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Toronto Dance Article:
Benefits of Dancing
I Hope You Dance
Groove your way to a revitalized mind, body and soul
Author: Neeti Tomar
Copyright © 2008 Neeti Tomar and Passion magazine. All rights reserved.
This article may not be copied/republished without expressed permission
from Passion magazine.
The interview with Chuan Chee was done Feb 2008.
You know the feeling. The one that happens when you hear that song and
it gets you so pumped your legs twitch and your fingers start tapping.
You can't sit still. The music takes you away. You must move.
"It's like running around with a good rhythm that feels really natural,"
says professional modern/contemporary dancer and instructor Jacinte
Armstrong. "You jump up off the floor, and get down, roll on the floor,
get back up, switch directions, and then you're still running around,
and still swinging everything, but you're in control and out of control
all at the same time."
Yes! That feeling! Not only can movement be fun and exhilarating,
professional ballroom dancer and instructor Chuan Chee says
dancing can be a tool for self-improvement: "It has helped my career,
it's helped my social life, it's helped my personality, it's helped
me physically and mentally. And my posture! Everyone thinks I'm really
confident!"
There are many benefits to getting your groove on! Here are a few.
Physical
When you dance, you move. Dancing can range from mild exercise to a
full on cardio or muscle-building workout. Physical exercise, of course,
has loads of perks. For example, it releases endorphins that relieve pain,
improve your mood and help combat depression. Exercise also strengthens
your heart, keeps your mind sharp, helps you sleep better and boosts energy.
Many of Chee's ballroom students are tired when they come to class.
"After one hour, they've got adrenaline, and they're up and awake again!"
he says. "They don't feel tired anymore."
Students have the same revitalizing experience in psychotherapist
Lainie Magidsohn's Nia class — a practice she teaches that incorporates
various dance, martial arts and yoga moves. "People say, ‘Okay, now I've
got it in me to go on with the rest of my day,'" says Magidsohn.
Mental
Ballroom dancing helped Chee relax and clear his own mind.
He used to work 70 hours a week as a computer programmer when he began
dancing 23 years ago. He would go to class, take a "vacation," and
then go back to work. The result: He worked more efficiently.
"Suddenly I was so much better in my computer programming that it
helped my career," says Chee. "I got lots of awards. I have other
students who've told me the same thing. They're in IT and one guy
said after two years he got promoted twice. And he attributes it to dancing."
Studies show that exercise can also boost brain power. Practicing
movement repeatedly focuses the mind and improves concentration explains
Janet Kaylo, director of Laban/Bartenieff and Somatic Studies Canada
(a program that studies movement as a form of therapy). "It improves
the ability to problem solve and to hold more than one idea at a time,"
says Kaylo.
Social
Dancing has spiced up Chee's relationship with his significant other and
has helped him make many new friends. He says the social part of dancing
is another factor that helped him at work. It taught him how to interact
with others.
"When people dance together and do similar movements together, they are
connected," says dance therapist Laurel Bridges. "Throughout the ages,
dance has been used in communities and in tribal situations to connect
people, to draw them together, to celebrate things that have happened
to the community, and to mourn together and express any joint feeling."
Emotional
Movement can express emotions far beyond words. In that sense, dance
can be incredibly therapeutic. Bridges explains that "anyone who's gone
to a dance performance is aware of it. Sometimes we can't articulate
what it triggers in us, but often we can come out of that performance
moved and sometimes moved to a different place in our own emotional struggle."
For a lot of people, Magidsohn says her Nia class is just a purely
fitness class; however, some have emotional experiences. "It's not
infrequent that I have somebody who's getting a little misty-eyed,"
she admits. "More often the emotion that gets stirred up is joy."
Reap the benefits
So that's what gettin' down can do for you. And, don't worry if you think
you have two left feet. That won't matter in Magidsohn's Nia class.
"I know we are all born with the ability to dance," she proclaims.
"I have a 15-month-old and I have two older children as well. I watch
them as they learn to stand up, and then they start to bop. Nobody
teaches children how to dance. Music comes on and they just start to move."
If you're thinking about learning ballroom or Latin dancing, Chee recommends
trying it without prejudice, finding a good teacher and being patient.
Keep practicing. It's not as hard as you might think.
There are all kinds of other movement options like folk, salsa, hip-hop,
chi gong, yoga, ballet, belly dancing, or even a regular fitness class.
The possibilities are endless. But, if none of those suit you, Magidsohn
has the perfect option: "Close all the curtains, put the music on and just
go for it. Put on your favourite music and see how that feels."
http://passionmag.ca/health/wellness/60
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