Lifestyle Reap the Benefits of Group Social Dancing 1/28/2025 | By Ellen Ternes The benefits of group social dancing reach beyond simply being fun, especially for seniors. Take it from Ellen Ternes, who is involved with Scottish country dancing and dove into the science of why it’s good for you and suggests ways to find a group dancing program near you. I’m involved in a fun kind of dancing called Scottish country dance. No, it’s not the Highland fling stuff – my boomer joints can’t take that. It’s a social dance you do with groups of other people, sort of like the dancing you see in the Jane Austen movies, but a little more energetic. (It is Scottish, after all.) It turns out that group social dancing has more benefits than just the fun. Studies have found that dancing, especially group social dancing, is healthy for our bodies and our brains. What is group social dancing? All dancing, even swinging your hips to the Rolling Stones, is social when you have a partner. Group social dancing adds an extra kick to the brain and social interaction. In dancing like square dancing and Scottish country dance, you learn different patterns, then do them with others. In a square dance, for example, you interact with a partner and three other couples in a square. The science behind the benefits The benefits of group social dancing are not just anecdotal – there is science behind it. Body When you’re out on the floor moving to the music, you’re probably not thinking about the science of it. But recent studies have found that group dancing is right up there with other aerobic workouts. A study of a group of people aged 70 and over was published in the European Journal of Sports and Exercise Science. It found that after 12 weeks of regular group dancing, the participants had improved aerobic power, muscle endurance and strength, and flexibility. In another study, researchers at Strathclyde University, Glasgow, followed two groups of healthy women aged 60 to 80. One group did Scottish country dance regularly. The other group were physically active, but non-dancers. The dancers did better in one important area. The study found, “Scottish country dance can delay the effects of aging on locomotion-related functional abilities” – pretty much any kind of move that gets you from one place to another. Brain Then there’s dancing and the brain. A study cited in the New England Journal of Medicine studied how leisure activity can help reduce the risk of dementia. Dance was the only physical leisure activity that helped reduce the risk of dementia. There’s a good reason for that, says Cecily Selling, a retired learning specialist and Scottish country dance teacher. “One reason group social dancing is so good for everybody is that we’re using our brains as well as our bodies. “There’s short-term and long-term memory,” Cecily explains. “You have to put many things into long-term memory when you dance. To do the steps while remembering the formations, you have to make the steps automatic by putting them into long-term memory. Then you have room in your working memory to decide what to do next.” Feeling good There are also psychological benefits of group social dancing. A review of more than 20 studies of many kinds of dancing in The Arts in Psychotherapy suggests that dancing can help your mood and reduce anxiety and depression. A feel-good movie on Netflix might do that too. But in social dancing, you’re not only moving to music, you’re interacting with other people who are enjoying it with you. It’s hard to describe the energy you experience on the dance floor when all those people are dancing the same dance together to good music. Lots of smiles! The Negative Effects of Loneliness on Senior Health Finding the right style of dancing for you Perhaps I’ve persuaded you to at least consider embracing the benefits of social dancing for yourself. You probably have some questions, though, before you take the plunge. What if I don’t have a partner to come with me? Not a problem for most kinds of social group dancing. In classes and on the dance floor, people change partners for each dance. In some, like line dancing, you don’t need a partner for most dances. How do I learn the dances? Some types of social dancing have regular classes. My Scottish country, for instance, has weekly classes, which are fun and very social. Others might have a teaching session before a dance begins. Some, like Contra dancing, will have a “caller” who calls out instructions for several rounds of the dance. Other dancers will help you too. My knees/feet/back aren’t what they used to be. What kind of dancing would be okay for me? For lots of group social dancing, you can do low impact steps, even walk in time to the music. Take a look at some videos online to see what type of dancing might be the level of impact you’re comfortable with. Especially note how older dancers are moving. What if I’m not a good dancer? Two left feet you say? If you enjoy moving to music, don’t let that stop you. Most kinds of social dancing are pretty forgiving. Types of group social dancing English country dance – Quite elegant ala Masterpiece Theater, easy on the joints. Very social. Line dancing – You learn on the spot, usually pretty easy on the feet. Lots of community and senior centers have classes. Square dancing – Remember from school days? Still fun, great music, and a caller to get you through it. Scottish country dance – No, you don’t have to wear a kilt. Ranges in impact from high (for the 20-somethings) to low impact for the rest of us. Danced all over the world, so when you take that next cruise, you might be able to dance with a group in Germany or Japan, or, of course, Scotland. Others – Contra, Scandinavian, Greek, Irish set dancing, Israeli, French folk, to name a few. Google the kind of dancing you might be interested in to see if it’s done anywhere near you. “There are so many different types of social dancing,” says Selling. “Take your pick of the dancing you would enjoy, that’s the right intensity level for you. Dance will strengthen your muscles, make your bones stronger, improve your balance, and relieve stress. So, get dancing!” Related: Dance Therapy for Parkinson’s Patients Read More Ellen Ternes Ellen Ternes is a freelance writer and Scottish Country dance teacher based in the Washington, DC, area. She's always loved to dance – Motown, Stones, Texas 2-step – but she was hooked on Scottish dance the first time she tried it.