'I go to class for me'. What does that Mean?

Movement and dance for myself. 


I come to class for me; what does that mean? 


I deliver classes to adults of all ages, from seated classes to whole-body one-hour sessions where the chair is only used for coats, jackets, and water bottles. 


Over the past 20+ years, my class participants have said lovely things, but the one common thread is that people come to class for themselves. It isn’t a chore or an obligation; it isn’t an unrealistic commitment, but something that fits into their week. 


The Social Value of Movement and dance states that ‘The largest contribution to the £3.49 billion is the uplift in mental wellbeing provided to participants and volunteers in movement and dance, at £2.01 billion, or 59% of the total social value contribution. Critically, this represents a unique contribution of movement and dance of improved mental wellbeing for 1.2 million people through participation, plus 195,000 through volunteering. 
Class participants may have been told to take more exercise, but when you actually look at the people in the class; the lady who has had a cancer scare, the person who walks in alone but walks out talking to someone, the knee that wouldn’t bend to 90 degrees but now does, the faces that light up at a song, and the collective sigh at the end of something that was just ‘so lovely to do’ you know you are delivering more than exercise. 


The benefit of any class, from evidenced-based fall prevention to adult tap or ‘keep fit’, is the satisfaction of improving bit by bit each week. It may be balancing for longer, nailing the tricky time step or transition. It can be doing one more, better, slower or faster. It isn’t a team activity, but there is a collective satisfaction of finishing in time to the music. The personal connection is when you turn to smile at the person next to you, dance with a new partner or share a box of chocolates on a birthday. The class is an escape from the pressures of exams, caring for partners or parents, and the emotional support from those who really understand the daily burden of unexpected medical diagnosis and treatments, the newly widowed – it is a place with like-minded friends and a place to be yourself.


Movement and dance contribute to mental uplift, but whatever triggered the initial motivation to join the class is paid back in multiple ways - in laughter, smiles and being part of a class community.  ​