Find more reasons to love dancing + discover joy in movement
- Jo Valle
- Apr 29
- 12 min read
Updated: Jun 14
Among all art forms, dance is hands down the only one that can be considered as a fitness activity and even a sport, depending on how and where it’s performed. Small wonder then that the reasons to love dancing are as myriad and varied as its styles.
Professional dancers typically start off as enthusiasts who undergo intensive training and make a career out of their intense passion for their art.
Those who remain enthusiasts—and they are the bulk of the population in the dance community—do so for the sheer enjoyment while hitting their goal to stay fit and socially connected.
Add mental wellness to the growing list of reasons to love dancing.
A recent study showed evidence of “dance’s potential to enhance brain health by improving motor function, well-being, and cognition while reducing depression through aerobic fitness and creative engagement.”
Another research suggested that committing to a dancing activity more than once a week can lower the risk of dementia by much as 76 percent. Wow, this info should convince all and sundry, including those who say they have “two left feet,” to start dancing.
Thankfully, I’ve always loved to dance. I just don’t know where I got the inclination.
Maybe from watching television. As a Gen Xer, I grew up imitating the moves of dance groups put together by record companies to promote their latest releases on TV.
I also enjoyed dancing in school programs and community events. In college, my friends and I joined a university-wide dance competition twice. We placed second in both instances.
When I started working and earning my own money, I took my first formal dance lessons. It was a form of self-care before that term became a byword.
I enrolled in tap dancing at the Julie Borromeo’s Performing Arts Foundation in Mandaluyong City. I fell in love with tap because of Gene Kelly, who I got to know through the iconic musical films Singin’ in the Rain and An American in Paris.
At the studio, I also attended classes in jazz and flamenco. I even joined its summer workshops in tap dancing and jazz for two consecutive years in the early 2000s.
Those workshops led me to perform in the studio's recital shows held at the Meralco Theater in Pasig City and then, at the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theater) of the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Pasay City.
Then, life happened.
Fast-forward to 2012. I needed an exercise routine, and I found it in yoga. A year later, I discovered pole fitness and aerial arts. My fitness journey took off.
On the downside, I became too clingy to an apparatus when performing that dancing without it, especially onstage during a recital, felt awkward and lacking in confidence.
A few years passed by until I decided finding joy in dancing again. A rush of excitement and a dash of audacity led me, in mid-2023 as I was switching jobs, to the movement improvisation pop-up class of contemporary dancer and choreographer Ea Torrado.
The session reignited my passion for dance, but I didn’t let it keep me fired up.
In 2025, I finally pushed myself to attending a gamut of dance classes, from contemporary, adult ballet, and jazz to chair dance, street pop, hiphop, and K-pop. I’m also determined to go back to tap dancing and flamenco.
I get even more inspired when watching video posts of friends on social media that show off their terpsichorean skills and showcase how dancing helps people love themselves.
Meet dance enthusiasts Manila Santos, Apryl Galang, Z Zafe, and Merlina Bañez. Theirs aren’t just personal dance stories to inspire beginners but also reasons to love dancing.
Manila Santos
“Dancing makes people feel better, lighter, and happier”
As far as Manila Santos can remember, she’s always been “involved in some form of dance,” such as ballet in grade school. She then shifted to sports, even making it to her high school’s swimming team.
Her commitment to sports solidified in college, when she “discovered a love” for football and martial arts. She went on playing a few more—soccer, flag football, rugby—and earned a spot in the national team for some of those sports.
Manila’s desire to continue her fitness journey at the start of her professional career in media ultimately led her back to her dance roots.
“I decided to sign up for a gym inside the same office building so I could squeeze in classes during my break time,” she tells The Fitness Advocate. “Ended up enjoying the dance classes the most and finally got to do hiphop classes.”
The digital content producer, at ABS-CBN.com, confesses she only enjoyed watching dancers perform hiphop on TV in her younger years.
“But in that gym, I only attended for fitness, I didn’t even care what I wore to class, because I just really wanted a place to release from stress and enjoy the dance music.”
She got hooked on dance that not even the pandemic in 2020 could stop her from taking classes. She tried those offered online, but she realized “the experience really paled in comparison to being physically inside a class.”
That’s why, when the lockdown was lifted months later, she signed up for the first gym offering dance classes and got “even more hooked” after discovering a whole lot of other dance classes.
Name it—pop dance, Broadway, retro, choreography, hiphop, dancehall. Even Zumba, which she thought would be repetitive for her.
“When you find the right kind of instructors and community that provides a safe space for you to learn and enjoy, I discovered there really is no such thing as ‘baduy’ or ‘boring’ when it comes to dance,” she points out.
Here’s another discovery: “You don’t have to be a legit dancer to dress like one.”
She explains, “Dressing up for dance actually helped boost my confidence and made me even more hyped to attend. It’s not about showing off, it’s about liking what you wear and how it affected my mood for the better.
