There are many wondrous benefits to dancing.
At the physical level, it is a light cardio workout. As you dance, the heart pumps faster and blood flows around the body more effectively. Oxygen is carried around your body and you are breathing more air into your lungs which then gets distributed to your organs and other parts of your body. The light compression on your bones as you jump builds bone density, improves their strength and reduces fragility. As your body heats up, your ligaments and connective tissues lengthen while your muscles receive a lovely stretch.
At the emotional level, dancing generates pure joy, happiness and even euphoria in some cases. If you hold a great deal of fear or have a lot of self-judgment, it is likely you wouldn't want to dance because you are closed. Your heart opens when you dance, you build better rapport with yourself meanwhile love flows from you, to you innately. Dancing is a social activity, intimacy is built with people you dance with which your emotional body loves also. After having a boogie on the dancefloor, strangers become friends easily because they not only share a love for dancing and music they are literally beaming love from their bodies to people around them.
At the mental level, active dancing requires coordination of the body and the brain. Different parts of the brain light up, greater synthesis of brain cells and their functions occur as you dance. Blood and oxygen are carried to different regions of the brain all of which support greater cohesion of the brain's grey matter. Seratonin in your brain is increased due to the physical exercise, it elevates your mood and supports the reduction of mental stress effectively releases negative energy from your brain. While dancing, you forget the "me" as you simply flow with the music and the surrounding experience. The monkey mind is tamed while dancing, fears, and limitations are forgotten meanwhile your busy mind receives a momentary break.
"Dancing is like an active meditation for you are present in the moment of joy and experiencing love in action."
At the subtle body level, dancing moves energy around your body through meridians and your etheric body. Stuck energy in the body is moved as you dance. When they are released the body is then able to better receive subtle energy (also known as qi or prana) which enhances vitality. Stuck energy within the lower five chakras can be moved quite easily with dancing, moving your hips supports the lower three chakras, opening your heart supports heart chakra and dancing as an expression of self, supports throat chakra. Since dancing invaribaly includes music, you are affected by the vibrations and quality of the music you hear and dance to. When you dance to music, your body moves to the flow of sound vibrations and resonance.
"The act of allowing and being immersed in the flow of dancing nurtures your spirit."
At the spiritual level, if you dance with an open heart and the intention of connecting to higher energies one can have very profound spiritual experiences. Sufi dancing, Balinese dancing and many other local tribal dances all build spiritual ceremonies around dance. Under the right conditions, dancing opens up the core seven chakras allowing access to your soul and super consciousness. Dancing is a beautiful sacred act of devotion, joy, and love to you and your Spirit ... so keep on dancing!
An extract from Barbie and the Pink Shoes " Keep on Dancing", with thanks to my daughter.
I follow my heart
Somehow it always seem to know
And when I dance
My feet are dreaming
I close my eyes and let it go
The music flows through me
And then I know I'll be fine
Listen to the beat of your heart
Keep on dancing, Keep on dancing,
Shine just as bright as a star
Keep on dancing, Keep on dancing,
I streach for the sky
That's where I wanna go I close my eyes
To see more clearly
The less I think the more I know.
The music flows through me
And then I know I'll be fine
Listen to the beat of your heart
Listen to the beat of your heart
Keep on dancing, keep on dancing
Shine just as bright as a star
Keep on dancing, keep on dancing