Ballroom Dancing Boosts Fun and Healthy Aging

Samba, anyone? Classes in ballroom dancing -- or any type of dance you desire -- beat hanging out in front of the TV almost any evening. And while older adults are mastering the merengue or honing the hustle, they're also improving their health.

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Treadmill or Tango?

At the Arthur Murray Dance Center in Silver Spring, Maryland, the atmosphere is low-key, welcoming and encouraging. In the central studio, mirrors only cover parts of the wall so you don't have to watch your every move unless you want to. In one corner there's a reassuring sign: "We Don't Make Mistakes. We Do Variations."

Spread out across the dance floor, paired and solo students practice steps with individual instructors. Couples of all ages are more likely to move to "Uptown Funk" or "Royals" than "A String of Pearls."

For Gerri Perry, 74, an avid dance student, West Coast swing is the thing. While her silver dancing shoes have modest heels, they boast just enough glitter to add a pinch of pizzazz.

Perry and her partner, instructor Shawn Bantum, are improvising a routine for an upcoming dance showcase. At first, Perry says, she was "petrified" by the idea of performing in front of others. Now she looks forward to it.

"We're on a roll," Bantum says, as he sets the song to "Fireflies" by Owl City. First, Perry stands alone, looks outward, stretches her arm, opens her hand and mimics setting something (a lightning bug?) loose. Bantum joins her, and they glide into their dance.

For Perry, dance is a meaningful way to express herself and stay fit. "It gets my heart rate up," she says. "It's something I enjoy, instead of being on a treadmill."

Behind the partition, a cha-cha class is in progress. "One-two-three-cha-cha-stop-open up," the classroom instructor calls out. Six or so couples dance in sync. "Maintain your frame," she says, and demonstrates with arms held wide, chest open and proud. A gray-haired man in suspenders carefully twirls his partner.

Linda Theiss, director of the center and a veteran dance instructor, says when retired couples and older single adults sign up, the No. 1 reason she hears is: "I'm tired of the gym and looking for something that's fun."

If beginners are out of shape and out of breath, no problem, Theiss says. During their first lesson or two, they may have to sit and take breaks, but within a month, they've built up enough stamina to last the whole lesson.

Fees start at $250 a month, Theiss says, with a typical six-week program costing $750. Many students begin in their 70s and 80s. "What have they got to lose?" she says. "Maybe a few pounds and some stiffness."

Truly Healthy

Dancing is fun and energizing, but does it really bring health benefits for older adults? Absolutely, says Dr. Natacha Falcon, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician with Rothman Institute Orthopaedics in Pennsylvania and New Jersey. Falcon, herself an aficionado, reels off dance's positive effects.

Nonoperative spine care is a focus of Falcon's practice, and she sees many patients with compression spine factures. "One of the recommendations to decrease osteoporosis and strengthen your bones is weight-bearing exercise," she says. "So ballroom dancing definitely comes into play there."

The cardiovascular workout varies. "The waltz is a lot slower, perhaps, than something like the cha-cha," Falcon says. "But at the end of the day, you are increasing your heart rate. You're using your arms and your legs often, and using them together in sequence."

The emphasis on posture and form is another plus. "A lot of the positions that the dancers have to attain or maintain definitely strengthen their core," Falcon says.

A 2014 study in the Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics randomly assigned frail, elderly nursing home residents to either a ballroom dancing program or a control group. Residents in the dance program improved their balance and had fewer falls.

Certain demands of dancing help maintain mental sharpness, Falcon says: "Think about having to learn the steps to a routine and do them again and duplicate them." She points to a 2003 study from the New England Journal of Medicine on leisure activities and dementia incidence in the elderly. "Dancing was the only physical activity associated with a lower risk of dementia," researchers wrote.

Emotional health benefits are another bonus, Falcon says, from the therapeutic effect of music and socialization to the body contact and endorphin-releasing power of touch, similar to a massage.

[See: 14 Ways to Protect Seniors From Falls.]

Salsa Adventure

Angela Ingram, an instructor at the Joy of Motion Dance Center in the District of Columbia, wants to see still upper bodies in contrast with swinging hips. So students in her Cuban salsa class gamely place purple foam yoga blocks on their heads as they perform basic salsa steps with what she calls "a little bit of folklore."

Passersby are dimly visible through the frosted window facing the street. Inside the small class, the students in leotards, T-shirts and shorts, headscarves and bands -- mostly women and one adventurous man -- are sweating. Most, but not all, are in their 20s to 40s. They're intent on Ingram and the mirror, trying to keep up with the nuances of each rhythm -- salsa, rumba and mambo.

Clap-clap-clap ... clap-clap, Ingram begins, and students join in. She explains and demonstrates precise body mechanics. Spines in alignment, knees bent, torsos forward and butts back, students roll their shoulders one at time, isolating the muscles. "It's real subtle but it's real sensuous," Ingram says. She turns on the music: Willie Bobo's evocative "Fried Neckbones and Some Homefries."

Student Janneke Ratcliffe, 55, signed up for the class just a few weeks ago with a special motivation. Ratcliffe is traveling to Cuba next month, something she'd never expected to do. The class helps set the atmosphere, although when trying out the unfamiliar moves, "I feel like a chicken," she says, laughing.

Chatting after class, Ratcliffe says the hardest part for her is the mindset. "Getting out of your head is important," she says. With her kids now in college and out of the house, she adds, "At 55, I'm healthy and able and ready to try some new stuff."

[See: 9 Foods That Can Keep Your Brain Sharp.]

Sitting nearby, Ingram slips off her dance shoes and rubs her feet. It's the last class of the evening for Ingram, who's been deep-knee bending, pivoting, twisting and shimmying at speeds others can only hope to achieve. At 54, Ingram is attuned to students of all ages. "Dance is taught to keep your body safe," she says. "I want everyone to feel comfortable learning."

What Keeps You Young?

Lisa Esposito is a Patient Advice reporter at U.S. News. You can follow her on Twitter, connect with her on LinkedIn or email her at lesposito@usnews.com.