Ballet and the Brain

True, ballet is an excellent form of exercise for the body.  But it's also tremendously wonderful for your brain!  When you do ballet (as well as other dance forms), you're engaging your brain in ways that routine exercise can't quite accomplish.

Check out this video from the Royal Opera House ballet, featuring Royal Ballet first-artist Gemma Pitchley-Gale, who is joined by neuroscientists, healthcare professionals and psychologists to talk about how ballet engages the brain, how performers learn, and the techniques they use to improve their performance.

The video also has some really nice suggestions for enhancing your ballet workout, including: deep breathing, positive self-talk and visualization.

The last 2 minutes of the video are really worth watching, and will make you smile.  It's folks talking about why they like dancing (of all types).