Scottish Country Dancing Reels Benefits

By: Dan Salupo

Scottish country dancing has extensive and measurable fitness benefits for older people, according to new research at the University of Strathclyde in Scotland.

 

According to the team of researchers, led by Dr Paul Dougall, a Senior Lecturer and expert in dance and drama at Strathclyde, their study found that dancers between the ages of 60 to 85 years who take part in Strathspeys, jigs and reels are more agile, have stronger legs and can walk more briskly than people of the same age who take part in other forms of exercise.

The study compared two groups who were active in different types of exercise, and the results imply that country dancing had significant value in keeping people fit.

"It’s generally assumed that dancing is good exercise but we wanted to measure whether Scottish country dancing has specific health benefits," according to Dougall.

"We chose to study this particular type of dancing partly because it is very popular with older people in Scotland but also because it has steps which have to be followed precisely. This calls for a particular level of physical fitness and mental alertness and the dancers who took part in the study were experienced- they have all been dancing for at least five years, some for 30 years and more."

"Not only is country dancing enjoyable and sociable but there also appears to be clear evidence that it’s an effective recreational exercise for particular types of fitness later in life."

The study’s participants included 70 participants- 35 women aged between 60 and 85 years who practiced Scottish country dancing while another 35 in the same age range took part in more conventional forms of exercise such as swimming, walking, golf and keep-fit classes.

The women were all invited to take part in three-hour fitness assessment sessions, in groups of four, to monitor their strength, stamina, flexibility and balance. They were then compared with average fitness levels for women of their age- all 70 compared favorably with the averages but those who danced had better levels of fitness in some or all of the areas assessed than those who did not.

The target group of dancers was put together with the assistance of the Royal Scottish Country Dance Society, a group that has been teaching Scottish country dancing since 1923 and is acknowledged as the leading body for this expression of Scotland’s rich cultural heritage.

The project also involved Dr Susan Dewhurst, an Exercise Physiologist from the Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, who led assessments of the participants’ fitness.

According to Dewhurst, the team used "state of the art equipment to give very precise measurements of muscle quality and function. By studying participants of various ages, and by using a research team with an extensive range of experience, we were able to build a comprehensive picture of the considerable health benefits of Scottish country dancing."

While this study is one of the first to take a look at Scottish country dance, there has been a number of studies that agree with the benefits of social dance. In fact, in addition to burning more calories per hour than riding a bike or swimming, Mayo Clinic researchers reported that social dancing helps to:
-Reduce stress
-Increase energy
-Improve strength
-Increase muscle tone and coordination

And whether you like to kick up your heals to salsa, classical or country, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) says that dancing can:
-Lower your risk of coronary heart disease
-Decrease blood pressure
-Help you manage your weight
-Strengthen the bones of your legs and hips

Of course, the amount and/or type of benefit you get from dancing depends on, like most exercises, the type of dancing you’re doing, how strenuous it is, the duration and your skill level. Nonetheless, here are a few other forms of social dance and the benefits they yield.

Swing Dance

What is it?
Swing dance is a group of dances that developed concurrently with the swing style of jazz music in the 1920s, ’30s and ‘40s; although the earliest of these dance forms predate swing jazz music. The best known of these dances is the Lindy Hop, a popular partner dance that originated in Harlem and is still danced today.

Why its good
Research by Dr Jonathan Skinner from Queen’s University Belfast suggests that social dancing, such as swing, staves of illness and even counteracts decline in ageing. According to Dr Skinner, "social dancing leads to a continued engagement with life – past, present, and future – and holds the promise for successful ageing. It contributes to the longevity of the dancers, giving them something to enjoy and focus upon – to live for. It alleviates social isolation and quite literally helps take away the aches and pains associated with older age."

Salsa Dancing

What is it?
Salsa is a ballroom dance of Puerto Rican origin performed to a lively, vigorous type of contemporary Latin American popular music. Salsa is usually a partner dance, although there are recognized solo steps and some forms are danced in groups of couples, with frequent exchanges of partner.

Why it’s good
In a 2009 study, Italian researchers examined three different salsa dances among a small group of amateur dance partners and found salsa dancing to be at the appropriate intensity level to constitute a cardio-respiratory fitness improvement for most people. “Salsa is a spirited dance. You are moved to move when you watch people salsa,” said Gian Pietro Emerenziani, Ph.D.-student and lead author of the study. “With this form of dance, you are clearly getting a workout. All three types of salsa in our study, practiced frequently, will have a positive impact on health and fitness.”

Tango

What is it?
The tango is a sensual ballroom dance that originated in South America in the early twentieth century. Tango is usually performed by a man and a woman, expressing an element of romance in their synchronized movements.

Why it’s good
A study published in 2009 by Cynthia Quiroga Murcia, a psychologist at Goethe University in Frankfurt, reveals how the dance boosts men and women’s sex hormones and emotions. As reported in the journal Music and Medicine, Tango’s choreography appears to release stress and send testosterone racing, in women as well as men. The study participants (most of whom danced with their usual partner) were left feeling calmer, sexier and more closely bonded. Previous studies have shown that other dances don’t have this effect.

Traditional Greek dancing

What is it?
Traditional Greek dancing has a primarily social function – it brings the community together at key points of the year, such as Easter, and at key points in the lives of individuals and families, such as weddings. For this reason, tradition frequently dictates a strict order in the arrangement of the dancers, for example, by age.

Why it’s good
A 2010 study published in the Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies showed that aerobic exercise with Greek traditional dances and upper body training increased both the physical function and life satisfaction of breast cancer survivors, while also decreasing depressive symptoms by 35%. The researchers note that similar programs could be an alternative choice of physical activity, thus promoting benefits in physical function, strength and psychological condition.