Ed was in a car accident and suffered a brain injury. As he recuperated at home, he needed something to do with his spare time. His physical therapist suggested that he try dance lessons. Ed's first lesson was somewhat comical as he struggled to get his feet to cooperate with the dance instructor's instructions but Ed was not a quitter and continued to return to lessons week after week. His therapists noticed that he was progressing at an accelerated rate in therapy and asked Ed what he was doing at home. They were not surprised when he told them about the dance lessons.
Dance demands that the brain work in different ways. As the brain "exercises" while learning the movements, several physiological functions are being positively affected. While extremely helpful in brain injury recovery, dance is also good exercise for any brain, healthy or injured.
Dance activates both sides of the brain. This causes brain integration and improved learning. In order to remember and do the dance steps, many areas of the brain are required to work simultaneously and cooperatively.
The repetitive motions in dance are great for initial or re-training of the brain. Especially in injured brains, re-training can cause spikes that would tend to irritate, but the combination of repetition and music produces serotonin and norepinephrine-neurotransmitters that cause pleasurable feelings instead. It can also help trigger the growth of new neurons and neuron connections in the brain which is of great benefit especially if the dancer has had injury or a concussion of the brain. The more working communication avenues in the brain, the better your brain works.
Dance steps involving simultaneous movements and coordination of both the right and left sides of the body enhance the brains ability for cross communication. It's like cross training for the brain.
"Scientific studies have born this out. A study published in 2003 in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine has subsequently become popular in the dance community. This study found that engaging in ballroom dancing at least twice a week decreased the risk of developing dementia among a group of people aged 75 years and over."
The bottom line is that dancing is not just good for the legs and heart. It also gives the brain a good workout. In 2004, a group of neuroscientists, attending the Dana Arts and Cognition Consortium, concluded that dance "leads to a high state of motivation that produces the sustained attention necessary to improve performance, and the training of attention that leads to improvement in other domains of cognition.”
Dance is about so much more than grace and fun. It's good for your muscles and your brain. For more information concerning dance lessons, contact us today and do something that's good for the whole person and fun all at the same time.