by Cristina Marrone
Ballet is good for your health: it trains balance and flexibility in adults and also offers cognitive benefits by stimulating memory. The group dynamic rekindles the good mood that goes beyond the courses
Can you learn classical dance when you are older? It seems like we can see how ballet is gaining followers even among older people. Proof that it is never late to learn. Or to resume an activity carried out when you were a child and which has always remained in your heart.
The importance of balance
Numerous studies show that from the age of 40, maintaining a good balance is associated with greater longevity and a better quality of life. In a study published in British Journal of Sports Medicine it emerged that 20% of people over 50 could not balance on one leg for more than 10 seconds (we wrote about it here). And failing to do so correlates with a doubling of the risk of death within a decade. Dance lessons train balance, with exercises dedicated to shifting the weight from one leg to the other or keeping oneself stable on one leg.
While yoga and pilates offer flexibility and core strengthening training, ballet trains more muscle groups because the movements are more varied: you do jumps, stand on tiptoe, bend over. Ballet also offers cognitive benefits: in one study lasted 21 years and funded by the National Institute of Aging it emerged that people who danced several times a week had a 76% lower risk of dementia than those who did not do this activity. In classical dance, but more generally in dance, the sequences of steps must be remembered which must then be coordinated with the music: a notable cognitive effort.
The tangible benefits: elasticity, balance and memory
It often happens that women show up asking for information on dance courses, explaining that they are no longer able to bend over to put on socks or that they suffer from severe back pain, says Sara Zuccari, a dance teacher in Tivoli who also takes an over-the-class class. 50. Then after 3-5 months they are happy and talk about a miracle because incredibly they manage to tie their shoes and touch their toes with their hands. But it’s not a miracle: discipline and constant work that trains the elasticity of the tendon muscles and balance. Elasticity, stability and balance are the first tangible benefits after a few months of activity. The body – recalls Sara Zuccari – has a great memory and does not forget what we did when we were young: we just need to dust off the muscle movements and bring them back to the foreground.
Who are the senior dancers
Those who approach dance, classical or modern, are usually women who made dance a passion as children and left their hearts in it. Then with work, family and children they often find themselves having to abandon discipline due to lack of time. But when the children get older and perhaps the partner is no longer there, the time available increases so we try to return to old loves. Volleyball, tennis, swimming but very often dance. However, there are also new entries – confirms the dance teacher – because it works a bit through word of mouth. The dancer drags her friend who had never danced before and varied groups are formed.
Good mood and new friendships
Dance is a motor activity, but also an art with a very marked psychomotor and interpretation aspect. The exercises must be performed with a lot of concentration, they must be memorized, performed in a group to the rhythm of music, with great benefit for memory and coordination. Finally, dance is a group discipline: if the step is repeated, everyone performs it in unison, at the same time. There is always comparison. The movement is perhaps inspired by a color – says Zuccari -. If the teacher asks to interpret the red, the movements will be quicker and more lively than the interpretation of a white: dancing becomes an act of composition and becomes a way of expressing feelings. Like any sport or group discipline, courses create new stimuli and friendships. Ladies often arrive tired and a little dejected due to the life problems that almost everyone faces more or less. Then dance becomes part of their life: a group is created, cinema and pizza parties are organized outside of class and dance ends up becoming a big family. You regain your good mood a little and after the age of 60 it becomes indispensable for feeling good.
September 9, 2023 (modified September 9, 2023 | 08:28)
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