Dance Fit and Healthy?  Just look at these happy and healthy dancers at the Virginian Christmas 2019 Scottish dance - none of them looks over eighty, which proves that dancing is good for you.

THE RESEARCH:

Dr Kathrin Rehfeld of Magdeburg University in Germany has published research results that explain WHY dance is the best activity for keeping us young. Her 18-month study of a cohort of 68-year-olds compared effects of strenuous exercise routines for volunteers with effects of dance routines for others. I tried to find a picture of Kathrin Rehfeld: google turned up pictures of elderly people dancing, and a message: “Teen brains found in elderly dancers” which is not at all my objective. I hated being a teenager!

Both groups of volunteers – runners and dancers - improved their physical endurance and suppleness; and both showed an increase in the hippocamp region of the brain. 

The first research result appears to be: dance improves your balance. Run on roads or run on the treadmill (which was originally invented in 19^th century England as a punishment for convicts and paupers, if I remember correctly) and you will keep fit and reduce your heart-rate ….. but if you dance, you get the same physical benefits PLUS better balance.

Another benefit of the dance routines was mental. Dr Rehfeld observes: “We taught different dance routines every week, in order to keep the volunteers in a state of apprenticeship. The most difficult part for them was to remember the routines, once the instructor stopped calling out instructions.”  Huh!  Scottish dancers remember the formations after a briefing.

The dancers were also kinder and friendlier people, developed stronger toe-nails and their hair started to curl ….  No, here I am joking. But it is apparent that the combination of dance movement and music provides stimulus to the brain and neurosystem, improving “holistic harmony” if that means anything?  Best are Scottish dances, with their familiar formations constantly  repeated in different and challenging combinations. I am also a Bavarian Schuplattl dancer, which requires energy, balance and suppleness (I must tell Kathrin Rehfeld). But Scottish dancing is mentally more stimulating .... and the music is better.

THE CONCLUSION

The Magdeburg research results (which I here summarize in brutally unscientific form) prove what has already been shown in earlier studies, in New Zealand, UK and USA: that dance is beneficial for young and old alike, maintaining physical fitness, improving balance and keeping our brains active. Even if you not want to have the brain of a teenager, dancing will keep your brain spritely and dynamic, with good balance, friendship, music, joy and laughter.

DanceFitandHealthyAt70 is a reality! All my happy dancing friends prove it .... and so do I.

Rumors of War (a non-racist statue in Richmond VA)

This new statue at the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts in Richmond, mimics a civil war military statue of JEB Stuart, a friend of Robert E. Lee and leader of the slavers' cavalry during the American civil war. In place of General Stuart, we see a native American riding his prancing horse, his dancing horse: providing a challenge to the narrative of Richmond's white supremacist confederate statues, while honoring Sculpture as an Art, and honoring the original inhabitants of America, those peaceful tribal ecologists who were largely exterminated by the likes of President Andrew Jackson, a hero of the current occupant of the White House. Well done the VMFA.

BREXIT is a threat to the British economy, and threat to the stability of the United Kingdom, and a threat to Peace in Europe. The final chapter of my book I DANCE THEREFORE I AM discusses peace, peace dancing, Sufi dancing and the poet Rumi, the reasons why BREXIT is a disaster waiting to happen. Let us pray that it does not happen this week. Le us pray that sensible people realise it is undoable, and therefore that we should revoke our application to leave the EU.

If BREXIT happens, the United Kingdom is doomed and I shall apply for a Scottish passport.
Meanwhile the only solution is to keep dancing, keep healthy, and SPINAROOND with the same joy that fills Janet McCrorie's picture.

Dancing and Dementia

Dancing reverses signs of an aging brain

Crosswords are fine; Yoga is good for you; but research shows that DANCING is most successful in stimulating the mind and the body, balance, memory and focus.  Dance to stay fit & healthy!

As we grow older we suffer a decline in mental and physical fitness, which can be made worse by conditions like Alzheimer's disease. A new study, published in the open-access journal Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, shows that older people who routinely partake in physical exercise can reverse the signs of aging in the brain, and dancing has the most profound effect.

