Dancing is the joy of life. Anyone who is an artist will agree that dancing and music or for that matter, any form of fine arts is a human representation of beauty and magic. For me, dancing has been that magic in my life, my enduring bliss. The journey of dancing began some 5 years ago when I shifted to a new city. What started off as a hobby to find my passion in a new place ended up being a bit of an addiction! Through the course of years, I learnt many Latin dance forms such as Salsa, Bachata, Cha Cha Cha, Samba, Jive, Waltz, Kizomba, Rock n Roll to name a few. Most of these dances are danced as partner dances in social or competitive settings. The journey of learning dancing skills has been a tumultuous one, yet it has been one of my most rewarding and fulfilling pursuits. Off-late, I got thinking about what has dancing given me apart from the gift of happiness, and I could count the top 5 lessons that Latin dancing taught me that will perhaps stay with me forever! Here are the top 5 benefits of dancing and the life lessons that dance teaches you.
Also Read: Social Dancing: A Lesson in Diversity & Inclusion
Benefits of Dancing- 5 Life Lessons that Dance Teaches You
1) A new skill can always be cultivated
A big limiting belief most of us hold is to assume that we can excel at something only if we have a natural talent for it – say public speaking, dancing, art etc. No, I say a skill that’s totally alien to you can be acquired, practised and honed to a level of mastery. It all depends on the degree of drive you have, and what you’re willing to sacrifice in order to attain excellence in a new skill. Dancing for example involves a high degree of motor skills, mind-body coordination, body control and memory. All of which can come only with sustained focus and practice. Truly speaking, fortitude is a muscle I developed apart from my calves!
2) Embrace your awkwardness
What I mean by this is that you should be willing to identify, acknowledge, unlearn and relearn from your mistakes. For example, in dancing, it’s always a good idea to record yourself while executing a routine. Initially, I’d cringe on seeing my dance videos. But over time I realized I was being hard on myself and I should allow myself the space to fail and grow. Recording and replaying my routines has helped me a great deal in improvising. This means I have also got comfortable with my unintentional faux pas.
3) First comes your own happiness and then there’s everything else
In my dancing journey, there were moments of frustration and self-doubt. Sometimes they were all-consuming. But I rewired my thinking pattern to ask myself – “Why am I dancing?”. For my own selfish joy. Delving into the “why” helps put things in perspective. Pursuit of any skill is daunting, but reconnect your thoughts to the purpose of what you’re doing. And that will lay to rest all yourself inflicted worries!
4) Celebrate small victories
Oftentimes, we have very high standards of what we desire to accomplish. But like they say, the journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Celebrate your first success, give yourself a pat on the back for little victories. A dancer’s life is incomplete without dancing shoes. For me, the first triumph was to be able to balance myself on a 3 inch pointed dancing heel with tightly clasped toes. I had some fears initially, like dancing shoes might hurt my knees or I could trip or my legs shall pain. The day I started dancing in my dancing shoes, I never wanted to go back to dancing flat feet. Truth be told, it was liberating to be able to hold my stance and strut on the sexy heels!
5) Staying connected to one’s inner self
Dancing taught me to stay tuned to my innermost self. It’s been an organic process of discovering my joy through movement while shunting out all possible distractions. It’s been an inward journey. I have become more mindful of how I feel when I am dancing with someone, that intangible emotion of being in the moment, being in the flow, expressing myself through motion. I have felt ecstatic, peaceful, contended, accomplished, connected and so much more through the medium of dancing. Dance is my life!
I’d like to leave the readers with a thought. Don’t all dancers look bewitchingly beautiful? Dancing is perhaps the only form of art where the artist itself is the art. There’s some magnetism about the way Latin dancers create exquisite art with their bodies and emotions. That our bodies can create such immaculate art, has been my biggest revelation!
Now ain’t that a lot of life wisdom in barely a few years of dancing? Well didn’t I say it’s magical at the start?
Many of you love dancing. Please think about the benefits of dancing and the life lessons that dance teaches you. Do share your thoughts on other benefits of dancing and on your life lessons from dance in the comments section below.
PS : For more stories of empathy and positivity, grab a copy of my first book, Amazon Bestseller “People’s Kafe: Stories of Human Emotions, Endeavors & Inclusion
