Why we dance

Dance is fun – plain and simple. It doesn’t have to be fancy or formal, and it doesn’t have to happen in a studio or on a stage. Sometimes you might find yourself dancing in your living room or in your kitchen while you are waiting for that cup of coffee.

The great thing about dancing is it’s free, it’s fun and it’s easy to move your body to a beat. How many times do you find yourself tapping your foot to a song on the radio or dancing around the kitchen a bit while preparing dinner? You don’t need to be a professional to enjoy dancing. Think of it as little bursts of joy in your everyday routines.

Why do we feel the urge to dance to music? In the brain, the cerebellum and the basal ganglia act as key nodes linking the auditory cortex to motor areas, matching sound rhythms to movement timing. These areas, along with the supplementary motor area and pre-motor cortex, form a network that predicts and participants to the beat.This applies to every age – from babies to mature brains. The urge to move to music is deeply rooted. It is a “hardwired” phenomenon, even in people who don’t necessarily enjoy music.

Furthermore, songs associated with emotional memories create a stronger urge to dance than familiar songs alone.

Dancing comes benefits other than just improving your mood – it improves fitness. Dancing gives people stronger bones, a decrease in blood pressure, increases muscle tone, a reduced risk of heart disease, reduces stress and improves memory.

Dance also has a way of bringing people together without words. Whether you dance alone or in a group, you are sharing energy, rhythm and expression. So many things in our daily lives feel rushed and stressful where dance gives us a chance to pause, breathe and enjoy the moment.

So let loose and have a good time. Feel good when you nail a move and don’t worry about mistakes. Just get moving to the music and see who wants to join in. Make it part of your everyday life no matter how good you are. Let the movement be a reminder that joy can be simple and spontaneous and exactly what you need.

Sandro Virag is a partner and instructor at Hilton Head Ballroom Dance Studio of Hilton Head, hiltonheadballroom.com.