With a New Year comes new beginnings, new goals and fresh starts! But we all know the feeling of having a glorious list of resolutions and then come Feb, they’re pretty much forgotten and nowhere to be seen – except maybe somewhere in that random pile of ‘stuff’ on the kitchen counter?
All we know is that you probably have a goal of taking better care of your health and possibly encouraging your kids to do the same. This is where dance swings in and steals the show! Dance has so many benefits for all ages from tiny-tots to teens to adults. It keeps you fit, engages your problem solving and creative skills as well as allows you to express yourself in a unique way. I could literally write a book about how good dance is for the human body and soul but for now, here’s a list of the top 5 reasons why starting the New Year with Dance is a great idea!
- The social benefits
When you join a dance studio, or even come along to a workshop or class, you pretty much join the Dance Community which is (contrary to popular belief) filled with support, love and encouragement. It’s really quite rare to have a dance community that is nasty and negative – yet it’s those communities that are shown in the movies, sadly. But here on the Sunshine Coast you’ll find nothing but support for one another, camaraderie and friendships! There’s nothing quite like the feeling of getting together with your dance studio friends and practicing a routine over the weekend, or car pooling to the Eisteddfod and sharing a dressing room with your bestie!
For adults, you meet new people in dance class that often share similar interests (plus you could go out for a sneaky cocktail after dance! Why not?) For the toddlers, they learn social interaction, manners and behavioural skills as well as learning to communicate with others and build relationships.
- The skills you learn that apply to life
With dance comes etiquette such as punctuality, presentation and hard work so it’s no wonder that employers (in any field) get excited when they see that you are or were a dancer. We’re known to be the hardest workers in any field we go into simply because we’ve learnt to give everything our best shot – how could we ever have landed that solo or nailed that turn if we didn’t give it our all?
In dance we also spend a great deal of time reflecting on how we can better ourselves; we think about how can be become stronger, more flexible, more creative and healthier both inside and out. We also have to put up with some tough situations – sore feet, injuries and long competition days. So naturally we become resilient, adaptive and smart about ourselves. And to think that these crucial skills and tendencies can be learnt with friends in a fun, supportive and safe environment where you get to jam out to awesome tunes, just makes dance seem like the greatest thing ever!
- The health benefits
No one needs to be a physician to know how amazing dance is in terms of fitness and health! Dance can aid so many health problems such as posture, stamina, flexibility, muscle imbalance, insomnia – the list can go on!
For adults (and mums especially) dance can help you regain (or gain) control of your pelvic floor muscles – and give you a little ‘me-time’. For the office workers, getting up and going to a regular dance class can reduce stress, varicose veins, headaches and sciatica, as well as help you maintain a diverse fitness schedule.
For children and teenagers dance can be the difference between physical/mental health issues and a healthy, active body, mind and spirit. With the combination of blood circulation, endorphins and emotional outlet, dance can become a source of therapy for youngsters. Take a look at this story about a young boy who suffers from ADHD and how dance helped him control his erratic energy: https://youtu.be/H6WFmSrZZlo
All in all, dance is one of the greatest activities for health and fitness that any person of any age can participate in!
- Getting creative with all of ‘you’
Whether you take dance seriously or see it as just a fun hobby, the creative benefits are equal. In dance class, apart from the techniques, you learn to embrace yourself as an artist with the colours of the paintbrush being your personality. Different dance styles express different ‘roles’, for example, in ballet the dancer expresses the role of a character often in a ‘fairytale’ or a fantasy story (such as Swan Lake). In Hip Hop you put your own style in to the dance and reflect the tone and nature of the music. In Contemporary, you investigate the nooks and crannies of your emotions and behaviours and apply it to the texture and essence of the dance.
So no matter what style of dance you enrol in, you’re always encouraged to use your own self as a creative tool. The benefits of this help you to learn more about yourself, your desires and your attributes as a person – no matter what age! Of course if you’re just a tiny-tot, we encourage the development of accessing this creativity through learning colours, textures, shapes, sizes, feelings and actions in dance class.
- Quality time with yourself
Ah! Quality time is refreshing, invigorating and delightful no matter if it’s with it’s spent yourself, friends or family – and guess what, dance offers this kind of quality time (especially with yourself). Any time you dedicate to improving yourself physically, emotionally or creatively is a meaningful form quality time with yourself.
When you’re in a dance class, you’re constantly having an internal conversation with yourself – such as ‘I can do it!’ or ‘I need to shift my left leg to the side’ or even ‘this feels good!’ This meditative internal conversation is basically you bonding with yourself and learning how to do you while applying yourself to movements.
However, just the act of being in the studio, away from the hustle and bustle of life is enough to qualify as quality time. When you walk into the studio and begin class, you tend to forget your troubles, your worries and your to-do lists – you literally leave them at the door! The dance studio becomes a judgement-free safe-haven where you can let go of the emotions that tie you up in daily life through forgetting that they even exist for an hour or so – which is enough to get you feeling ready to tackle the world again! And although this seems like a very ‘grown-up’ concept, it applies to to children just as much – they just don’t realise it as accurately as adults do.
Now I’m sure your brain might already be thinking of how many other ways dance can benefit you! If you’re feeling keen but just a tad unsure, then why not sign your child (or yourself) up for a Free Trial Class. You have nothing to lose, but so much to gain! We hope to see you in the studio!
If you already just LOVE dance and agree with this article or have some thoughts you’d like to share, let us know in the comments, or show it some love by giving it a ‘heart.’
*Please note that Trials for regular Adult Classes are $10