"Exercise has the beneficial effect of slowing down or even counteracting age-related decline in mental and physical capacity," says Dr Kathrin Rehfeld, lead author of the study, based at the German center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Magdeburg, Germany. "In this study, we show that two different types of physical exercise (dancing and endurance training) both increase the area of the brain that declines with age. In comparison, it was only dancing that led to noticeable behavioral changes in terms of improved balance."

Elderly volunteers, with an average age of 68, were recruited to the study and assigned either an eighteen-month weekly course of learning dance routines, or endurance and flexibility training. Both groups showed an increase in the hippocampus region of the brain. This is important because this area can be prone to age-related decline and is affected by diseases like Alzheimer's. It also plays a key role in memory and learning, as well as keeping one's balance.
While previous research has shown that physical exercise can combat age-related brain decline, it is not known if one type of exercise can be better than another. To assess this, the exercise routines given to the volunteers differed. The traditional fitness training program conducted mainly repetitive exercises, such as cycling or Nordic walking, but the dance group were challenged with something new each week.

Dr Rehfeld explains, "We tried to provide our seniors in the dance group with constantly changing dance routines of different genres (Jazz, Square, Latin-American and Line Dance). Steps, arm-patterns, formations, speed and rhythms were changed every second week to keep them in a constant learning process. The most challenging aspect for them was to recall the routines under the pressure of time and without any cues from the instructor."
These extra challenges are thought to account for the noticeable difference in balance displayed by those participants in dancing group. Dr Rehfeld and her colleagues are building on this research to trial new fitness programs that have the potential of maximizing anti-aging effects on the brain.

"Right now, we are evaluating a new system called "Jymmin" (jamming and gymnastic). This is a sensor-based system which generates sounds (melodies, rhythm) based on physical activity. We know that dementia patients react strongly when listening to music. We want to combine the promising aspects of physical activity and active music making in a feasibility study with dementia patients."

Dr Rehfeld concludes with advice that could get us up out of our seats and dancing to our favorite beat.
"I believe that everybody would like to live an independent and healthy life, for as long as possible. Physical activity is one of the lifestyle factors that can contribute to this, counteracting several risk factors and slowing down age-related decline. I think dancing is a powerful tool to set new challenges for body and mind, especially in older age."
This study falls into a broader collection of research investigating the cognitive and neural effects of physical and cognitive activity across the lifespan.

Source for this information: Kathrin Rehfeld et al, Dancing or Fitness Sport? The Effects of Two Training Programs on Hippocampal Plasticity and Balance Abilities in Healthy Seniors, Frontiers in Human Neuroscience (2017). DOI: 10.3389/fnhum.2017.00305

Journal information: Frontiers in Human Neuroscience

Demo-level dancing on a Tuesday night: what a treat !

We had such a GREAT dance evening in Richmond this Tuesday at The Dance Space with its beautiful wood floor - we produced a set of demonstration level dances with wonderful women dancers : Moira and Tina are two of the best dancers I have ever had the joy of seeing, as well as Julie, Susan, Rochelle, Elisabeth, Carol….. and there were five demo-level men dancing: Scott Morrison, John Thoburn, Malcolm Shealey, Bern Runk and the author of that now-famous dancing memoir I DANCE THEREFORE I AM.

Which we proved to be true this evening.  

Janet McCrorie's painting called CLASP illustrates perfectly the fun we had tonight.  

Buy Janet's greetings cards! They benefit the RSCDS and they are fine cards.

We danced some fun and tricky dances including Mrs MacPherson of Inveran; The Clumsy Lover (he was not present on the dance floor this evening, but he obviously liked to set-and-link); Jean Martin of Aberdeen (a lovely Strathspey for a lovely lady); Napier’s Index with its fun reels and 4-bar turns; and others.

The RSCDS Richmond Christmas dance program looks enticing..….. especially when you think who will be dancing there. Plan to be in Richmond VA on December 7th this year !  

Fit & Healthy Scottish Dancing on ICE !!!

