Benefits of Dance

Dancing isnt just about the steps and music. Its a perfect combination of physical activity, social interaction, and
mental stimulation. Dancing enhances your life in so many ways: Health, Confidence, Self-Expression, Social,
Relaxation, and Fun.

Health: 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. Olympic athletes often
dance as part of their training to sharpen their control, agility, and speed. Dancing is great exercise, and our
studios offer a pleasant, fun atmosphere in which to learn.

Confidence: Dancers possess an aura of self-confidence and an ability to enjoy themselves more in social
situations. When you learn how to 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.

Self-Expression: Dance provides an emotional outlet so that you can express your feelings through your body
movements with passion and flair. Dancing will bring out, improve upon, and strengthen your ability to
permanently use these expressive qualities even when you are not dancing.

Social: Dancing lessons are an easy, low-pressure way to meet people. Fred Astaire Franchised Dance Studios
provide weekly practice dance parties, nights out on the town, and regional and national competitions, as well as
fun trips to many different locations. Our lessons are the perfect way for couples to rediscover romance by
dancing your way to love!

Relaxation: In todays fast-paced world, we sometimes forget to take a moment for ourselves. Dancing provides
an enjoyable escape from your normal daily routine, plus a chance to relax, relieve stress, and concentrate on
yourself.

Fun: Dancing is a great way to add excitement to your life. Although learning to dance takes concentration and
dedication, you will be constantly surrounded by artistic, cheerful people who make learning a pleasurable and
rewarding experience. So join us and have some fun!

These days, people love to watch other people dance. Competitive dance shows like So You Think You Can
Dance and Dancing With the Stars are dominating the world of reality television. What you may not realize,
however, is that if you get off the couch and dance yourself, its a great way to keep your body and mind healthy.
Studies show that dancing can help you lose weight, stay flexible, reduce stress, make friends, and more.

What are you waiting for? Start reaping the many health benefits of dance today.

2 / 10 Boost Memory

Dance not only instills grace, but it also helps you age gracefully. According to a study in The New England
Journal of Medicine, dancing may boost your memory and prevent you from developing dementia as you get
older. Science reveals that aerobic exercise can reverse volume loss in the hippocampus, the part of the brain
that controls memory. The hippocampus naturally shrinks during late adulthood, which often leads to impaired
memory and sometimes dementia.

3 / 10 Improve Flexibility

Those plies and arabesques that ballet dancers practice arent just for aesthetics they also increase flexibility
and reduce stiffness. You can skip the ballet slippers and still reap the benefits of ballet by practicing some simple
stretches at home. Increasing your flexibility will help ease joint pain and post-exercise soreness.

4 / 10 Reduce Stress

If youre feeling tense or stressed out, you might want to grab a partner, turn up the music, and tango! In a
controlled study in the Journal of Applied Gerontology, researchers found that partner dance and musical
accompaniment can help bring about stress relief.
5 / 10 Diminish Depression

Dancing really does lift your spirits, according to a study in that tested the effects of dancing on people
with depression. Patients who participated in an upbeat group dance showed the fewest depression symptoms
and the most vitality. Got the blues? Grab a friend and go out dancing tonight.

6 / 10 Help Your Heart

Dance is a great activity for those at risk for cardiovascular disease. People with heart failure who took up
waltzing improved their heart health, breathing, and quality of life significantly compared to those who biked or
walked on a treadmill for exercise, noted an Italian study.

7 / 10 Lose Weight

Bored with your bicycle? A study in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that an exercise program of
aerobic dance training is just as helpful for losing weight and increasing aerobic power as cycling and jogging.

8 / 10 Balance Better

If you are nervous about falling as you get older, some dance lessons might help ease your worries, according to
a study in the Journal of Aging and Physical Activity that showed tango dancing can improve balance in aging
adults. Dancing requires a lot of fast movement and good posture, so frequent dancing will help you stabilize
and gain better control of your body

9 / 10 Increase Energy

Cant seem to find your get-up-and-go? Taking a dance class might help. Research published in The Scholarly
Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition found that a weekly dance program could improve physical
performance and increase energy levels among adults.

10 / 10 Make Friends

A dance class is the perfect setting to make new friends and branch out socially. Maintaining positive relationships
may just rank up there with healthy eating and exercise. Being socially engaged leads to increased happiness,
reduced stress, and a stronger immune system.

