Dancing Is the Star

The best exercise doesn't have to burn the most calories or build the most muscle. It's the activity that moves you to do it time and time again.

In that sense, dancing is the belle of the ball. Besides being fun, it offers a range of benefits—physical, mental, and social—that other activities can't match.

Renewed interest in dance makes this a great time to learn at health clubs, dance studios, and schools that offer a variety of classes. You'll find routines Arthur Murray wouldn't recognize.

A 2006 survey by the IDEA Health and Fitness Association found 31 percent of member clubs offer dance classes in urban-street and hip-hop, popular with young people. Those with different tastes can find classes based on moves from ballet to ballroom to salsa.

"There are even classes that incorporate belly dancing,'' says Petra Kolber, an IDEA spokeswoman and former professional dancer. She credits television for the surge in popularity.

"A couple of years ago, you would never see a story about dance on an entertainment news show," she says. "Now you see one every day, thanks to shows like Dancing With the Stars. People see the enjoyment of dance on TV and decide they want to do it."

Full-body workout

Kolber says dance is a terrific exercise that uses the whole body, provides a cardiovascular workout, and improves flexibility, coordination, and strength. Given time, it can even help you lose weight.

The benefits of dance don't stop with the body. A 2003 New England Journal of Medicine study of 11 physical activities—including golf, tennis, swimming, bicycling, and walking—found dance was the only one that reduced the risk of dementia in seniors.

"Dance is not a simple physical activity, like walking on a treadmill," says Joe Verghese, M.D., coauthor of that study. "You have to memorize steps, so there's a lot of mental activity. There's also a social element to dance."

Other research has found that dance helps people in their 70s and 80s improve agility, balance, and range of motion.

"If you start dancing late in life you will get some benefits," Dr. Verghese says. "Starting younger is better, though. People who dance tend to have a longer stride in walking, a marker for better balance and coordination."

Perhaps the greatest advantage of dance is the enjoyment it provides. "An activity to music really stimulates people in a way that going for a run just doesn't," says Jenny Kehl, director of the Kehl School of Dance in Madison, Wis. "People can just move and clap for each other and laugh while getting fit."

Dance classes aren't the most intense aerobic exercise. But if you like to dance, says Kolber, "you're going to be more consistent in it, and in the long run you're probably going to lose more weight."

Safe but fit

Because dance is, for the most part, a low-impact activity, soreness or overwork is less of an issue. "Dance classes can be very safe if they are taught well," Kolber says. "You can ask the instructor if the class is for all levels of fitness."

Dance-based classes in health clubs differ from classes at dance schools. "In a health club, they're focused on getting your heart rate up,'' Kehl says. "In a dance school class, you learn how to dance, how to move your body in space, how to be confident with those movements in a safe way."

Once you decide which approach fits your goals, think about the music you like. There are classes for every taste, from country and western line dancing to urban hip-hop. When you find a class that sounds right, try before you buy.

"Almost every place you go will let you take a class for free, and I encourage people to do that," Kehl says. "Then ask yourself: Does it meet your expectations? Do you like the instructor? Is it a type of dance you enjoy and feel comfortable doing?"

You may not even consider it working out.

"Dance is really bringing people back in the gym that never thought exercise was for them," Kolber says. "It's social, it's fun, and everyone can be successful at it."

Happy feats

Here are some qualities of forms of dance:

Ballet

• Works core muscles

• Stresses flexibility and range of motion

• Involves explosive movements

Ballroom, salsa and swing

• Highly social

• Teaches you to move with a partner

• Involves memorizing patterns of steps

• Aerobic intensity depends on tempo

Hip-hop, jazz and urban-street

• Highly aerobic

• Incorporates jumps that build strength

• Needs flexibility and good range of motion

Tap

• For people who love rhythm

• Develops agility and coordination of feet

Source: Jenny Kehl