Holistic Dance Floor Therapy

Millions of people around the world love to dance, but may not even realise why. Newcomers who become 'hooked' are surprised when they become aware that it's not just about dancing.  When the body swings, the mind is swayed! Bristol, UK -В Salsa dancing is a physical, vibrant, sexy, energising activity and a great way of having a lot of fun and making new friends in the process. However, QuickSteptoSalsa.com has discovered a whole new way of looking at this particular dance form.

To go out and learn this dance just to get fit, or as a 'leisure activity' would be to ignore the surprising range of psychological benefits that are available. As an alternative to 'conventional' complementary therapies, dance floor therapy can consistently achieve a greater inner calmness, elevated mood and an expanded sense of fulfillment and control as well as undoubted improvements in physical health. What is apparent when joining a class for the first time is just a bunch of people learning new steps or demonstrating their dancing prowess. However, there is much more going on.

By watching, listening and chatting to lots of salsa dancers, whether beginner, expert or teacher, this soon becomes apparent. Experts say that dance allows people to experience themselves in ways they didn't know they could and that their internal state can be changed through external movement. Vigorous exercise has been long known by psychologists to lift people's spirits. Exerting oneself for long periods of time causes the brain to release mood lifting neurotransmitters. Serotonin and noradrenaline affect parts of the brain where attention and responding actions are controlled. Strenuous exercise also creates the production of endorphins, produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus which promote satisfaction, euphoria, and high pain tolerance. It gets better: dance boosts mood more than does exercise alone.

In a study at the University of London, researchers assigned patients with anxiety disorders to spend time in one of four therapeutic settings including a modern-dance class, an exercise class, a music class, or a maths class. Only the dance class significantly reduced anxiety. Cardiac-rehab patients in a recent Italian study who enrolled in dancing classes not only achieved more elastic arteries, but were happier than participants who took up bicycle and treadmill training. Mood boosting is also brought about by bonds made between people. MRI scans have also shown that even watching a couple expressing themselves through dancing Salsa activates the same neurons that would fire if you yourself were doing the moves. So when one dancer's movement expresses joy, others often get to experience it as well, spreading feelings and fostering empathy.