This might sound like bad news, but ballroom dancing is really good for you.
Sorry.
In fact, most people come in for their first lesson with no idea of the benefits that come with dancing such as weight loss.
So we'll call them unexpected side effects.
The great thing about these unexpected side effects is that they are all positive, all achievable, and will completely change your perspective on this hobby that masquerades as dancing, but delivers more results off the dance floor.
Confidence is like a muscle: You've got to challenge it to create growth. Whether it is the first step you take through the front door, or the first step toward another dancer while in dance frame - you are challenging, and building, your confidence.
Ballroom Dancing is fun exercise. Fun exercise is something you're more likely to do over longer periods of time because you don't put it in the "treadmill category". You can burn up to 400 calories per lesson, and chances are, you'll dance more than that because, you know... it's fun.
"You look like a dancer." At some point, on a magical day, without any prompting, someone will approach you and say those wonderful words in or out of the dance studios, after you've put some time into your hobby. What they are noticing, is your grace and poise.
Ballroom dancing is the number one activity to enhance brain health - even better than sudoku and crossword puzzles. It's physical, creative, social, and gives your brain an all around workout.
[Read more about the links between Social Dancing and Brain Health]
Whether it is your wedding, your son or daughter's wedding, or your sister's best friend's cousin's wedding - dance lessons can take you from forgetful to legendary in just a few lessons.
There are countless Arthur Murray stories of students that shocked their physicians after taking dance lessons. With good posture being such an important aspect to good dancing, you won't just look taller, but you'll feel great too.
Social confidence just isn't what it used to be. As the world around us becomes increasingly digital, having real life interpersonal skills face to face becomes a premium. Dancing does that.
Physical activity reduces stress. Listening to music reduces stress. So what if you could combine those two things together?
How predictable are your date nights? Swapping out a movie for a Tango lesson could immediately take an average date and make it mysterious and legendary.
[Read this: 5 Reasons Why Couples Should Dance Together]
Having a skill like social dancing opens up a wide variety of options that may never have been considered beforehand. Whether it's a Salsa night on a Wednesday, an Arthur Murray Practice Party on a Friday, and Swing on a Sunday - your social calendar won't be the same after dancing.
We asked real life online dating professionals, and they all agreed: Knowing how to dance is a big plus on any online dating profile.
[We asked the Dating Experts, and here's what they shared about dancing + dating]
There aren't many places quite like the TV show Cheers anymore. That is, until you start taking lessons at Arthur Murray. Within a few lessons, you will have met all of the staff, a bunch of students, and, before long, you'll be a part of the most wonderful, happy, and occasionally crazy, dance community.
Where people of all backgrounds connect, share, and support each others dance journey.
Sometimes there are people that, deep down, have always loved the idea of becoming a dancer, but life just got in the way. Learning to dance, if anything else, is a chance to feel a sense of achievement. There too many people in the world that are convinced that they could never learn to dance, so walking through the door to your first lesson is a big deal.
Most humans love Disneyland.
Sure, there are theme parks with better rides, and there are carnivals with better food, but there is no other place that can capture the feeling that Disneyland gives to people.
The place is loaded with great, positive side effects, and Arthur Murray is no different.
In the same way that Disneyland creates an environment that is intentional in its design to deliver these positive feelings beyond just the rides and the food, Arthur Murray sets itself apart for the same reasons.
The school is designed so that way what you learn on the dance floor is not the end-all experience, but acts as a catalyst to make positive improvements off of it. It's by design, it's why the company has been around over 100 years, and why people have said time and again that Arthur Murray has changed their life.
You see, people come for the dancing, but they stay for the side effects. So come, take our dance advice and start taking lessons at your nearest Arthur Murray dance studio!
Still considering that first dance lesson? We recommend that you take a free trial lesson to start. You'll be dancing within 5 minutes of arriving, and you're under no obligation to continue if it's not your thing.
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