Ballet’s Hidden Secrets to Aging Well | Dr. Naeemah Ruffin

The human body and mind undergo various changes as time progresses. For example, as we age there is loss of muscle mass, strength, flexibility, balance and bone density; our brains gradually shrink leading to cognitive decline; and our emotional and psychological state becomes challenged as our social networks decrease and our routines becomes less ordered, rigorous, and challenging. These changes often lead adults to become less active than when they were younger.

Physical inactivity can contribute to frailty and many chronic and degenerative health conditions3. Current evidence-based literature recommends engaging in regular exercise for middle to older adults as it is associated with healthy aging by preserving physical function and slowing the rate of decline in older years. 2 Studies also have demonstrated that physical activity has a positive effect on depression, anxiety, cognition, and sleep.3

What type of physical activity is recommended for adults and why?

Research studies have shown that traditional exercise interventions are perceived to be unenjoyable and therefore long-term adherence is unlikely.3 Thus, alternatives to traditional exercise programs are recommended to maintain long-term adherence.2 A viable alternative that has emerged is dance.

Research has demonstrated the efficacy of dance training to significantly improve muscular strength, cardiovascular endurance, balance, and other aspects of functional fitness in adults, and has been shown to produce physical results comparable with those of formal exercise training.2 “Cross-sectional studies have shown that older adults who dance on a regular basis have greater flexibility, postural stability, balance, physical reaction time, and cognitive performance than older adults who do not dance on a regular basis”.3

Classical Ballet’s impact on the aging process?

Classical ballet has a holistic impact on the aging process. “Classical ballet is a dance style and art form based on traditional esthetic requirements and principles of technique, which focus on specific positions of the upper and lower limb.”2 “At the origins of ballet lay two ideas: the formal mathematical precision of the human body and the universality of human gesture.6

“Ballet’s system of movement is as rigorous and complex as any language.”6 Like the Latin or ancient Greek languages, it has rules, conjugations, and declensions.6 Its laws are not arbitrary, and they correspond to the laws of nature. “Ballet is a hard science with demonstrable physical facts and getting it “right” is not a matter of opinion or taste.”6

“High levels of balance, strength, and flexibility are required to complete fundamental movements of this technically demanding style of dance.”2 Ballet focuses on full-body coordination, leg strength, and postural control.4 Compared to yoga and Pilates, which both offer similar flexibility and core strengthening, ballet offers a wider range of movements such as dynamic transfer of weight, jumping, leaping, rising and lowering on the balls of your feet, a mental workout to recall steps and combinations, musicality, and creativity.1 The four key areas where Ballet impacts the aging process are: physical, cognitive (memory and musicality), psychological/creativity.

Physical:

Ballet helps older adults develop balance, a vital skill that is linked to longevity and quality of life1. Attending classical ballet classes includes training in balance, flexibility, whole body range of motion, and coordination which can require high physiological demands.2 Therefore, this type of training can elicit positive physiological adaptations and assist in maintaining physical function for middle-older aged adults.2 Dance-based exercise has been reported to have high adherence rates and therefore, ballet training is a sustainable modality for adults to remain physically active long term.2 A Ballet Master once said, “One has yet to find a better form of exercise for shaping and molding man’s exterior”6

Cognitive:

A twenty-one year study funded by the National Institute on Aging found that people who dance a few times a week had a 76% lower risk of dementia.”1 There are three ways ballet helps adults cognitively. First, Ballet has been described as an art of memory.6 Ballerina Natalia Makarova once said, “dancers are trained to “eat” dances – to ingest them and make them part of who they are”.6 “These are physical memories and when a dancer knows a dance, they know it in their muscles and bones.”6 Recall is sensual, like gestures and feel of the movement, the “perfume”.6 There is an elegance and etiquette found in the movements and gestures of ballet dance that often transports you back in time to a classical era.

Second, musicality is key to ballet as it requires remembering a sequence of steps and coordinating them to music, which produces a profound cognitive benefit1. Ballet has also been known to be meditative due to the significant amount of concentration to learn, remember, and perform each step within a short amount of time.1 There is an exhilarating sense of liberation that comes when everything works such as when the coordination, musicality, muscular impulses, and timing are exactly right.6

Third, ballet is full of emotion and feeling that come from both the movement and the music. Ballet steps are set to classical music. Listening to classical music benefits the mind in that research has shown that listening to classical music leads to stronger spatial reasoning skills, reduces the risk of brain atrophy, and slows cognitive decline.5

Classical music also adheres to strict structural and harmonic rules and features a wide range of rhythms with dynamics that are all seamlessly integrated. The human brain “likes the rules of music” and classical music contains natural rules and mathematical logic and the connection to mathematics is robust. Classical music is also closely linked to emotion and has been shown to significantly reduce feelings of tension and many dancers experience feelings of elation during and after a ballet class.5

Psychological/Creativity:

