“Why is Ballroom Dancing Good For You?”

by Chris Lynam

Not one single person begins ballroom dancing and says, “I am so glad I waited this long to get started.” It’s usually the opposite, “why did I wait so long?” (followed by as many exclamation points as necessary).  

However, every person will have a unique path that leads them to Ballroom Dancing.  Some want to survive a wedding or office parties, others have had a lifelong dream of gliding across the dance floor like Fred and Ginger, but sometimes you might have no reason at all. 

Sometimes the best reason to start dancing is when it makes no sense whatsoever.  You don’t have to possess some Dancing With the Stars urge in the core of your personality.  You don’t have to own dance shoes, spray tan, or wear rhinestoned clothing, and you definitely don’t need to know how to do the splits.  

My Road

I discovered social dancing by accident.  I was recovering from a bad basketball injury, and my NBA dreams had crashed and burned.  The basketball identity I had operated with was gone with one nasty broken wrist.  Then my buddy pointed out a good looking girl in our Speech class and mentioned he was taking her out on a date.  

“How?” I asked.

“Swing Dancing” was his answer, and that was the moment my life completely changed. 

If he could go out with a girl like that with this Swing dancing, I needed to have Swing dancing in my life right away.  

The Swing

I made friends, asked girls to dance, and they accepted.  Social dancing was my new identity.  For 18 months I was a regular at any club with a live band and swing music, and my insatiable appetite for dance is what brought me to Arthur Murray. 

What I Found

Ballroom Dancing filled in an area in my life I had no idea was missing, but the fit was perfect. If that makes any sense.  In less than two years I went from poking fun of my Dad for taking ballroom dance lessons, to working full time as an Arthur Murray instructor.  Now, your path to dancing may not include a wrist injury, swing dancing, and have it lead to becoming a professional instructor, but it doesn’t mean that Right away, I found this out about ballroom dancing.  I was:

In Better Shape 

I got in better shape dancing because it didn’t feel like a workout… Until after I was finished.
More confident – basketball was my identity for a long time. When it wasn’t going great, I was a wreck. Learning to dance builds confidence on and off the dance floor.
In a Community – it can be tough for people to make friends in real life these days. Considering how much people work, and how many people relocate for a job – your social life can feel a bit empty.  Dancing gives you a community of supportive people from all walks of life.
Always Interesting – there are so many avenues to explore with ballroom dancing.  It is really tough to get bored.  Every dance is different, has different music, characteristics and that can keep even the biggest daydreamer engaged.
This is Expressive – maybe you ditched theatre in high school, or quit piano when you were 6. Ballroom dancing gives you a chance to do something expressive, dramatic, and musical. 
Practical & Unique – this activity on an online dating profile is right up there with “I have a six pack”.  Good dancers are rare in the “pickup jungle”. Ballroom gives you the versatility to navigate through any dance floor situation like a sommelier can navigate the trickiest wine lists with ease. 

Through dancing, I met my next dance partner, we got married, opened dance studios, had babies…. You know, the usual stuff. 

But I always take a minute to think about that basketball injury.  It was so devastating, yet so pivotal.  It’s what got me dancing.

This is one of those unbelievable, regret-free, “why the heck did I wait so long” type of activities. 

Hopefully, you feel the same way.