Overview

Article 1 of a new serries

This is a new series titled, “Why I love…” which will be an assortment of topics that either, won’t work for a traditional review or, that I just want to spend time promoting without writing an in-depth piece.

Personal Background

I have been dancing for about 3 years now. I do everything ranging from Ballroom, Latin, to Swing. It’s been something I’ve always had an interest in. Once I started university I was excited to be able to finally take a course and start learning. Ever since, I have been avidly taking classes and dancing every Wednesday night during the school year at my University’s Ballroom Dance Club.

Why Exactly Do I love It?

There are a lot of ways that this question can be answered. The biggest reason for me, is that it serves as an excellent way for me to meet new people, get exercise, and have fun all at once.

Another big factor, is the feeling of grace from an excellent waltz, the upbeat sound of swing, the smoothness of night-club two-step, and the sassiness of cha-cha. Every dance is unique and fun. Obviously, I like some more than others but I try my best to learn all I can because, it really is that fun.

Dance has also encouraged me to do things outside of my comfort zone. While this might be scary for some people, it’s always a good idea to challenge yourself and experience something new. By doing dance over the past few years, I have been able to challenge myself in this way, and have come out ahead for it.

Lastly, it just feels awesome. At the start nobody is all that great, but every time a move is executed just right, it really does feel great. As you gain more and more practice it gets much easier. Eventually, you can start learning even cooler moves. The goal is to get to be this good:

This video is an example of West Coast Swing. I do not own the video or the music featured in it. I added it just to give an example of what something might look like.

Why YOU Should Try Dance

Many of the reasons people should try dancing are the same as why I enjoy it. Firstly, you get to meet tons of new people which is always exciting. The dance community is generally very friendly and they want to help people get better, so there is no reason to feel intimidated, no matter your skill level.

The second biggest reason being the numerous health benefits. Dancing is exercise, and you can get exhausted doing it. It may look easy, but you really do start breaking a sweat after awhile. There have been multiple studies that show dancing helps with coordination and memory, especially as people get older.

Of course, I wouldn’t suggest this if I didn’t think it was worth the time and effort. It is though, and it’s a blast. At first, you have to learn things slowly and you won’t be doing any insane tricks, but if you stick with it past the basics, (not to say that learning those isn’t fun, it’s a great time and you do learn some cool moves) I’m sure you’ll be having fun in no time at all.

Closing Thoughts

This has been our very first “Why I Love…” article! I hope you enjoyed it. Let myself and others know what you thought of it in the comments below. If you really enjoyed it give this a like and consider following me here, via email subscription, or over on Facebook.