The importance of dance continues to take shape in many forms for all of our multicultural lives. Whether you’re an active participant or an engaged observer, dance benefits us all. When dance is an entity in your life you feel less stressed, more energized, and science has proven you even get smarter!

How does dance help us in life?

• It helps us with listening to music. Music also benefits us in many ways. And without music, there wouldn’t be any dance.
• We learn how to count and understand beats. It is a basic thing to know how to move to music but nowadays the majority of people live sedentary lives and in order to know basic skills we must time block dedicated sessions in order to do simple joyous things.
• Commitment. Dance is a commitment and in order to get better, we must practice. This takes dedication and consistent doing.
• It keeps us young by improving our memories. You must remember sequences in dance. Practicing choreography achieves this and keeps your mind sharp. The sharper the mind, the younger the soul.

Here are some options for keeping or beginning dance in your life.

1. Book a performance! There are many occasions where a Hawaiian or Belly Dance performance makes sense to add. These shows make memorable the special moments in life and people will talk about it for years. Some examples are bridal showers, birthdays, anniversaries, and retirement parties. Of course, you don’t need a special life change to celebrate! Just get your friends and family together for a special surprise!
2. Take dance classes. There are many dance studios in every area, especially in the DMV area. Look up clubs on Yelp that have special instructional nights if you don’t have time in your schedule for a long commitment. I also offer online classes here for adults and streaming live classes for children on OutSchool. And anyone from any part of the country can access those.
3. If you don’t want to dance yourself, consider supporting the arts by attending a dance concert at a large venue like the Kennedy Center in DC or the Hylton Performing Arts Center in Manassas, VA. After all, the audience is as much a part of the dance world as the performers.