Transcripcin de Negative Physical and Mental Effects of Competitive Dance

Negative Physical and Mental Effects of Competitive Dance
While competitive dance does have its benefits, it also has a group of negative effects that many people over
look. These problems are often hidden by the glamorous first impression of dance that most people see.
Time Comsuming
Competitive dancers usualy practice multiple days during the week, including the weekends. They also have to
attend rehearsals and performances that can last all day. The competitions themselves can last for days and run
for hours on end. Because of this schedule, some dancers tend to overlook education, and some even switch to
a home schooling environment to make more time for practicing. When dancing becomes this time consuming,
there is rarely enough time to just relax.
Physical Injury
When someone is dancing in a schedule with such rigor, injury is almost always prevelant. Some common injuries
like shin splints, stress fractures and tendonitis are caused by overuse and usually just need time to heal. Other
injuries such as tears of the tendons and ligaments, fractures, and dislocations may need casting,
braces or even surgery to heal properly. This can effect the dancer in a negative way because it can weaken the
performance of the dancer, or prohibit them from performing at all.
Mental Effects
When dancers are exposed to such a competitive environment for an extended amount of time, jealousy among
peers is quite common. Every dancer feels the need to be the best and this can cause tension to grow among
them.
Eating Disorders
Although they are not as common as physical injuries, eating disorders are also seen in this environment. They
can be caused by the pressure put on them by the people around them, like their instructors, peers and family
members. There is a wide variety of disorders, but two of the most well known are Bulimia Nervosa and Anorexia
Nervosa.
Bulimia Nervosa
Bulimia Nervosa is a disorder in which the person goes through episodes of binging and purging. Binging and
purging is characterized by eating excessively large amounts of food followed by going to extreme measures to
lose the calories, such as laxative use, intense exercise and self induced vomiting.
Anorexia Nervosa
Anorexia Nervosa is a disorder in which the sufferer limits calorie intake and participates in intense rounds of
exercise to lose weight. This can lead to extreme weight loss, and malnourishment which can harm the dancer's
technique and performance.
Causes
As previously stated, these disorders are caused by excessive amounts of pressure to be thin and in shape.
Some instructors even go as far as having weight checks to ensure that the student has not gained a significant
amount of weight. This can drive the athelete to desperate measures to either remain at their desired weight or to
lose weight.
Symptoms
These disorders both have a wide variety of symptoms, but some of the most common are slow heart rate, low
blood sugar, loss of bone density, muscular distrophy, weakness, fatique, and excessive weight loss. All of these
side effects can cause the dancers performances and technique to deteriorate.
Outcomes
If these diseases progress too far, they can have detremental side effects, and will eventually lead to death. In
many cases, the disease is diagnosed and therapy is recomended to help treat it. Fortunately, if the disorder is
caught in time, it is curable.
Financial Burdens
Competitive dancing is a huge financial sacrifice. Some annual costs include costume fees, studio tuition,
choreographer fees, competition entry fees, and the cost of regular practice clothes and shoes. These prices can
add up quickly, especially if there is more than one dancer in the family.
Tension Among Siblings
Sometimes, siblings may expirience jealousy if they feel that the parents are giving more attention to the siblings
than they are themselves. Because dancing is so time consuming, often times the sibling may think that the
parents are not distributing their time evenly between the children.
Dance Portrayed in Media
Many people have seen, or at least heard of the popular television show "Dance Moms." This is a show that
follows a competitive team and shows all of the backstage drama that comes with it. The drama that these girls
and thier parents face is completely unrealistic and blown out of proportion. As entertaining as these shows are,
they expose people to a
world of dance that is not accurate. There can be drama between families in the studio, but these programs do
not show the more dramatic issues that most dancers face.
While dancing can be a fun, healthy sport that many people enjoy many people have trouble drawing the line
between what is normal, and what is over the top. To many girls that paticipate in this activity, dance is the only
life they know. Being busy all the time, and being injured more than their non dancing peers is considered
completely normal.
While this sport does have its benefits, some may say that the cons out weigh the pros.

Dancing's effects on the body are generally positive unless injury is involved. Done at a moderate or higher
tempo, it usually causes a sweat and qualifies as aerobic exercise. Dancing burns calories and can positively
affect weight loss. In addition, it offers the psychological benefits of socializing with others. One study even
showed that elderly people who participated in dancing lowered their risk of dementia. Dance-fitness classes such
as Jazzercise and Zumba offer fun ways to work out.

Aerobic Exercise

The U.S. Department of Health & Human Services recommends that adults participate in two hours and 30
minutes of moderate aerobic activity such as wallking or swimming per week for optimum health benefits.
Alternatively, vigorous exercise such as running should be done for at least one hour and 15 minutes per week.
As a form of aerobic exercise, dancing offers cardiovascular conditioning that may lower your risk of coronary
heart disease, high blood pressure and being overweight. Whether you choose to learn ballroom dancing from a
qualified instructor, participate in a dance-fitness class at your local gym or dance along with a video in your living
room, there are a number of ways to enjoy dance as exercise and get a good aerobic workout simultaneously.

Calories Burned

Depending on the type of dance you choose, the number of calories burned will vary. For rhythmical dances such
as the foxtrot or waltz, you can burn up to 260 calories per hour if you weigh 160 lbs. More vigorous dancing
styles such as the salsa can burn 500 calories in an hour's time, comparable to the calories burned from a light
jog. An aerobic dance class of moderate intensity uses 442 calories per hour for a 150-lb. person, and 590
calories for someone weighing 200 lbs.

Lowered Risk of Dementia

A study published in the June 2003 issue of "The New England Journal of Medicine" found that when elderly
people participated in leisure activities, including dancing, their risk of dementia was lessened. The study, led by
Joe Verghese, M.D., looked at the behavior of 469 subjects 75 years and older who did not have dementia at the
beginning of the study. They were followed over a median period of five years. Reading, and playing board games
and musical instruments were associated with reduced dementia risk, but dancing was the only physical activity
that carried reduced risk. Subjects who danced as often as three or four times per week showed 76 percent less
incidence of dementia than those who danced once a week or not at all.

Other Effects

Because dancing is weight-bearing, it can help improve bone density and decrease the likelihood of osteoporosis.
Those turns and dips can also improve muscle strength and coordination. Dancing also helps with balance,
something that is important in older people and keeps them from falling. Psychologically, dancing offers an
opportunity to be with others, and to work off stress and fatigue. The music that accompanies dancing can
heighten energy and mood, and provide an enjoyable time.