What’s more romantic than a Viennese Waltz? Watching dance pairs flow along together with
grace and agility. It looks like so much fun and I can just imagine myself floating along in the arms of my dance partner. 1,2,3, 4,5,6 is the rhythm to this wonderful dance. Seems straight forward when you’re an innocent two left -footed spectator. It’s right up there with armchair football. The dancing looks so effortless.
Let me tell you about my first ever, at sixty years old, dance lesson. I’ll say right up front that it wasn’t easy, but it was amazing and fun to learn the basics of the Viennese Waltz. Thankfully, I found a wonderful dance studio called Ballroom & Country Dance Studio. They offer group lessons and social dances for all ages and abilities and have been in business since 1995.
You don’t need a partner; you can show up to the group lessons as a single. As I switched out of my winter boots and into a pair of indoor shoes, I wondered what I had gotten myself into.
I entered the basement studio space and took my place in the group. The lesson was fun, and I danced with a few different people. I learned that the Viennese Waltz is a very old dance which
travels counterclockwise on the dancefloor, and that you travel with your partner in straight lines
doing two half turns in a count of 1,2,3…4,5,6.
After a one-hour lesson, it was time to put our newly developed skills to the test at the Sunday night social dance. All of us beginners were in awe at the lovely flow of this speedy waltz and how graceful and effortless the more advanced dancers were.
I took the opportunity, during the dance, to interview a few people about dancing and how it has benefited them. Diane Millan took the beginner class and really enjoyed it. “I think dancing is good for our mental and physical health,” Diane shared.
In a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, researchers looked at whether physical or cognitive recreational activities influenced mental acuity. They discovered that only four activities they tested offered any protection against dementia: reading and swimming, doing crossword puzzles, and, dancing. The participants who danced regularly showed the greatest risk reduction for cognitive decline.
A similar study found that social dancing increased the size of the hippocampus, a region of the brain responsible for learning, memory and equilibrium. Beatrice Olerenshaw, a regular at the local Calgary dances, said she learned to dance by standing on her dad’s feet, as a child. She took ballroom dancing lessons with her husband. Later in Beatrice’s life, her daughter encouraged her to keep on dancing. Beatrice dances more than once a week. “It makes me a better dancer,“ Beatrice said. “Music is comforting to me if I feel depressed. It’s therapy.” According to Beatrice, her sense of balance improves with dancing. She also mentioned that she had gone to a dance where there were dementia patients; as soon as music from the 60’s and 70’s began playing, the patients could sing along and began to dance. I have some experience with this myself.
My dad had dementia in his final years, and one of the final things he did before his death, was dance down the hallway in the hospital with one of his nurses. My dad was an amazing dancer; his favourite dance was the polka. On my way out of the dance studio’s ballroom, I spoke with one of the instructors who thanked me for coming and participating. I was amazed at how youthful she was. I didn’t get her exact age but to me she looked not a day over forty-nine. She, like me, is a senior but her dancing career has helped her to stay youthful.
Before I left the studio, I had the pleasure to speak with the owner, Thu L., who was so gracious and invited me back any time. He, too, is a senior and is in fantastic shape and mentally sharp. He loves what he does as a dance instructor, encouraging people of all ages and abilities to come to the studio to enjoy music, movement and people.
There are so many benefits to dancing:
• Continued learning
• Physical development
• Socializing with others
• Emotional well-being
• Physical coordination
• Cardiovascular health
• Healthier joints
• Better balance
• Cognitive improvement
• Manage stress
• Fulfilling social life
• Improved self-esteem and quality of life
The greatest thing is that our bodies seem to start swaying as soon as the music starts. Everyone
relates to some genre of music and some style of dance. The main thing is to enjoy it and share your love of dance and music with others.
