Vancouver Chiropractor Says DANCE!

January 23, 2010 by Dr. Carla Cupido

The new year has brought a new activity into my husband’s and my life: hip hop dancing.  Yes, you read this correctly.  We are LOVING it and it certainly has been a wake up call for my neuromotor skills.  Being an athlete my entire life, I didn’t think that picking up on choreography was going to be as challenging as it has been.  Don’t get me wrong, I certainly didn’t think it was going to be easy, but I did not expect that it would be this hard!  I can perform the moves properly when slowed down, but trying to make my brain and body connect quickly has been quite the task.

I have realized how important an activity like dance is for athletes to improve motor firing patterns, for injured individuals trying to re-coordinate their neuromuscular systems, and for seniors working to improve proprioception and decrease their risk of falling.

If hip hop is not your thing, try ballroom classes with your partner or salsa with your friends!  Dancing is not only a wonderful way to strengthen your neuromotor skills, but it is wildly fun, it is a great way to socialize and it is fantastic exercise!  Remember, don’t take yourself too seriously; just have fun with it!  Fear of failure or embarassment may keep you from finding a passion that you could otherwise miss out on!

Here is to getting your groove on in 2010!

* The video above features our dance teacher and my patient, Shauna Smith.  Shauna is a professional dancer and will be leaving for London, England this week to pursue some of her career goals.  We wish her the best!