Ballroom Newsletter, Siskiyou County & Northern California – January 28th 2019

A word about the health benefits of ballroom dance:

Let’s face it, we all have to age (or mature or ripen or develop or advance or blossom or senesce or mellow or sharpen or evolve or perfect – or, for some, ferment).  But we have all heard the phrase “to age gracefully” which, to most of means to age without whining about it or to age without frantically chasing after “youthfulness” and all its attendant technologies.  Or, in other words, a mellow acceptance.

But what if one could “age gracefully” by simply becoming . . . graceful?  Learning to move smoothly with ease & power, to carry oneself with dignity & grace, and to gain in these things as one advances in years, would be to truly age gracefully.

If only there was an activity that could give us all that.  If only there was some way of learning and developing all of that.  If only a method existed that could help us to accomplish all of that and more!

Well, my friends, there is.  It is called ballroom dance.  We have already pointed out that ballroom dance has been found to be the only physical activity that combats Alzheimer’s (and by combat they mean prevent and counter-act).  We have re-positioned our links to the New England Journal of Medicine article and our Stanford article to just below this section of the newsletter so that you can see for yourselves.

But there are other health benefits to ballroom dance as well.  Ballroom dance has been found to be a good counter-reactant for Parkinson’s, as well, in that it helps those who have developed it to move out and keep their movements large, with the beat of the music keeping their movements regular.

As a low-impact, non-boring form of exercise, it is easy on the body even as it strengthens it.  It improves ones strength, balance & the control of ones movements (which minimizes ones chances of falling and maximizes ones chances of surviving a fall undamaged).  It gradually develops wind/cardio as it strengthens bone density and over all body strength (yes, upper body as well as lower).

And we haven’t even begun to address the social aspects.  The health benefits of human contact alone would be argument enough for dancing with a partner, but the camaraderie and social connection boosts the benefits a thousand fold.

Don’t let Dancing With The Stars give you a warped view of ballroom dance.  While DWTS has given everyone a new appreciation of couple dancing, it has also sacrificed the true beauty and quiet grace that is ballroom dance to splashy showiness and fancy-schmancy moves that look crass & artificial by comparison.

True ballroom dance is not as difficult, does not require lifts, has no side-by-side/non-contact steps and does not require plastered on grins or grimaces-of-passion.  It is smooth & elegant and, actually easy & comfortable when done correctly.  And don’t forget our own axiom, “The most practical, efficient & effective way of moving, with no additional effort needed, ends up being the most beautiful way of moving”.  All you got to do is do the dancing right and you will look good.

So take the classes.  Begin the process of aging gracefully now by bringing grace and all of its attendant benefits into your lives by starting to train now.  Don’t forget, you are training for health, you are training for fun, you are training for strength and balance, you are training for a better future.  You are training for a better you.

Come join us!

Relevant Links

http://socialdance.stanford.edu/syllabi/smarter.htm  Research substantiating that Ballroom Dance combats Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia (with a link to the original article in the New England Journal of Medicine). 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/susan-rosenzweig/learning-to-wait-howwest_b_4129983.html  A nice take on some of the more unexpected benefits of Ballroom Dance