Dancing-400% more effective than neurotoxin! (Statistic may be an approximate)

Photo by: David Krebs     

     In timeless attempts to halt the process of aging, from the development of back pain to sore joints and a general lack of energy, vast empires of cosmetics, injections, and surgeries all designed to permeate the core of ‘youth’ have been constructed, with various effects. Some claim that you’ll look 20 years younger with vigorous application twice daily, while others state that the key is simply an intake, or lack of intake, of certain whey or no-whey based proteins. Indeed the most powerful neurotoxin yet discovered also serves as a preeminent wrinkle remover, tightening our facial muscles beyond recognition.

     I suggest an alternative solution: dance.  A source for both physical exercise and mental artistic expression contained in the simplicity of one’s own body, dance is an anti-aging remedy for everyone.  At the level of physical conditioning, the muscles involved are more inter-connected than the static movements of weight repetition, awakening the body to the poetry of motion.

     Additionally, from this author’s perspective, a 6’2’’ 180 pound individual finds the relentless pounding of heavy steps upon a treadmill to be a constant reminder that cartilage is erstwhile fading away, a swan song from the kneecaps, though perhaps a bit crunchier than Tchaikovsky’s usual repertoire. While enrolled in various jazz, ballet, and capoeira classes (all offered at the BodyVox Dance Center) by contrast, I find the utilizing of my own body to free up kinesthetic movement, keeping the spinal cord supple and flexible, while rousing both nerves & neurons, to be a thoroughly effective therapy.

     It’s been a fun experience to get over what seems to be finely ground cultural prejudice that dancing is not ‘manly’. Dancing is one of the healthiest and most fulfilling forms of exercise imaginable in that it simultaneously invigorates bodies and minds out of catatonic lethargy. As an individual who, prior to working at BodyVox, had not the slightest knowledge of the field, I can say that this view, while certainly opinionated, is not colored rosily by years of immersion. Still, if corporations are beginning to adapt to company Tai Chi programs as methods to increase employee well-being and effectiveness, then there might be something to that local dance company in the Pearl, and its eccentric company members...

Of course, if after reading this, you still find the idea of dancing to be bizarre, there’s always neurotoxin.

     In further blogs, the discussion topic will be raised to the effect of how dance can serve as occupational therapy to recover from serious injuries, which is yet another example of its amazing utility. Stay tuned!