The benefits of dancing abound
by John Hlavac
LW contributor
One of the great, generally unnoticed advantages of living in Leisure World is that you get to see problems that you are likely to face as you age merely by interacting with your older friends and neighbors. If you’re contemplating a medical procedure in the near future, such as, say, a knee replacement, you can easily find 10 or 20 acquaintances who have already been through it.
The recreational opportunities abound here, and dancing is one of them. The benefits of dancing are numerous. You get some gentle to moderate exercise, which is appropriate for us seniors. Dancing keeps that balance thing going while enjoying your friends and acquaintances. It gives you a reason to dress up a bit and get out of your unit. At our age, it’s not date night— although sometimes that does happen. With dancing, you get to practice your coordination, so it’s a surprising way to keep mentally sharp. Finally, it’s a way to enjoy the music, as music that’s played for dancing is optimized for movement with a steady beat. Live music is so much better than recorded. You haven’t really heard music until you hear “Light My Fire” played at a disco tempo.
