To dance or not to dance?

By: Janese Watson

Everyone does something they love at least once in life, whether it’s a sport, hobby, or maybe even walking the dog. There are always pros and cons for those things. Dancing is a perfect example. Being a dancer, you develop many good things in life, but lose some too.

            Have you ever noticed dancers to be more outgoing, very entertaining, and always will to do anything to make someone laugh? Dancing does that to you. To be a dancer you have to be able to change moods from left to right in your dances. You have to act really happy in one dance and as if you’re sad in another. Being able to do that so easily makes it easy to be loud and outgoing in front of other people, creating a better environment and happy life.

            Like every sport, dance keeps you very busy. In some cases it’s a good thing to keep you out of trouble, but sometimes it can be too much. If dance is something you want to take seriously, you have to be ready to sign your life away. Dancing keeps you fit and makes it easier to adapt to many things. Did you know that most sports use dance moves in stretching and warm up routines? Football players are told to take ballet classes to help their balance and strengthen their legs. Lynn Swann, a former Pittsburg Steeler and 2001 inductee in the Pro Football Hall of Frame, claims his ballet training greatly improved his athletic skills and helped him become a better football player.

            Dancing also has a positive effect on self-esteem. Being a dancer, no matter what you look like, you always feel pretty. Dancers wear a lot of makeup, fake eyelashes, red lipstick and use a full can of hairspray on their hair. It’s like you’re in a movie when you’re on stage. It also great knowing that people are watching you wishing they could do what you do.

            Dancing is an amazing sport, but nothing is perfect. There are downfalls that dancers have to live with. It is extremely expensive to dance; all studios are different, but an average monthly cost would be $350. There are a lot of random expenses when dancing that also run up the cost. Costume quality matters and a single costume could range from $50 to $1,000! In order to be a dancer, you have to be willing to empty your pockets for it.

            Despite all the positive health benefits of dance, there can be some negative impact too. You are sore every day to the point where it changes the way you walk. By the age of forty you will feel like you’re eighty due to bad knees and bad back from dancing. In a study by Dona Krashnow, psychological stress and perfectionism was examined in three groups of young elite performers: ballet dancers, modern dancers, and artistic gymnasts. Similar to the adult population, a high incidence of injury was found for all three groups. Results revealed a greater number of hip injuries in young ballet dancers and gymnasts than typically found in the adult population. The sooner you plan to quit working out, the sooner your body will tighten up and shut down. That’s why it’s important to keep dancing every day. Once you start, you can’t stop. There are a lot of pros and cons with dancing, but overall it is a great sport.