Many of us know the health benefits from dancing tango, salsa , samba, merengue, and other forms of Latin dance. But did you know that simply listening to these types of music can improve your health?
Recent studies show that listening to music of all types has the great effects of lowering your blood pressure, improving your concentration, and overall stimulating your brain. Many studies also show that listening to music can improve performance on standardized tests. For most salsa, tango, and other Latin dancers, the music can simply put you in a different state of mind and allow you to restart your day on a fresh note.
Tango Alma , a local San Diego tango group and friends of Ritmo Bello , was recently highlighted in a short documentary regarding the health benefits of music. I posted that video here for you to watch and you’ll see both Todd and Marizabel of Tango Alma explaining how tango dance and listening to music is good for your health. Enjoy!
Every salsa dancer knows that after a long night of dancing you come home tired and completely exhausted at times. Many people remark that their night of dancing was akin to a full vigorous workout they might have at the local gym.
Seems there is some truth to this comparison. I did some research on the subject and found this interesting article written by SixWise .com . The article identifies that social salsa dancing has a number of health benefits ranging from a reduction in stress, increased energy, improved strength, increased muscle tone, and of course increased coordination. One seemingly obvious benefit that comes from social salsa dance is the very fact that you can experience all these health benefits while still being able to maintain social interaction with others. When I go to the gym I notice that most people who work out are running around with headphones on and generally are keeping to themselves. Not so with salsa dancing.
The other point that caught my eyes from the article deals with the burning of calories possible from social salsa dancing. Specifically, it outlined how different types of social dances stack up in their calorie burning potential:
How many calories will you burn while dancing? That depends on the type of dancing. Here’s a range of some of the most popular varieties, based on a 150-pound person, per hour:
Swing dancing: 235 calories/hour
Ballroom dancing: 265
Square dancing: 280
Ballet: 300
Belly dancing: 380
Salsa dancing: 420+
Aerobic dancing: 540+
Remember that salsa dancing is not just fun but is beneficial to a balanced life.
