02 May This Was a Fox Trot Possessed by Disco Fever

Carrie Ann Inaba made this entertaining remark in the wildly popular “Dancing with the Stars” reality television show. The show pairs professional dancers with stars of varying degrees of dancing ability to compete in various genres of ballroom. Shows of a dancing nature, from Dancing with the Stars, So You Think You Can Dance, and Smash have exploded in the recent years, ultimately resulting in increased local participation in dance, especially in the elder age demographic.

With the push towards nutrition and low-impact exercise, many don’t think about dancing as a ‘whole-body’ workout – mainly because it’s FUN. The fact of the matter is, dancing utilizes the entire body: engaging muscles and increasing strength, improving flexibility, and joyfully uplifting the spirit. It’s physical AND mental.

Not only that, but Canada’s esteemed Mcgill University compared two groups of seniors; one group of walkers and one group who attended bi-weekly tango lessons. After 10 weeks, both groups scored better on cognitive tests, but it was the tango dancers that performed better on multi-tasking tests, in addition to improving their balance and coordination.

Flubbing dance steps? Turning the Fox-trot into Disco? None of that matters. ACC Family has the synopsis of this article: It’s time to cha-cha.