Ballet For Basic Functioning

         Last week I got to meet up with RayRay of Lonestar Dance here in Austin, TX to talk about dance, ballet, and the difficulties and challenges he has faced over the years to get to where he is now. Something that RayRay and I got to briefly discuss was the importance of the fact that ballet, and dance in general, are for the body and mind. So I wanted to take a somewhat deeper look into the subject being a dancer since childhood myself. To see my full duscussion with RayRay, click here.


VITAL BENEFITS 
             Yes, I understand that ballet may not sound like everyone's cup of tea. But let me tell you something, there are some things in this world that are in fact GOOD FOR EVERYONE. Activity and movement, are one of those things, and ballet is something that is vital in aiding everyday tasks and movements of the body. Here is how: 

• For starters, ballet betters your posture. There is a lot of attention needed to the body and how you are aligned and how you move when you are dancing ballet (any form of dance or athleticism really). You end up, over time, developing a relationship with each and every muscle in the body as you practice and progress through the stages of ballet. Ballet affects our sensorimotor skills through practice, this has even been show to affect the way we walk. 
• Gain balance, flexibility, and even strength. Because ballet is very much a combination of pilates and endurance training the body is in a constant state of change and motion during ballet. You use your entire core when you dance or practice ballet. When I say core I mean more than just your abdomen, I mean all the muscles on the inside of your legs down to the big toe and all the way up to the neck. The core means your entire center is being utilized and engaged. Over time from practice you gain strength by standing on the balls of your feet, using plyometrics to bound and leap into the air. Stability and balance from paying attention to how every muscle works to hold you up and work with you instead of against you. 
• Ballet, well staying active in generally, helps ward off dementia and sharpens the brains abilities, lessens brain fog and heightens your cognitive functioning. Your brain is forced to work together with your body to achieve proper posture in ballet, therefore you are also exercising your mind. 
• Ballet, or any form of dancing, is a wonderful stress relief. Any time you are active your body releases hormones that naturally make you happy, aide in the muscle building and recovery process, and even hormones that make you hungry. So don't be afraid to dance a little after a long day at the office, smile and snack! 
• Ballet increases your bodies ability to metabolize nutrients and food. From constant motion to contracting your muscles in a leg lift as you hold for ten seconds at a time, your body is going to boost into overdrive and tap into your fat stores if you aren't properly nourished before you get active. That is not to say this is a bad thing, most of us want to boost our metabolism and burn more fat while we get sexy in the process, this is to say that is exactly what dance and exercise will do for you. 

     We gain so much from being mobile, strong immune system, happier days, better personal connections between people, better understanding of our own bodies. The list goes on, and on. You can sit here and read this, and then tell yourself that you could never because you can't dance. But here is the thing, any given dancer couldn't dance either - before they became dancers. WE ARE NOT BORN INTO THESE ABILITIES, THEY ARE GAINED THROUGH PRACTICE.  Which means that if you want to dance, then do it. It is good for you, feel the music, feel the beats. The energy that flows through you when you dance is your body's way of saying "Hey wow! This feels good, let's move more!" 

     Our bodies were designed for activity and movement, if they weren't we would not have such a strong and stable structure. Each and every one of us. If you have not tried some form of a dance class, whether you are male or female or any other configuration of being, I urge you to give it a shot for a good, consistent 3 months. The only true way to see the changes any physical activity will benefit you in is to be consistent with it for 90 days. Think of it like a review period in the "business" of your body, give yourself a solid business quarter to see if the change in resources, procedure, and protocols enacted yield a healthier and happier you.

So, if you are local, check out Lonestar Dance and take a class. They have students ranging from young children to adults in their 60's. So don't be afraid to try something new! 

---

Additional, Helpful Link:
The Effects of Ballet/Dance on Walking.

Photos:
Top photo: RayRay, instructor at Lonestar Dance and acro-ballet dancer. raymond.white.96742
Lead photo: Miss Kay, Doc List.
Gallery photos: Examples of how dance and ballet aides in sensory skills, daily happiness, stress relief, mobility and flexibility. Also how it can aide in battling illness such as scoliosis or other skeletal related issues. 
​