The Benefits of Dancing: Dancing Through Life to Better Health

In what I hope to be a deft follow up to last week’s blog post, inspired by the song Defying Gravity from Wicked, this week’s post is inspired by another song from the same show. Dancing Through Life has always been a fun tune from the stage production. In the hands, energy, and aura of Jonathan Bailey (Fiyero in the film version), not to mention his dance moves, it feels like a call to action and life lesson that some of us can’t get out of our heads. By some of us, naturally, I mean me. In the song, Fiyero beseeches his fellow students to “live the unexamined life.” In other words, be curious and take chances. He mostly sings about corruption and the pleasures of being brainless and shallow but his message has some depth. He sings, “Nothing matters but knowing nothing matters. It’s just life, so keep dancing through.” I take this to mean keep perspective, don’t catastrophize, check the facts and keep moving forward. Feel your feelings but don’t cede control to them. Emotions move through us so rather than sitting still, stuck, and unchanging, keep living and dancing through them as best you can. As the song goes, “and here’s the strange thing, your life could end up changing while you’re dancing through.” The benefits of dancing can be surprising. So can pearls of wisdom from the future scarecrow without a brain.

Dance It Out!

Dancing through life can be interpreted on many levels but let’s start by taking it at face value. Moving our bodies is good for us and many of us don’t do it quite enough. We spend a lot of time on computers and phones. But waving your hands in the air like you just don’t care is one of the most effective ways to improve your life and health. And you don’t need any equipment or a gym membership to make it happen.

The benefits of dancing are extensive and legendary. It can change your mood, your energy level, your metabolism, and your risk factors for disease. Dancing reduces stress, increases serotonin levels, and helps develop new neural connections, while improving your cardiovascular health, balance, and strength. If dancing for you takes the form of dance class or practicing steps to a line dance in front of your mirror, you can add challenging your brain and boosting cognitive performance to your list of benefits. But refined technique or any technique at all isn’t remotely required to gain advantages from dancing.

Dance Like No One’s Watching!

Dancing can have a social element and can be equally awesome as a solo activity. When you’re feeling slow or sluggish, putting on some music and dancing around your living room or kitchen can make a quick and significant difference. You can even dance to the music in your head if that works for you. A dance party has no rules. There’s no skill requirement involved and, again, no cost. Giving yourself permission to dance with abandon is among the best kinds of permission you could grant.

If you count steps, a home dance party is a great way to increase your step count on a cold night. That same kind of dance party in the middle of the day may be just the ticket for improving your focus when you find yourself succumbing to distractions. You can dance for the duration of a song or two. Young children are often encouraged to dance around to get their wiggles out before settling into a class lesson. We’re just grown up children, after all. Getting your wiggles out never gets old.

Dancing is both a joyful activity and a means of self discovery. A UCLA Health study looked at the effects of free flowing, free moving, unchoreographed dance on 1,000 dancers around the world. The study concluded that dancing invites reflection, improves moods, helps people let go of distressing thoughts, and gives them greater confidence and compassion.

Dancing Through Grief

On a personal note, I recently found dancing to be an unexpectedly great way to deal with grief. My dad passed away in February 2023. On the anniversary of his passing last month, I had planned a quiet day of introspection alone. I tend to isolate when I’m feeling sad and processing emotions.

My plan changed when one of my daughters called early in the day to say the boiler in her apartment building had broken and she was coming over to spend the day at my place. We agreed to have a quiet day of grieving alone together. I often have music on at home and that day was no different. She walked into a Bruno Mars medley. We hugged and talked for a bit and then 24K Magic came on. I looked over, saw her hips swaying and realized my shoulders were moving to the beat (if you know, you know). We nodded to each other, got up and danced it out. The dance party continued through Uptown Funk and Finesse. We busted out our best moves while laughing and hugging. It was a moment my dad would have loved. He loved music and we used to have so much fun dancing together at weddings. One of the more nuanced benefits of dancing is the way it can help you feel connected to people who aren’t even there.

Musical Playlist While You Ponder This Post

Shut Up and Dance by Walk the Moon, Rock the Casbah by The Clash, Dancing Queen by Abba, Dancing in the Dark by Bruce Springsteen, Dancing in the Moonlight by King Harvest, You Should Be Dancing by the Bee Gees, Get Down Tonight by KC and the Sunshine Band, I Wanna Dance With Somebody by Whitney Houston, I Hope You Dance by Lee Ann Womack

Thinking and Trying

Something to think about: “By taking responsibility for how you choose to respond to anything or anyone, you’re aligning yourself with the beautiful dance of life.” – Wayne Dyer

Something to try: Choose your spot in the comfort and privacy of your home, choose a tune or two and move to the rhythm for 10 minutes. Life’s your party and you can dance if you want to!

Join Our Tribe

I always feel smarter and stronger when I listen to and connect with wise people. My friends and fellow coaches Maria, Marguerite, and Lorin are among the wisest people I know. The four of us have joined together to bring you Four Wise Women, a podcast on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. We use this space to share our thoughts, concerns, and joys relating to our journey through midlife. Whether you’re seeking guidance, validation, or simply the comfort of knowing you’re not alone, we hope you’ll tune in to be part of this community of wise women.

Coaching Can Help

Do you want to enjoy the benefits of dancing but can’t seem to fit dancing into your regular routine? Working with a coach may give you that extra motivation, creativity and accountability you need to make it happen. Contact me here and let’s talk about what coaching can do for you. The first session is 15 minutes over Zoom and it’s free.