Top 10 Reasons
Why You Should Learn to Dance Swing:
Before you
can learn about the history of the Swing dance you first need to
know the Swing Dance came from. Swing Dancing is dances
choreographed around the Swing Music of the 1920’s, 1930’s, and
1940’s or better known as the Lindy Hop. The history of the Swing
Dance can be traced to the Lindy Hop, which is an African American
dance. The Lindy Hop can be traced back to the early 1920’s and
1930’s, the dance itself is compromised of mainly Jazz, Tap, the
Breakaway, and the Charleston.
You will also find that the
Anglo-American community influenced the dance greatly.
Why is
learning the Swing Dance important? It teaches us the American
Culture of both African Americans and Anglo-Americans. It shows us
how people from our past spent expressed themselves and found
enjoyment.
What Benefits do you get from the Swing Dance?
There are many benefits from learning the swing dance one such is
the Social benefit. The Social Benefits range from learning to be
around people, to learning how to trust your partner, especially in
those tricky and exhilarating moves. Just imagine someone lifting
you up of the floor and you having to trust that they not drop you.
Then we have the Health Benefits, these ranges from increased heart
rate to, which as you know gets the blood pumping, to strengthening
your bones in both your hips and legs. It also helps you to loose
weight and keep it under control, lowering your blood pressure,
improve and strengthen your body, and helps to reduce stress.
Reducing stress you can reduce Depression helps you to look and feel
younger, and not to mention lower stressed people generally lead
happier lives.
Confidence is another benefit to learning the
Swing Dance. Not only will your confidence level rise while learning
the dance but you overall confidence in life as well.
The
benefits of learning a new skill in any fashion is always a good
thing, but just think of all the moves you and your partner do.
Learning each of those steps causes your brain to process more
information, which in turn works it out and this of course creates a
domino effect in every part of your life.
The benefit of Exercise and
Swing dancing is that you are getting a work out and didn’t even
realize it. Many people in today’s society want to increase their
exercising however they don’t find the time or inclination to go to
that stuffy gym or on their morning jog. With dancing though you can
enjoy yourself while getting your exercise in. There are many that
started dancing on a whim to escape from their daily lives and found
it to be not only exhilarating but addictive as well.
Meeting
new people is always a good thing. Humans are designed to have
interaction and contact with others, it’s in our DNA. With dancing
you get that interaction while learning something new and exciting.
You will find that while taking the lessons that you meet not only
the teacher and the other students, but form a bond with them as
well. Nothing brings you closer than accomplishing something great
with another person, and learning the Swing can and will do that if
you let it.
Entertainment and fun, well those are two words
I can relate too. Being both a wife and mother I sometimes find it
hard to find something the whole family can do together that
everyone will enjoy. Dancing is one of the very few things we can do
together that are both fun and entertaining. I think dancing is a
part of each and everyone of us.
Non-verbal communication,
Yeah you can smile at someone when you are mad, but your body never
lies. The stance you take, the lack of movement, or signs of
agitation tell more than your mouth or face ever could. Just think
if you can express all of this without saying a word, can you think
of how your body might show love or affection? Dancing allows you to
put into words just how much you care and love someone without ever
saying a word.
Coordination is another benefit you get from
dancing, by learning to listen and move with your entire body being
a part of it improves your coordination in all areas of life. You
will find that as your coordination grows you will be less likely to
stumble as much or seem as clumsy. Now this is not true for everyone
but seems that way for myself.
