A recent Wall Street Journal article explored the subtle ways that we can age well. When a longevity expert was asked during a panel discussion “What one thing can people do to live well as they age?” He replied immediately with this suggestion.
Ballroom dancing.
Why?
Because, he said, it is physically invigorating, mentally challenging and socially stimulating. It is low impact physically, requires ongoing memorization of new information, and is never done alone. It touches on all of the key elements of longevity with one easily accessible activity.
Doyle McBride rediscovered ballroom dancing after his wife passed away following a lingering illness. After spending years as a caregiver, he could now do anything that he wanted to do. But what? He didn’t have children living nearby and had relinquished all his hobbies when his wife became ill. After retiring, when he moved back to Cache Valley he worked part-time in the produce section at a local grocery store just for something to do. He didn’t want just to sit on the couch and watch television all day. But what else could he do instead?
He had always liked dancing. Why not get back into it again? So, he found a group of friends who also liked it and then began going out together. First, they drove some 60 miles to a Senior Center in Pocatello. But when COVID came along, they had to hunker down like everyone else. When restrictions were lifted, they followed a DJ they liked who had rented space at the Connor Academy building in Chubbuck and began going there.
Word spread. Friends invited friends and before long there were 80 or so people dancing together every Friday night. That’s when Doyle met Gayle Hansen. Recently widowed, Gayle was eager to socialize and enjoy the company of others following COVID restrictions.
But they didn’t just do ballroom dancing. Gayle also liked the Jitterbug, Lindy Hop, and other swing dances. Doyle knew them too and was especially good at giving his partner movement cues so she’d know what to expect. On the dance floor, as the old saying goes, they really knew how to “cut a rug.”
By the way, “cutting a rug” originates from the 1920s. When couples first began dancing the jitterbug or the Western Swing, they would often leave marks on the dance floor that looked like “cuts.” Soon, “cutting a rug” became an expression for these types of dances.
Swing music exploded in popularity in the 1930’s with big bands by Benny Goodman and others. Goodman became famous for saying: “The waltz may seem like a suggestion or an invitation, but swing music is a command.”
Ballroom, Swing and Line dancing can all have both physical and cognitive benefits, a bulletin from the Harvard Medical School reports. Studies have found that the complementary movements involved in dancing not only promote balance and reduces the likelihood of falls, but also enhances brain health. In one study, researchers looked at the effects of 11 different types of physical activity on brain health, including cycling, golf, swimming, and tennis, but found that only dancing lowered the risk of dementia. According to the researchers, because dancing involves both mental effort and social interaction, it helps reduce the risk of dementia.
Dance is simply an enjoyable way to engage the mind and body in a gentle, non-strenuous way. It just doesn’t feel like a typical way of exercising. And it causes fewer injuries than other forms of exercise because its varied movements are less repetitive and more fluid.
While Doyle and Gayle recognize dancing has many mental and physical benefits, they do it because it is fun. When they go with friends to Chubbuck, the DJ always has a long intermission that gives couples a chance to mingle and get acquainted with each other. They meet and mingle with others sometimes half their age who they would never talk to if they were to see them elsewhere.
Sometimes, younger couples treat them almost like celebrities. “We want to be like you guys when we get older,” some will say to them. “Who are you calling old?” Doyle will quickly reply with a twinkle in his eye. Complete strangers have been known to stop by to ask Doyle or Gayle questions or compliment them on their skill or agility. It can make them feel like they are celebrities; like they are dancing with the stars.