“Besides, when you are inside the studio, no one is considered a poser. Everyone is a dancer, as long as they love what they’re learning and doing.”
Apart from the regular dance classes at the gym that Manila goes to, she also enjoys attending classes from different instructors and studios.
“Because I get to learn something different about myself whenever I go out of my comfort zone,” she reasons.
“Like how I handle the stress of a new routine, how I adapt to a new environment, how to express myself differently each time, and most importantly, how to be kind to myself when I know I could have done better.
She adds, “Right now, I am discovering other types of dance like house and locking, which I just started learning this year. The goal is to try and be at least 1% better every day.”
Manila goes on sharing the primary reasons to love dancing.
“I once read that people who go to class are there for either of these two things, to dance or to heal,” she says.
“When you go to dance, you are there to move, exercise, and challenge yourself.
“When you go there to heal, it’s when you’re having maybe an off day, you feel sad, or you feel like you hate how your body looks or feels. So, you go to class to feel better while you move and be surrounded by people who might also be feeling the same way.
“It’s a kind of instant support system as well.”
She then concludes, “I go to dance for both purposes. I think it is impossible to go dancing and not feel better, lighter, and happier afterwards.”
When asked for her advice to people who are thinking about getting into dancing but are either too shy, too busy, or too uninformed about it, the dance enthusiast gives a detailed list.
Age does not matter.
“There's no such thing as you’re too old to start dancing or you won’t fit in. I’ve been in classes where the people half my age are students AND teachers and it has never been an issue.
“To put things into perspective, I always tell myself that the only thing that separates beginners from advanced students are the number of hours they’ve put in to dancing versus my limited experience.
“Noone was an instant expert when they started. So, give yourself some grace.”
Embrace the awkwardness.
“Of course, if you’ve never danced before, all the movement will feel unnatural or hard at the beginning. Of course, you will feel silly or slow for not being able to follow the steps right away.
“That’s only because you’re probably waking up muscles in your body that you’ve never used before.
“Dancers develop muscle memory only when they do the steps more and more often. Think of yourself as a baby where each new step you learn is a new vocabulary word. The younger you are, the less you still know. Be patient and enjoy the progress.”
Don’t be easily discouraged.
“It took me A LOT of trial and error to find the right kind of classes and coaches that worked best for me.
"Some teachers will be more patient than others, some dance styles will simply not be the ones you enjoy more, and some studios might just not feel like the right fit for you. But just don’t stop searching for it.
"People have different motivations that work for them and I find that I work best with coaches who really take the time to break down the steps and really help their students catch up with everybody else.”
Just have fun.
“I think the first time I ever really fully enjoyed dancing was when I stopped focusing too much on perfecting the steps or worrying about how I looked.
"The truth is, when you dance for yourself and your own personal enjoyment, all that pressure goes out the window.
“So now, I make sure I that I’m just enjoying the music and loving what I wear to class. Once I step inside the studio, I also make sure to only bring good vibes and share it with my classmates.
“Life is already too hard as it is, so enjoy the little pockets of joy whenever you can. At the end of it, the only thing I want people to see when they see me dance, is not how good the movement is, but how happy I am while I’m in my favorite happy place.”
Apryl Galang
“I live for the swaying and the rhythmic, feminine movements”
For Apryl Galang, life indeed begins at 40. Make that a life filled with lots of energy and enthusiasm to move, learn, and enjoy.
It was around that time the beloved PR practitioner “became curious about having my own fitness routines.” She then wondered about leveling up her past fitness activities of home workouts and occasional visits to the gym.
In 2025, she finally acted on that curiosity. First stop: dancing. This has been at the back of her mind for so long, but she was just hesitant to actually try it.
Apryl started by attending a few sessions of pole dancing at Aphrobabe Pole Dance Studio in Las Piñas. She then moved to another class called Chairxotic, which involves sultry dancing with a chair. She also checked out the sexy/femme class.
“And I’ve never looked back,” she tells The Fitness Advocate.
“Both are so much fun that I completely forget my age—or whether I can actually keep up with the choreo! Major plus are the people I got to know along the way.”
What does she love most about dancing?
“Call me maarte, but I live for the swaying and the rhythmic, feminine movements,” she says.
“I actually got a bit bored with pole because it felt like a series of stunts and climbing without any music in the background.
“Beyond the dance itself, I’ve learned to absolutely love the aesthetic—the 8-inch Pleasers, the skimpy outfits, and the stockings. What can I say? I’m clearly a total girly girl at heart!”
Aside from Aphrobabe, Apryl takes the chairlesque class at Safe Studio in BF Parañaque. She also goes to G-Force Dance Center and also to Colors Studios for femme dance classes.
“It depends on my availability for a week,” she says on her how often she attends her classes.
