Benefits of Dancing

Relaxation
In today's fast paced world, we sometimes forget to take a moment for ourselves. Ballroom dancing provides a temporary escape from your normal daily activities, a chance to relax, relieve stress and have a good time.

Many of our students find their dance lessons to be a great form of relaxation. Body movement releases endorphins (the feel good hormone) much like exercising, only without the stress to your joints and muscles. In addition, the concentration needed to learn steps, lead or follow, and navigate the dance floor also helps to block out most of your daily mental stress.


Stress Relief
Ballroom dance is a great way to "get away from it all" and relieve the stress of everyday life. For our bodies, exercise releases endorphins which is a natural mood booster. For our minds, the concentration required when learning ballroom dance can take your mind off of your daily stresses. In addition, movement paired with upbeat music can improve your mood. Finally, the social interaction and support found amongst ballroom dancers can release the stress many people feel on a regular basis.


Health and Wellness
When you dance, your cardiovascular system improves, your muscle tone increases and you burn calories. This low-impact aerobic activity also increases flexibility, strength and balance. Ballroom dancing is great exercise in a pleasant and fun atmosphere.

Dancing has been rated the second best form of exercise when comparing both positive and negative affects to the human body. The physicality involved with ballroom dancing is the perfect balance of strength, flexibility and cardio.


Flexibility
Flexibility is an important part of being healthy. Dance requires a great amount of flexibility. Most dance classes begin with a warm-up including several stretching exercises. Dancers must strive to achieve full range of motion for all the major muscle groups. The greater the range of motion, the more muscles can flex and extend. Most forms of dance require dancers to perform moves that require bending and stretching, so dancers naturally become more flexible by simply dancing.


Strength
Strength is defined as the ability of a muscle to exert a force against resistance. Dancing builds strength by forcing the muscles to resist against a dancer's own body weight. Many styles of dance, including jazz and ballet, require jumping and leaping high into the air. Jumping and leaping require tremendous strength of the major leg muscles. Ballroom dancing builds strength. Consider the muscle mass a male ballroom dancer develops by lifting his partner above his head!


Endurance
Dance is physical exercise. Exercise increases endurance. Endurance is the ability of muscles to work hard for increasingly longer periods of time without fatigue. Regular dancing is great for improving endurance, especially vigorous dancing such as line and ballroom dancing. Elevating the heart rate can increase stamina. Just as in any form of exercise, regular dancing will build endurance.


Weight Loss
Dancing for 30 minutes burns calories equivalent to walking, swimming and cycling. Repeatedly doing dance steps is a cardiovascular exercise and works out the major muscle groups. In a short period of time of dancing, you will burn fat tissue and increase muscle mass in your legs. As you continue to dance you will experience an increase in the strength, size and firmness of your legs. You can think of it like this: every time you go dancing, it is like going to the gym.

Self Confidence
Ballroom dancers possess an aura of self-confidence and an ability to enjoy themselves more in social situations. When you learn how to ballroom dance, your entire mental outlook will take on a fresh sense of creativity, motivation and energy. This new self-confidence in your dancing abilities will transfer to other aspects of your life as well.


Romance
For couples who ballroom dance, it can mean a lot more than just moving in harmony to music. Ballroom dance improves a couple's communication skills. On and off the dance floor it can promote open, responsive and supportive communication. It often gives couples a new interest together and gives them a new project to work on and talk about. It becomes a new way to spend quality time together on lessons, at parties and events and when practicing. As an added bonus, you can spend this time with one another holding each other and moving together to music.

For wedding couples, ballroom dance can be a new activity to share that may relieve the stress of wedding planning. At the wedding, it introduces the couple to their family and friends in a loving, special way. Dancing gets better with time - this can be a hobby that a couple can share for the rest of their lives.

For married or committed couples, ballroom dance can reconnect a couple and reignite the spark of romance in their relationship. For many couples, the pressures of family and careers can put their relationship on the back burner. Ballroom dance can serve as a reminder to put more attention on each other and encourage spontaneity and romance.

Fun and Excitement
Ballroom dance has many ways to bring fun and excitement to your life. Many students look forward to breaking up their weekly routine by attending private lessons, group classes and practice parties. On your lessons you can have fun in learning and accomplishment in a positive, upbeat and encouraging environment. Dancing to music can improve your creativity and boost your mood. As students gain confidence many seek out venues to use their dancing and find a new, exciting way to spend an evening. The Fred Astaire Dance Studios also hosts parties, shows, trips and competitions where you can meet new friends to dance and socialize.


Social Interaction
Dancing is a social activity. Studies have shown that strong social ties and socializing with friends contribute to high self-esteem and a positive outlook. Dancing provides many opportunities to meet other people. Joining a dance class can increase self-confidence and build social skills. Because physical activity reduces stress and tension, regular dancing gives an overall sense of well-being.


Glamour
The hit television show "Dancing With The Stars" has glamourized ballroom dance. From the rhinestones and fringe to the tuxedos and feathers, when people think of ballroom dance they think of glamour. For many students they idea of wearing an elegant ballroom gown or a sophisticated tailcoat attracts them to this hobby. In addition to the glamourous costumes, many events that we sponsor or places to dance give our students a reason to dress up and enjoy an evening of dance.

Once they begin dancing, many students feel the glamour of ballroom dance in their daily lives. The self-confidence gained when learning how to dance often brings a new awareness or interest in their appearance. When students lose weight or tone up their bodies they may dress differently and want to be noticed. Or for some students they have a place to express themselves through their attire.

Many students have said that friends ask them, "Did you change your hair? There is something different about you." When in fact it may be the style they have when they walk into a room that people notice.