The many benefits of dancing
Besides being fun, helping you interact and exercise, dancing is good for your brain too
In the absence of a global language, dance is possibly the most universal language, as it exists in all cultures. It is the most primary manifestation of the emotions that have united us for thousands of years, playing a fundamental role in social relations of all kinds. This is precisely one of the many benefits of dance.
In 2009, the Hungarian psychologist István Winkler proved that people are born with a sense of rhythm and music. In other words, that the desire to move to the rhythm of music is an innate characteristic of human beings.
How does dancing help your brain?
From a neurological point of view, dancing involves auditory and visual perception, balance, motor coordination and memory. You need to remember sequences of movements, coordinate these movements in times that set the rhythm of the music and execute them in a space. And if you dance with another person or in a group, you need to add to that communication and empathy with others!
Benefits of dancing in your daily life
Dancing is an activity that not only offers many positive benefits for your brain, but also to your way of developing in a positive way in your daily life. These are some of the main benefits of dancing:
It helps you connect with yourself
Music and movement make it easier to express your emotions in a natural and spontaneous way. And you can channel negative moods - such as anger or distress - in a healthy way.
It helps you connect with others
As a social activity, dance allows you to relate to other people and acts as a disinhibitor. It allows you to improve interpersonal relationships and gives you the opportunity of meeting other like-minded people.
Improves your mood
Dancing is usually a pleasant distraction that lures you to enjoy the moment and smile as you move to the sound of music, while taking you away from the problems and worries of everyday life, increasing your motivation.
Raises your self-esteem and self-confidence
Dancing helps to establish relationships with other people. And it's been proven that maintaining good relationships with others, and healthy socializing, helps to build self-esteem and improve your view of yourself and others. Just like every time you achieve mastery of a new movement, you experience an increase in confidence when you see this as an achievement.
5 dance styles to stay in top shape
Tap dancing
With this dance, originally from the United States, you will acquire better coordination in your movements, a quality that you will later be able to apply in your daily activities. By practicing it, you will get great exercise and make improve the independence of the movements of your extremities. It also provides better concentration and strengthens the abdomen, which you use to keep your balance and focus most of the strength of the dance on your feet.
Latin dances
Imagine yourself on a Caribbean beach, relaxing and moving your hips to the rhythm of cumbia, salsa, merengue or cha cha cha. Latin rhythms are vibrant and fun, and help improve physical endurance. In addition, the joyful atmosphere that surrounds these styles will make your mood rise through the roof.
Ballet
Practicing ballet, whatever your age, will help you acquire good back posture, as a result of the muscular work done in this area. In this way, you will get better support for your daily activities.
This style of dance also benefits your concentration, since to achieve a simple step or a correct posture you will most likely need more than 20 corrections: tension of the arms and legs, elbow stretching, neck lengthening, straight posture, wide chest, stretched feet, lifted weight... in addition to having to maintain a wide smile while performing them! and follow the rhythm of the music while you dance.
Belly dance
Belly dance movements work the muscles and flexibility throughout the whole body, but especially the abdominal, lumbar and pelvic areas. This will help you become aware of your body, and the posture you adopt at every moment. It is estimated that practicing this style of dance burns about 300 calories per hour. And, above all, it helps you to accept your body as it is, leaving possible complexes aside and enjoying a pleasant feeling of well-being, by releasing a good number of endorphins.
Hip-Hop
Psychologists from the University of Cambridge in the UK have developed an innovative programme called Hip Hop Psych, which aims to help people with communication difficulties find a better way to express themselves freely through hip-hop. On a physical level, this dance style is great cardio exercise. It helps stengthen muscles, glutes, thighs and other leg and arm muscles, and contributes to more flexible and elastic joints.