Have you admired the Kerr siblings John and Sinead dancing on ice at the 2008 World Championships in Sweden?  If not, don't miss the opportunity - and this is the place to see them Scottish dancing to the music of Auld Lang Syne:

https://www.sunnyskyz.com/happy-videos/7055/Scottish-Siblings-Original-Ice-Dance-Has-Everyone-Cheering-During-The-Routine

Dancing with beautiful women

English country dancers from Sussex came to dance in Brittany - and naturally we danced with them. Do you prefer the elegance of her Lewes dress or the style of my Maclean kilt?

UK's Health Secretary supports DANCING for health

A new initiative launched by British Health Secretary Matt Hancock, doctors in the U.K. will soon be able to prescribe dance classes—along with art, music, sports, gardening and more—for patients suffering from conditions as various as dementia, lung problems and mental health issues.

In the Nov 2018 issue of Dance Magazine, reporter Lauren Wingenroth reported just how significant an impact movement can have as a form of treatment. For instance, when Mark Morris Dance Group's successful Dance for Parkinson's Disease program was profiled in the Journal of Neural Transmission in 2016, researchers found that patients who took 16 classes over eight weeks showed a 10.4 percent improvement in overall movement, a 26.7 percent improvement in walking and a 18.5 percent improvement in tremors. In 2010.

DANCE FIT AND HEALTHY is the theme of my blog; and my amusing book on this subject is called "I Dance Therefore I Am"  .... which you can buy on Amazon. 

Keeping your leg muscles healthy

After dancing, I stretch out my back and shoulders, my leg muscles and my feet and - in winter at least - I wear the woolen stockings in bed in order to keep my leg muscles warm and avoid night-time cramps in my calves and thighs. It was not necessary when I was younger, but it useful these days.

Snow is coming, so dance to keep warm!

here in New York we can feel a nip in the air, as New England is threatened by snow .... like the snow storm that hit Virginia last month (a friend's picture below). Dancing keeps you warm; friendship keeps you cosy; dancing builds friendships. But don't forget to warm up before you dance, to avoid injury, and stretch out those muscles (feet and legs, necks and backs especially) to avoid cramps before you go to sleep.

Snow stopped the dancing tonight: a great evening of WALTZ and CONTRA spoiled (more by fear than by weather, actually: Michelle says it only takes three snowflakes to close all the schools in Virginia!). But I have happy memories of contra last time I was in the famous Glen Echo Spanish Ballroom where we had a great party with the band Hot Coffee ( they were really hot!) and with caller Kappy Laning (she was really Kappy!). My book I DANCE THEREFORE I AM contains great stories about contra dancing, and ways to make your dancing better and promote happiness. We hate NOODLES and BULLIES on the contra dance floor; and we like women who are light dancers and who do not kill our backs!  For how not to be a noodle or a bully, read my book!

Keep good posture by dancing

Talking of protecting good posture, here is a story about strong Scottish women:

Our lawn mower broke and my wife kept wanting me to get it fixed. Somehow I always a higher priority, like dancing or playing golf.  Finally she thought of a clever way to make her point.
I came back from golf to find her in the long grass, snipping away with a pair of scissors. I went into the house, and came out with a toothbrush saying, "When you have finished cutting the grass, you might as well sweep the driveway."
I thought that was witty.

The doctors say I will walk again, but I will never be straight and I will always have a limp.

still talking about good posture

A beautiful woman has good posture. The ones who turn our heads are the women who carry themselves like a princess. Girls who slouch look bad. One day I told three young Cambridge dancers: "When you dance, you are all fabulous. But when you stand in the set line, only one of you looks beautiful: I have noticed the other two slouch your shoulders and your allure is gone! Not only that, slouching is bad for your back." 

Back problems are ubiquitous. To avoid back pain in later life, work on your posture when you are still young. The Pilates system (invented by a ballet dancer for other dancers) teaches that the diaphragm and stomach muscles act as a "second backbone" and they help support the back. Standing strong and exercising your stomach muscles simply by holding them in while you stand, will keep your posture good and your back healthy. Here are two young men with good posture and with beautiful dancing partners: Robin and Philip with their lovely wives. Even when we are older, our posture will stay good if we remain conscious of its importance all through our dancing lives.