence and widens one’s social circle. If you ask me, dancing is way, way more fun than going to the gym.
A CLASS ACT
A LATE bloomer, Sean Lim Chong Shian only took up dancing in his late teens but at 23, he was already collecting awards in Latin dance, winning over judges in Singapore, Indonesia and locally.
Today, he is actively involved in choreographing routines for local television dramas on RTM and ntv7. He’s also an avid photographer.
Lim’s dance school, Aesthetic Dance Academy, is located in Old Klang Road, Kuala Lumpur. He teaches an advanced class in Latin dance there every Wednesday at 8pm. A beginner class and an advanced technique class are held at Fame Studio in Taman Desa, KL, which he runs with a partner. Call Lim at 017-282 8886.