Although I’ve been a ballerina and jazz dancer my whole life, I began dancing ballroom about 1 year ago, and yesterday I challenged myself to a Pro/Am International Ballroom Open Silver Championship competition! International Latin ballroom dancing is cha cha, samba, rhumba, paso doble, and jive. Pro/Am stands for Professional/Amateur, so I compete with a teacher, and I’ll work my way to a professional. You can enter yourself into any competition at any time. This one I competed in was the Hollywood Dancesport. It is so ridiculously fun AND hard! I began wanting to just do it for fun, but then I quickly became obsessed with the idea of competing and putting myself in a position that is both mentally difficult and physically challenging. I love dancing for its mindfulness required in order to be successful. Every step, every arm, every count requires focus and attention. Mindful movement has the ability to use both your right and left brain, challenge the way you think, improve coordination and burn calories! It’s an all around win.
If you want to read more about the benefits that dancing can have on your professional career, check out this article on Fast Company on how dancing was the key to this CEO’s success!
I HIGHLY recommend trying out a beginner class. Salsa is a great class to start with for its basic steps and fun social environment. You can dance in tennis shoes if you are just starting out, or a more flexible shoe like a Nike fit flex shoe. Most commonly you do not need a partner so just show up and get busy!
3 Reasons Why You Should Dance:
- Relieves Stress and Anxiety
- Works a different part of your BRAIN
- You Feel Sexy!!
