Many painfully shy children have opened up their thoughts to others through dance. Who knew that there could be more to dancing than just shaking a leg at the cousin’s wedding. It was earlier treated as a profession rather than a lifestyle.

In the 80’s it was even considered to have lewd associations with only people dancing to earn their livelihood. But who was there to teach them then. What you saw on the big screen at that time could not exactly be termed as dance, in the true sense of the word. But that’s not the story today.

With the onset of the new generation stars, dance has acquired a new meaning itself. Reality shows with celeb's shaking their booty is the order of the day. That, added with a teaspoon of controversy and cat fights is the recipe to multiply your TRP’s.

Nowadays, teenagers as young as 13 and senior citizens aged 70 and above are learning to dance. For them, its an opportunity to interact with people, lose weight and correct body posture. Many painfully shy children have opened up their thoughts to others through dance. It keeps you healthy, makes you focus better, and more importantly, keeps you happy.

For people a little more figure conscious, it is a cardiovascular exercise that improves stamina, blood and oxygen circulation, increases lung capacity, and strengthens bones and muscles and delays wrinkling. For the lazy kind, it would be a very good substitute of an early morning hour at the gym, since it is not a monotonous form of physical exercise. On the other hand, a bit of hip shaking at the end of the day could unwind us and enhance our capacity to express and communicate emotions better.

The same ‘exercise’ with your spouse or friend could boost team spirit, trust, inter-personal skills and strengthen body mind connection. On a more serious note, it even addresses to hypertension, repetitive stress disorders, diabetes, and depression. Moored in the sense of love and beauty, dance helps the dancer to think positive, keep the body relaxed and develop harmonious personal relationships.

So what are you waiting for? Get those dancing shoes out.