Dancing is a great way to get exercise, learn self-discipline, learn teamwork and improve your social life. But it’s also tremendous fun, and that’s an aspect of it that needs to be discussed because fun is essential to health. Enjoyment reduces stress, promotes a better sense of well-being and can even help address health issues such as depression, fatigue and psychological burdens.
The thing about dancing is: you don’t have to do it “right” to have fun. And that is right.
Just dance
All you have to do is get some time to yourself, turn on some music, and just move out of control. It doesn’t matter how you look if no one’s seeing you. If you trip all over yourself, you’ll laugh until you cry (and laughter really is great exercise). If you feel graceful, there will be no one to tell you it doesn’t look like it feels. It’s just you, your body, and the freedom to drop all your self-consciousness and just be.
Fun dancing styles
If you prefer to dance in a certain style, but still want to cut loose and have fun rather than struggle to master complex steps, you should check out the following forms of dance to see which ones are for you.
Line Dancing. This is a form of dance primarily associated with country music, in which the dancers stand side by side in a line and make the same steps at the same time. It’s surprisingly easy to learn. And it promotes the sort of laid back atmosphere in which, when you make mistakes, everyone laughs with you – they’ve all been there.
Square Dancing. This is a form of folk dancing designed for people who worked hard and only went dancing a few nights a year. You can actually pick it up as you go, and since a lot of it is just stepping around in formation as fast as you can, you can burn quite a few calories while having a blast. Again, it promotes the sort of atmosphere where mistakes are funny and everyone makes them and no one is judging.
Belly Dancing. Covered earlier, belly dancing is great fun whether you do it by yourself in your room with the shades drawn, dance for a partner, or take a class.
