Dance keeps our Brain New and we know it for hundreds of thousands of years. Has been and is a form of expression, celebration, ritual initiation of worship. A wonderful way to literally eliminate the stress of the day. It does not matter if we are reminded of Nureyev or not! It is important that the dance makes us feel well, leaving behind the tensions and frustrations of everyday life!
Dance is a wonderful form of expression,
it unites cultures, stories, and people since rocking on music is the same in every language. In addition to these benefits, dancing as an art form also offers many benefits to our health.
May have been part of the physical activity with Zumba, Barre, and DanceFit classes. In fact, the mental benefits are very important and they are starting to enjoy the interest they deserve. According to studies, dancing can be the first activity to protect and strengthen your brain. Have you ever considered it?
Dance and brain!
An aging North American population is leading to research on brain aging and how to combat, prevent, and treatment of diseases associated with age such as Alzheimer’s disease, dementia, and Parkinson’s disease.
While it has long been known that exercise greatly affects brain health, scientists have discovered that dancing, with its seductive music, coordinated movements, and endurance required, can be the best type of brain exercise for many and different reasons.
1. Continuous learning!
Dr. Kathrin Rehfeld, head of the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, conducted a study comparing different groups of seniors who had to perform specific exercises for 18 months. Some groups undertook endurance and flexibility exercises, such as Scandinavian walking or cycling; one group, however, was called upon to learn dance skills.
Each week, new challenges arose, a new kind of dance, a new step, or a new dancing figure. While all groups showed a relative growth of the hippocampus, the area of the brain that is particularly vulnerable to age-related degeneration and disease, the growth of the dance group was enormous!
“We tried to provide older dancers with ever-changing dancing figures of different genres (Jazz, Square, Latin-American, and Line Dance). The steps, arm movements, formations, speed, and rhythms changed every other week to keep them in a continuous learning process. The biggest challenge for them was to recall the figures under the pressure of time and without the instructor giving them any auxiliary information “, explained Dr. Rehfeld.
2. Coordination and Balance when you dance.
Even if we are excellent dancers, balance and coordination can be difficult, and as we get older, they become more and more difficult. The challenge with aging is that the older we get, the more likely we are to become dizzy, lose our balance and fall, and even get injured. Our dance trains and improves all these skills:
- Spins, turns, quick movements to the side, up and down, train the areas of the brain and inner ear to deal with these rapid changes and abrupt movements. This helps us to feel less dizzy in everyday life when we go upstairs or get up from a chair.
- There are minimal dance moves made with both feet firmly on the ground. Dancing strengthens many muscles in the legs and hips, but also in the spine, so if we lose our balance, we can easily find it again.
- Many of those involved in learning a new dance are related to coordination and muscular memory. The more you dance and practice in figures, the more you cultivate and develop the connection between brain muscles and neurons.
3. Dance keeps our Brain New & Improves memory!
Almost all of us, if we had a choice, would like to have a better memory, but this is especially important for the elderly. As we get older, we have a hard time remembering names, dates, places, and events, but this can also be an early Alzheimer’s, or dementia. With dance, the mental state (learning new steps in the order in which they are done) is connected with the physical state (actually the execution of the dance process). This results in improved memory and enhanced neural connections in the brain.
4. Music & dance stimulates brain function.
For some time, scientists and researchers studying neurodegenerative diseases have realized the profound impact of music on the brain. Especially for those suffering from cognitive degeneration. The power of dance becomes twofold, with music stimulating the reward centers of the brain in combination with the senses and kinetic circuits that are activated when we begin our dancing steps.
Studies of Parkinson’s disease have shown that those who practiced and learned to dance had better balance and fewer falls while showing a slower rate of decreased motor control and generally slower progression of the disease.
5. Dancing means happiness!
Go to any bar, club, dance class, wedding, or concert and you will not find someone who will not laugh, will not look satisfied, as he rocks his body along with the music. The effects of positive energy on happiness, longevity, and health are incredible, for the following reasons:
- It is physical activity and transports us. Whatever the dance style, we will probably sweat and catch our breath before the first song ends. This form of exercise is fantastic for your heart, lungs, muscles, and joints. It’s a fun way to burn tons of calories and get the recommended daily dose of steps.
- It dispels stress. Stress is one of the leading causes of almost all illnesses we face today and puts a serious strain on our mental and physical health. It’s hard to concentrate after a stressful day at work, after a recent breakup. Dancing is a way to relax and act, even a little (or a lot!) With more relaxation, for a few hours. As Taylor Swift says, dancing literally allows us to move like crazy!
- It allows us to connect with others. Whether we are dancing with our spouse on the twenty-fifth anniversary of your marriage or dancing with a stranger. Dancing connects us with other people in a very pleasant and intimate way, something that no other activity can do. For the elderly, isolation and lack of contact with other people is an important factor contributing to the onset of disease, health problems, and degeneration. So, the next time you are at a wedding, grab the old man or woman sitting alone and ask him to dance with you, you will help his own health and yours as well.
That means…
Dancing has physical, mental, and emotional benefits for everyone. Especially for those who are now at a different age level. Whether you are the perfect dancer, or you’re so uncoordinated you lose every step. Dare to climb the track, and let the music make you lose control. Your brain will thank you!
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