Watching dance for me transcends space and time. But what exactly does dance do for our bodies and our health? We talked to three women who share a passion for dance about why dance can be beneficial to your mind and body.

Beauty Benefit #1: Enhanced Creativity

Clare Croft, Assistant Professor of Dance, and PhD says, “Dance allows people a mode of creative expression.” With dance, you have the freedom to create whatever you want; there are no limits. Your body and mind become instruments, and the possibilities are endless.

Beauty Benefit #2: Mental Clarity

In a study, dance decreased the risk of dementia by an astounding 76%. Cheryl Chaddick, a choreographer and company owner of Austin’s Chaddick Dance Theater, says that dance “makes me think faster. We have to be physical, intellectual, and emotional. We’re utilizing all senses.” Olivia Whitmer, PhD, mixed ability dance teacher and Blackbird Pilates of Austin owner, says, “Clarity of mind is something that I think is a benefit in Pilates and any sort of movement where you are learning sequences.’” Dancing also improves problem solving ability, focus, and musicality.

Beauty Benefit #3: Physical Strength and Body Awareness

With dance, your muscles tone, endurance increases, bones strengthen, joint mobility improves, and your core gets stronger. Long term, dancing helps prevent arthritis, and lowers blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. Cheryl says, “When we get hurt, we know where it is. We are able to be in almost constant communication with and can command our bodies to do things.” Clare says, “It makes you think about your posture and how you feel living in your body.” Olivia says, “I like working with people who wouldn’t necessarily identify themselves as dancers. I like showing them a simple movement and improvisation that is open to all body types; it gives people a way of being in their bodies that they don’t experience without moving out of their habitual movement patterns.” Dance will improve your flexibility, grace, balance, and agility.

Beauty Benefit #4: Emotional Release

Dancing boosts serotonin, which relieves stress. Cheryl says, “To me, it’s therapeutic. When you’re dancing you’re expressing your own voice, your own experience, your own time. It releases stress and gets your body to flow emotionally and physically.” Olivia says, “I’m definitely a believer in muscle memory, and the idea that to get to free up your joints or open up your shoulders or just sort of moving through those motions can lead you through stress, anxiety, as well as positive emotion.”

Beauty Benefit #5: Social Connection

In dance, there is an unspoken connection and understanding between you and those dancing around you. Clare says, “Even if you’re not that excited about talking to people all of the time, you get to go and be with other people in this community setting and interact in a way without talking. Dance for me is a mode of engaging, a way of not just thinking about my own personal expression, but how people come together, and why.”

Beauty Benefit #6: Beauty from the Inside Out

Cheryl says, “I really believe that dance brings an internal beauty out. It’s about how you feel about yourself … it’s a way to feel beautiful without an exterior application of makeup. You have to love the body. I think we have a really hard time learning to love our bodies. I think when we dance, we do.”

Dance can be done anywhere, any time. But if you want instruction, check your local listing for adult dance classes! As Cheryl says, dance is “an outlet for people to discover who they are.” Discover yourself, your health, and your beauty from the inside out.