“I love planning in a week’s time on what class I should take. And I always have an aim to have at least two days of dancing.”
She’s also considering Latin Pole, which she describes as “basically a mix of Latin samba and pole dancing.”
Apryl has this to say to those who want to try dancing but they’re too shy or don’t know where to start:
“It’s never too late to pick up a new hobby. Whether you’re in your late 30s or nearing 50, if you have a passion, just go for it and see where it takes you.”
She adds, “I always tell those younger than me to take a chance on whatever they love; there is absolutely no harm in trying.”
She then admits, “My only regret is not starting sooner, but I truly believe everything happens in its own perfect time.
“I was actually surprised to find that many of my classmates are in my age range! It just goes to show that dancing has no age limit—as long as you can groove and follow the choreo, you’re in.”
Finding the reasons to love dancing may take a while, and Apryl agrees it takes a lot of patience.
“So don't give up,” she says. “The more you practice, the more you hone those skills. Before you know it, you’ll be surprising yourself by nailing the steps!”
She gives one more tip: “You might encounter a few bashers or feel demotivated along the way, but if you're truly passionate, who cares? Just keep dancing!”
Z Zafe
“Movement through dance is an enriching experience of being in the moment”
There was a time when Z Zafe hardly cared about his health and fitness, especially when he was simultaneously holding down a job and attending law school a few years ago.
He tried to do better by enrolling in a gym membership, although he “did not have the discipline and consistency” for it.
Today, the 36-year-old civil servant, who works in project development, is an inspired presence in several aerial arts and dance studios.
He consistently shows up in aerial silks, straps, and hammock classes, as well as in modern lyrical and contemporary dance classes. He also constantly shows progress and expresses desire to learn more.
“Since most of my aerial teachers have dance background, I started enrolling in their separate dance classes,” he tells The Fitness Advocate on how he got into dance.
When asked about his reasons to love dancing, Z shares a famous quote by Martha Graham, the acknowledged “Mother of Modern Dance.”
It goes, “Dance is the hidden language of the soul.”
Z agrees, “I think movement through dance is an enriching experience of being in the moment, feeling every part of your body, and tuning yourself with the rhythm of the music.”
He embodies such an experience when he attends classes at Full Out Studios in San Juan; Elite Aerial Arts and Stardanz Fitness Studio, both in Quezon City; and Beast House and The Stvdio, both in Pasig.
The same goes while he hits pop-up classes given by dance companies such as Daloy Dance Company.
As for the other dances that he’d like to try, Z mentions femme and dancehall. He also wants to revisit hip-hop and streetdance.
Here are some words of encouragement for those who are new at finding joy in dancing:
“The inertia working against you to show up in you first dance class is always the biggest challenge,” he says.
“Once you’ve overcome that, find your tribe, and discover your groove – movement in dance will be part of your being. Look for dance studio near your house or office so there will less traffic downtime.
“Find a friend who will join you. If you’re the shy type or someone who gets intimidated quickly, look for beginner classes.”
Merlina Bañez
“Ang pagsasayaw ay libreng emosyon at paraan para ilabas ang stress, maging masaya”
Merlina Bañez can’t forget the joy she felt as a child dancing in school programs and community basketball halftime shows. Sadly, she had to quit performing when she hit the “pagdadalaga” stage because she felt shy dancing in front of many people.
That joy returned when Merlina discovered TikTok and began joining the dance trends on the social media platform. Her posts got the attention of her older sister and some friends who were into Zumba, and they invited her to join them in the fitness activity.
The 53-year-old mother of four surviving children officially began her Zumba journey in 2025. She then became a member of Zumbatanes Ladies, a group of practitioners residing on Batanes Street in Quezon City.
“Gusto ko ang pagsasayaw at pagsu-Zumba kasi nakakaalis ng stress, nagbibigay sa akin ng natural energy, at dumadami ang mga kaibigan ko,” she tells The Fitness Advocate.
“Kaya pag may nagyayaya sa akin na mag-Zumba at free time ko naman, sumasama ako.”
Merlina, who works in the utility department of a digital lifestyle network, usually joins the session every Sunday, from 7 a.m. to 8 a.m., on their street in Barangay Sto. Niño.
During weekdays, she crosses over to the nearby barangay that offers one session in the morning and another session in the evening.
What she’d like to try next is belly dancing “kasi namamangha ako sa pag-alon-alon ng katawan,” she says.
To encourage those who are curious but too shy to dance, Merlina has this advice: “Huwag limitahin ang sarili.”
She explains, “Ang pagsasayaw ay libreng emosyon at paraan para ilabas ang stress, maging masaya. Huwag matakot magkamali. Di kailangan perpekto sa galaw o hakbang. Ang mahalaga ay nae-enjoy mo ang bawat galaw.”
Well said. The reasons to love dancing may vary, as long as joy can be found.
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