Remember when we were younger, how we’d slip or fall over and perhaps graze our knee or hurt our wrist? We’d ordinarily then stand up, dust ourselves off, feel a little embarrassed if anybody saw, and would go on about our days. Unfortunately, as a senior, things are not that simple. As a senior, what would ordinarily be a minor slip, trip, or fall, could potentially be life changing, or worse.

Growing old is no fun. We find ourselves suffering with aches and pains we never imagined we’d have decades prior. Add to that, the fact that our balance and coordination tends to suffer, and it’s clear to see why falls for seniors can be so serious.

Fortunately, there are things we can do to improve our balance and coordination later in life, which are not only beneficial, but also extremely fun. Dancing is a prime example.

Dancing for seniors is not just a great way to socialize and get some exercise, it can also significantly improve balance and coordination and help to prevent falls.

Here are a few examples of the best senior dance styles to try:

Tango

There’s a common misconception surrounding the tango, that it is a sleek, sexy, elegant dance commonly performed younger dancers. This is not necessarily the case.

While tango dancing is passionate and sensual, that does not mean that older dancers cannot perform it. It’s a fairly slow and methodical dance, that requires a good amount of rhythm and timing. Because of the steps involved, it’s actually great for coordination and balance.

Having originated in Latin America, tango is not only great for balance and coordination, it’s also a very social dance that’s great for seniors looking to get out, socialize, and make new friends.

Line Dancing

Line Dancing is a form of dance that’s very popular amongst seniors, almost stereotypically so. But there’s a very good reason for that. In fact, there are several very good reasons for that. And no, in case you’re wondering, you don’t need to don a cowboy hat or venture out into an old hay barn in the middle of the countryside to take part either.

Line Dancing doesn’t just get you out of the house socializing, it’s also a great form of gentle aerobic exercise, making it a great form of cardio. As far as balance and coordination goes however, Line Dancing is great as it requires dancers to perform it alone, independent of a partner. That means that it’s down to them to get the footwork and timing right. As time goes by, this doesn’t just improve mobility, it can also improve reaction times and cognitive function too.

Line Dancing requires slow and repetitive steps performed at a moderate intensity. It’s very easy to master and as it isn’t too complex or physically demanding, there is a much lower risk of falls or injuries occurring.

Ballroom Dancing

While Ballroom dancing is perhaps a blanket term used to describe a wide range of different dance styles and activities, as they’re all very similar, they are often grouped together and can even be interchangeable on some level.

For seniors in particular, Ballroom dancing is great because it’s a partner dance that features slow and rhythmic steps, gentle hip sways, and slow, methodical body turns and movements. It isn’t fast paced or intense, but it is still physically demanding and is great for working on hip mobility and core strength. Both of which can help noticeably improve balance and reduce your risk of a slip, trip, or fall.

While ballroom dancing is popular all over the world, some of the most popular styles commonly danced by seniors include Waltz, Foxtrot, and the Cha-Cha, with the latter in particular, proving great for seniors due to its simple foot movements and slow tempo.

Ballet

Ballet dancing is one of the most graceful and elegant forms of dance on the planet. It is performed at a relatively slow tempo and helps to not only work on core strength and balance, but also on general hip mobility, making it a very useful form of dance for seniors looking to reduce their risk of a fall.

Ballet dancing, either classical or contemporary, is usually performed to classical music. It is slow, refined, and graceful, making it very relaxing. The steps and body movements involved in the dance aren’t too demanding either, and there’s a good level of scalability involved too. That means that, should ballet classes become too easy, you can always scale up and try more testing steps, movements, and routines.

Square Dancing

Square dancing is a form of folk dance that has been performed for centuries, that is also extremely popular amongst seniors. This is a dance style performed in groups, that really helps to increase reaction times and reflexes, whilst strengthening the lower body in the process.

With square dancing, four pairs of dancers will stand in a square shape. Next, a caller will either speak, or sing, instructions to the dancers, telling them which movements to perform on the spot. This is a particularly beneficial dance style for seniors because it helps to increase reaction times and boost cognitive thinking. Dancers must listen to the caller’s instructions and react to them as quickly as they can.

Turns are fairly quick compared to some of the dance styles we’ve covered today, but they’re brief and short. In particular, square dancing has been found to help open up the hip flexors and strengthen the ankles. This can improve mobility and reduce the risk of injury due to a fall.

How Dance Can Help Prevent Falls with Seniors

One of the main reasons why dance has been shown to be such a beneficial form of exercise for seniors, is because it is known as a ‘functional exercise’. That means that a lot of the movements and activities in dance mimic those in everyday life.

Most dance styles suitable for seniors will include steps and movements similar to what they would likely be at home. Break dancing for example, is not considered a functional exercise because most of the movements involved in break dancing wouldn’t be done at home. Simple steps like those found with the Cha-Cha however, could be.

Dancing can help to improve balance and prevent falls with seniors in a wealth of different ways. It can help prevent muscle imbalances by encouraging dancers to shift their weight from one foot to the next. The repeated steps help improve foot placement, whilst a lot of the core-centric dance styles help to strengthen the core and improve posture.

Roll all these benefits together, and you have the perfect recipe for good balance, with a significantly reduced risk of a fall. Then of course, there’s the cardiovascular benefits and the social aspects of dancing, which we’ll explore in more detail on another day.