I couldn’t help but be in a better mood after spending time with dance instructor and owner of the Arthur Murray Dance Studio of Castle Rock, Morris Vaccarella III. To be around him and not smile would be an insult. I couldn’t stop smiling being around him as well as wanting to get on the dance floor immediately to learn some new moves.
His passion for dance spans back to when he was a young gentleman starting out as a first-time dance instructor in his early twenties at the Lakewood studio (which was his first studio he purchased) He still lights up talking about working his way up and finally purchasing that studio and now he owns three including the Castle Rock studio. Morris explained he did everything from mopping floors, taking phone calls, running errands and everything in between. Morris said he was jack of all trades when he started off and when he finally purchased his first studio it was one of the best days of his life.
If there was ever a poster child for the benefits of a life of dance, it would be Morris. He eludes happiness and physically looks and moves like a man who would run circles around you in a Dancing with the Stars competition. His energy is contagious, and you just got the feeling his staff and students feel the same way about him.
Pinning down Morris is another talent altogether, he is a nonstop energy ball and getting to finally sit down to discuss the health benefits of dance and I needed to learn the secrets. I was excited to hear from the expert as to why dancing at any age is good for you. I shouldn’t have been surprised that he already was so prepared. Immediately five minutes into the conversation he pulled out an outline to be included in the article with not one, not two, or even three benefits to Dancing but he had twenty-six of them at the bare least.
Morris explained that he wrote the benefits to dance down into categories and even said he had a few more but thought we could just get our “feet wet” with the basics. The basics I thought, thirty-one basics, okay I then wondered to myself how many lessons does the studio truly have if I was just handled the basics? Secretly I was rather impressed and even more intrigued to see the list. Once we went over the list, I could get a better understanding about why everyone should try dance class at least once. The benefits are truly everything a person would be looking for when wanting to stay in prime health.
Morris’s 26 Benefits of Dancing
Category 1- Physical Health Benefits
Memory and Concentration – It has been proven that learning new dance moves and combinations improves memory and enhances concentration.
Flexibility and Elegance – Dancing will make you more flexible, graceful, and elegant in your everyday life. It can also help you become more aware of your body.
Weight and Metabolism – Dance exercises combined with healthy nutrition will help you lose weight, boost metabolism, and stay in shape.
Posture and Blood Flow – dance tones your muscles, and improves posture and blood flow, which is turn boosts your immune system and overall health
Perfect Age – You don’t need to be a certain age. Any age is perfect to start learning to dance! At any age, such physical activity will bring lots of benefits to your body and soul.
Category 2- Mental and Emotional Benefits
Sleep and Stress Level – Regular physical activity produces endorphins – chemicals in the brain that improve the ability to sleep and reduce stress.
Empowerment and Confidence – Attending dance classes regularly will make you feel good about yourself. It will make you feel more disciplined, fulfilled, confident, and in control of your daily life.
Unwind and Recover - Dance forces you to live in the now. It disconnects you from all your problems, giving you a chance to unwind and recover from the stresses of the daily life.
Happiness and Mood - Dancing and physical interactions with other happy people is one of the most powerful natural antidepressants. It fantastically improves your mood and increases your overall happiness.
It is fun! - With so much changing in the world and in your life, dance will always be there as something fun to do.
Creativity and Self-Expression – The dance floor will become a place where you can express your inner self, your creative soul. Not everyone can say that they have that.
Thinking vs. Action – Dancing helps get you out of your head. You will learn to think less and act more.
Category 3- Social Benefits
Friends and Love – Attending dance classes is the best way to find new friends, expand your social circle and even meet the love of your life.
People and Social Skills - Partner dancing classes and social dancing events are the best activities to improve social skills. They help you meet many new people and give you lots of opportunities to start conversations.
Relationships and Romance - Dancing may improve your relationship with your partner. It will bring more romance and passion into your life.
Dance Styles and Communities- All dance styles have their own unique communities that most of the time are super friendly and will gladly accept a new member.
Uniqueness and Attention – Dancing skills will make you stand out among non-dancing friends. You will feel unique and attract lots of attention from others.
Traveling and Assimilation – If you dance one of the social dancing styles, like tango, salsa or bachata, you will be able to find at least a dozen of new friends all over the world in a single night, wherever you go.
Festivals and Traveling – The moment you become a dance you will start traveling more. You will be surprised, but you don’t have to be a professional full-time dancer to go to national or international festivals and workshops.
Evenings Out – Forget about boring evenings! Anywhere, anytime, alone or with a partner, with music or without it you can practice or dance new dance moves.
Category 4- Personal Benefits -
It is Sexy! - Dancing is sexy. It will make you feel sexy, it will make you look sexy, it will make you be sexy!
Being Yourself – Partner dancing will teach you to feel more masculine or feminine!
Looking Good – Dancing gives you an excuse to dress well every day and wear your best outfits for numerous dance events or events coming up.
Connection and Perception – You will learn to connect with people and the world on a new level- something which words can’t begin to describe.
Changes in Life - It may drastically change your life for the better in many ways. It has changed mine and most likely will change yours if you give it a chance. You can find lots and lots of stories on the internet to prove it.
Sense of Well-being - Dance improves your overall quality of life. Just look at all the mentioned already!
To learn more on how to start your journey with dance at any of Morris's studios: coloradodancestudios.com
There are shortcuts to happiness and dancing is one of them.