Dodie Prescott
Most people ballroom dance because they love it. It’s their passion, their hobby or a social activity that brings them together with other people who love it as much as they do. But on top of all of that, there are other health benefits that ballroom dancing provides.
Dance moves demand control by the strength of a dancer’s muscles. Every time dancers do these moves, their muscles get stronger. Ballroom dancing forces the dancers’ muscles to resist against their own body weight to complete various steps and techniques. Over time, this directly causes the dancer to increase muscle strength and become stronger.
The more a person ballroom dances, the stronger they get. But they will also notice a decrease in the fatigue they experience when dancing. This is because the intensity of ballroom dancing and the movements it requires builds endurance. The body starts to face less fatigue as it gets used to the challenge of continuous ballroom dancing. The more time spent ballroom dancing, the easier the quick steps and turns become because of all the conditioning and endurance.
Many people believe that ballroom dancing is a stiff, structured form of dancing. However, there are many steps that use movement of the whole body into a variety of positions. These steps require that dancers stretch and bend repeatedly, leading to an increase in flexibility. Just as strength and endurance increase over the continual practice of ballroom dancing, so does flexibility. Dancers who might not consider themselves especially flexible at the beginning will most definitely change that view after a while. Steps will become easier and motions more fluid with this new, increased flexibility.
The strength, endurance and flexibility benefits that come along with ballroom dancing not only make a better dancer, but also can transfer to all aspects of a person’s life. Who doesn’t want to be stronger so they can do more around the house or at work? More endurance means being able to take longer walks with the dog or doing other activities that they can enjoy for a longer period of time. And the more flexibility, the less likely they will be to pull a muscle or feel pain while going about their daily activities.
The Ballroom Dance Club invites Quail Creek residents to join the club or renew their memberships and reap the health benefits of ballroom dancing. Come socialize with friends and neighbors, enjoy wonderful gourmet meals, and listen to big band music in the Crystal Ballroom. Annual membership dues cover the member’s choice of three or four exclusive dinner dances with big name bands playing ballroom style music.
The new dance season starts in December with future dances scheduled for January, February and March 2015. To join the club and experience these special evenings, contact Membership Chair Justine Lewis at [email protected] or phone 399-4646 or visit the club’s website at http://quailcreekballroomdance.com.