By Marie-Noelle Phillips

Who would have thought dancing could be the key to learn a new language?

Music is known as the “universal language.” Who doesn’t love breaking out in a silly dance after a long day? Many don’t know that dancing can actually be a vehicle for learning a new language!

The secret is having fun.

One of the biggest obstacles when learning a new language is simply remembering key words and phrases. That’s where the magic of dance comes in, using movement to learn.

And what is more enjoyable than dancing to great songs?

It might not be the most mainstream way to learn, but it’s certainly one of the funniest! It turns out using two senses or more is the ideal way to remember and grasp new information. So whether you’re using sight, taste, smell, hearing or touch, using a combination of any of these is a key way to absorb new information.

Deeper learning and better memory.

Dancing is a fantastic supplemental tool when trying to immerse yourself in a new language. Movement actually helps new information stick to your memory. That’s because dance is a physical activity; it actually lights up parts of your brain that won’t light up if you’re sitting and learning in static mode.

Dancing into learning.

By using dance to learn a language, you won’t become an instant expert. However, using movement will definitely make it more likely that you’ll actually remember new words, and you’ll have a blast along the way.

Dance in its widest form is known to every human being. Even those of us who are not keen ballroom dancers have moments where they find themselves tapping to the rhythm, swirling, and jumping with joy or simply allowing their body to sway with the music. I hope you will join me on Saturday April 15th at 12:30pm and always feel free to join my Pilates Fitness Fusion class at noon every Wednesday!