UDA Dancers Are SMART

Most people know of the health benefits of dance, as it provides physical exercise.  But there are further health benefits from dancing, such as stress reduction and increased serotonin level, with its sense of well-being. Most recently it has been discovered that frequent dancing makes a person smarter!

You may have heard about the New England Journal of Medicine report on the effects of recreational activities on mental acuity in aging.  The 21-year study of senior citizens, 75 and older, was led by the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City and published in the New England Journal of Medicine.  The study wanted to see if any physical or cognitive recreational activities influenced mental acuity.  They discovered that some activities had a significant beneficial effect.  Other activities had none.

They studied cognitive activities such as reading books, writing for pleasure, doing crossword puzzles, playing cards and playing musical instruments.  And they studied physical activities like playing tennis or golf, swimming, bicycling, dancing, walking for exercise and doing housework.

One of the surprises of the study was that almost none of the physical activities appeared to offer any protection against dementia.  There can be cardiovascular benefits of course, but the focus of this study was the mind.

There was one important exception:  the only physical activity to offer protection against dementia was frequent dancing.

Reading - 35% reduced risk of dementia

Bicycling and swimming - 0%

Doing crossword puzzles at least four days a week - 47%

Playing golf - 0%

Dancing frequently - 76%.   That was the greatest risk reduction of any activity studied, cognitive or physical.

Why?

Dancers are the ultimate multi-taskers. Legs, feet, back, hips, arms, hands, eye line, expression, intention, quality…. dancers must think of several things at once and make it look effortless!

A dancer’s body awareness is unparalleled.  Dancers are so finely tuned that we are acutely aware of any small changes in our body. We know more about anatomy than the average “normal” person!

Dancers will always win at a game of Memory. Learning choreography has been proven to have a positive effect on memory. Dancers must remember the counts and tiny details of several works at once, and our bodies are so smart that they will hang onto the memory of these for years and years!

Dancers are fast learners. The competitive nature of auditions and the dance industry means we must pick up choreography as quickly as possible. We are constantly training our brain to take on and retain small details and adapt to new ways of moving at a super-fast rate.

In a nutshell, it can’t be denied that dancing indeed makes one smarter. With the many studies that prove the cognitive benefits of dancing, it is time to put your dancing shoes on! Just remember: dance practice makes for perfect choreography, and most prominently, improved mental skills!  Who says dancers aren’t SMART?

Extra-Curricular Activities: Are They Really Worth It?

The afternoon rush begins.  You pick up the kids from school, rush them home, figure out dinner, grab snacks, change clothes and you’re off once again.  Some days you feel like a taxi driver in crazy town and some days you wonder if all this rushing and expense of extra-curricular activities is worth the effort. Does this sound familiar?

We happen to believe that it’s very worth the effort.  We know it’s challenging, but we know the benefits and they are huge. 

There once were two girls who had similar interests and were friends at the beginning of 7^th Grade. Kimberly and Ivy* had big dreams and both were good students. As they continued their Junior High and High School experience however, they ended up drifting apart. 

Ivy stayed really involved in school and extra-curricular activities. She had places to be after school.  You could say she was going somewhere.  Kimberly, on the other hand, went home to an empty house.  Not much was expected of her.  She sat back and watched as Ivy began to thrive and develop new talents. 

Given their lifestyle differences, they started hanging out with different friends.  Ivy stayed active, healthy and on the Honor Roll while Kimberly made friends with kids who didn’t have anything going on after school.  They wandered around and eventually started to party to keep things interesting.  Kimberly’s views of school had changed.  She threw her dreams out the window along with her confidence and good grades.  It’s safe to say that these two girls were headed on very different paths.

What was the hinge that swung their lives into completely opposite directions? 

Extra-curricular activities.

Studies have repeatedly proven that having extra-curricular activities can really set children up for success.

Tony Wagner, co-director of the Change Leadership Group at Harvard’s Graduate School of Education made this observation:

“Kids who have a significant involvement in an extracurricular activity have a capacity for focus, self-discipline, and time management that I see lacking in kids who just went through school focused on their GPA.”

Ivy’s future was paved with the tools needed to be successful. She learned essential life skills thanks to her extra-curricular activities.  She mastered time management and self-discipline.  Her coaches were mentors when she needed them.  She didn’t have time for boredom or trouble.  She spent time with friends who had the same interests and goals. 

Ivy’s activities helped her excel in school. When it came time to graduate from High School, Ivy went on to college and eventually became a Professor at the University.  Kimberly barely graduated High School. She didn’t even apply for College.  She also had zero hobbies in her back pocket and no future plans.

This true story of two girls who traveled different paths only backs up the extensive research that is stacked in favor of extra-curricular activities. We see the benefit from those activities in Ivy.

So, why at the end of the day do we as parents play the role of taxi driver in crazy town? Extra-curricular activities help our kids develop crucial life skills such as commitment, hard work, self-discipline and independence.

At Utah Dance Artists, dance becomes the vehicle we use to equip your child with these skills. Our mission is to help children, “Shine on Stage and In Life”. As we instill confidence in each child to dance successfully on stage, greater importance is the tools they receive to thrive as they “dance through life”.

We don’t teach kids to make great dancers, we teach dance to make great kids.

Keep up the great work parents. Your efforts are valuable. You’re doing a great thing for your child.

*Names changed for confidentiality