Dance Like Your Body Depends On It

A Guest Blog Post by Shannon Westveer
Staff Instructor at Palm Arts Dance
Owner and Executive Director of All About Dance

I'm a firm believer that dance is for everyone… and as co-owner of All About Dance located in Chicago we have instilled a motto of "Have Fun, Be Young, Dance Forever!" Our adult dance program, Dance Forever, is built on the belief that dance is the most mood enhancing, body re-centering, endorphin releasing, fat burning, body strengthening, community bonding exercise in the world. Think about it, you can't be moody when you're out shaking your booty. Dance is one of the most effective ways to unplug from the external world and the internal chatter of your own mind. When you hit the dance floor, whether in the comfort of your home, taking a formal class or out clubbing it up, you can’t help but lose yourself in the music that flows through your body. 

With the stress of life, especially with all that's going on in the world today, it’s important to take some time for yourself, not only to exercise but to have fun doing so. Let your body and your mind go on a creative journey. Dance is a great avenue for this - let go and lose yourself in the emotions of a song while your body follows along. A 2003 study in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine discovered that dance can decidedly improve brain health. It has been found that certain styles of dance improve mood and certain cognitive skills, such as visual recognition and decision-making. My point... don't just work out to burn those calories and tighten your butt! Your brain requires exercise too. And dance can be the mechanism that brings it all together. 

My two daughters were more or less raised at my dance studio in Chicago. When they were little they would choreograph dances for hours and perform for us. I'm a firm believer that this time helped to instill life tools that will assist in them more effectively releasing negative energy, being more patient and confident young ladies. My son however, a much different situation! He was born in Haiti and came home to us with a much more natural, and confident, sense of rhythm. He will break out into a dance anytime he hears music and no matter where he is, even if it is in the middle of a grocery store. He has zero concern with how he is perceived by the world. It's a quality that will bring him far in life. I only wish that our stiff and judgmental culture would more frequently allow for everyone to bust out in dance on a whim.  

Regardless of the way in which you choose to bring dance into your life, just do it! A family dance party is a fun Friday night, a girls night out that ends up on a dance floor is a night to remember and a slow dance with your partner is a chance to reconnect. Dance is for everyone and is a reminder of what it feels like to be a kid again. And you'll feel better doing it! 

I hope to see you on a dance floor soon!