Everybody Cut ‘Footloose’: Here’s Why You Say You Love Dancing
Registered Dietician
| 3 min read
As some of you know, I grew up as a dancer and I love it. The movie “Footloose,” both the original and the new version, will always be a favorite. If you haven’t seen the new one, go and do it. I promise you won’t be disappointed. (I might be a little biased because I have some friends in it…tee hee hee.)
Instead of telling you all the reasons I love dance, I thought it would be fun to ask all of you. Did you dance as a kid? Who’s your favorite dancer? Why do you love dance? Here are some of the things you told me about dance:
- Jorie mentioned that she used to be a ballerina and still has her pointe shoes. Her favorite dancer is Mark Kanemura from “So You Think You Can Dance” and one of Lady Gaga’s dancers.
- My friend Naomi wrote about her son, saying “Preston likes to dance on our bed and look at himself in my dresser mirror while he makes rock moves!”
- Julie’s daughter has danced for 21 years — jazz, hip hop, ballet, tap and lyrical. She danced at a competitive dance studio and on the dance team at Oakland University. Julie further expresses her pride in her daughter: “She is now a dance teacher — mostly competitive hip hop. She recently ran the Free Press half marathon and actually danced across the finish line.” I love that, so fun!
- This is what Lesley had to say about one of her children. “My youngest did Irish Dance for 6 years. It was a great outlet, lots of fun and great exercise. Go River Dance!” I love that there really are so many different types of dance.
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Dance is the best exercise because it is a complete workout, including cardiovascular activity, strength training and stretching and elongating the muscles. Think about your favorite dancer and I am sure they are in great physical shape. Not only is dance a fun way to exercise, but there are other benefits too. It is a creative and physical art form.
“Dance is the only art wherein we ourselves are the stuff in which it is made.” — unknown.
This is one of my favorite quotes and yet another reason why dance is so special.
I don’t know of any other athlete who has to smile while they are tackling someone or point their toes when shooting a jump shot. Here is another unattributed quote that expresses my point:
“If dance were any easier it would be called football.”
Don’t get me wrong, I love football, but just trying to prove a point. Furthermore and most importantly, it has been proven by the New England Journal of Medicine that dance makes you smarter. This study on the elderly indicated that frequently dancing was the only physical activity that protected seniors from dementia.
So go on out there and get your dance on. Your body, mind and spirit will thank you for it.
How do you like to dance? Do you do it regularly? What’s your favorite thing about it?
Photo Credit: mandaloo