Unlike other holistic approaches used to increase physical activity, dance includes an aesthetic form of artistic expression, and it can improve the emotional and psychological well-being of individuals. Qualitative studies have shown that aesthetic forms of expression build passion and can contribute to adults’ physical, intellectual, and social development. Dance therapy is a creative arts therapy that has been defined by the American Dance Therapy Association as “the psychotherapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical, and social integration of the individual”.3

Starting your Adult Ballet Training:

Adult ballet dancers typically fall into two categories: Those who are returning to dance and those who are just starting out. Regardless of which category you find yourself in, here are a few key tips to remember as you are beginning or returning:

First, determine the right set of classes. If you have had ballet training in the past but are not in shape, start with a beginner ballet class for the first few months to get you reacquainted and back in shape. If this is your first time, start with an absolute beginner class to learn the basics. It might be tempting to start with a beginner class, but you run the risk of injuring yourself or being frustrated. Be patient with yourself and consider ballet as an endeavor that is a lifelong journey. Ballet is difficult to master regardless of age, so this journey is aspirational.

Second, determine what are your goals. For example, are you taking up ballet because you love it and are looking to see where it takes you, do you want to reverse cognitive decline, or do you want to go en Pointe? Whatever your goals are, make sure you communicate this to your ballet teacher so they can support you.

Third, injury prevention is an important part of your ballet training. The key to preventing injuries is to incorporate strength training. Ballet requires an incredible amount of strength in your core, ankles, and feet. Adding Apolla’s compression socks and leg warmers can help support optimal foot and ankle biomechanics as you gain strength.

Fourth, incorporating a recovery protocol cannot be underestimated. For example, it is common to experience pain the day after class. A way to minimize this is to reduce the inflammation in your muscles with compression. The compression points in the Apolla socks help to reduce inflammation in the feet and ankles, which will reduce post workout pain and swelling, speed recovery, and enable you to get ready for your next ballet class.

Lastly, I recommend attending classes regularly to help you gain the maximum benefit and to maintain the improvements you’ve gained in your mind and body. I have taken ballet classes on and off since I was seven. I am now on a 6-month streak of taking ballet classes consistently after being online for almost 4 years, post-COVID. I found my “ballet home” at the Scarsdale Ballet Studio in Westchester County in New York. The ballet teachers are very supportive and encourage me and my fellow “adult swans” to release our inner ballerina. As a result, I recently went on pointe at 54 years old for the first time in my life, a childhood dream of mine. My hope for you is that you will experience the lifelong benefits of ballet and release your “inner ballerina”.

My Advanced-Beginner Ballet Class of “Adult Swans”at the Scarsdale Ballet Studio.

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References:

Chevlen D. Ballet Is a Great Workout for an Aging Body, The New York Times, 2023, August 30. Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2023/08/30/well/move/ballet-workout-aging.html
Meg E. Letton, Eliza R. Macdonald, Jeanette M. Thom & Rachel E. Ward (2024) Classical Ballet for Women Aged Over 50 Years: Investigating Balance, Strength, and Range of Motion, Research Quarterly for Exercise and Sport, 95:1, 171-182, DOI: 10.1080/02701367.2023.2169236 Link: https://doi.org/10.1080/02701367.2023.2169236
Hwang PW, Braun KL. The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions to Improve Older Adults' Health: A Systematic Literature Review. Altern Ther Health Med. 2015 Sep-Oct;21(5):64-70. PMID: 26393993; PMCID: PMC5491389. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26393993/
Simpkins C, Yang F. Ballet practice improves neuromuscular and biomechanical responses to an unexpected standing-slip in older adults. J Neurophysiol. 2024 Oct 1;132(4):1115-1125. doi: 10.1152/jn.00219.2024. Epub 2024 Aug 14. PMID: 39140587. Link: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39140587/
Zhao F. Classical music alters the brain–here’s how, EPOCH Times, EPOCH Health Reports, 2024, May 8. Link: https://www.theepochtimes.com/health/classical-music-alters-the-brain-heres-how-5632847
Homans J. Apollo’s angels: a history of ballet. The Random House Publishing Group, 2010. ISBN 978-0-8129-6874-3. E-book ISBN 978-0679-60390-0

DR. NAEEMAH RUFFIN BIO:

Dr. Naeemah Ruffin, founder of Ballet Podiatry, specializes in providing ballet dancers with personalized holistic Podiatric care. Ballet Podiatry’s services are uniquely designed to educate and treat ballet dancers of all ages to improve their strength and flexibility, prevent and manage injuries, and to enable dancers to achieve their dreams.

Dr. Ruffin is also a life-long lover of ballet and has taken classes throughout her life and is currently an adult student at the Scarsdale Ballet Studio. Dr. Ruffin is a Board-Certified New York State Podiatrist, and a former Assistant Clinical Professor at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. She completed her surgical residency and chief residency training at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is a member of the International Association of Dance Medicine and Science, American Academy of Podiatric Sports Medicine, American Podiatric Medical Association, and the New York State Podiatric Medical Association.

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