Your classmate has summarized the text below in ten statements and has asked you to check them. Read the text about dancing and your classmate’s summary statements (1-3) and decide if they are true, false or not mentioned, according to the text.
Pick out the appropriate answer – True, False or Not mentioned. An example (0) has been given.
IT IS ALL ABOUT DANCE
Whatever our age, dancing can help us to maintain or build muscle tone, flexibility and stamina, while also releasing endorphins which can ease symptoms of stress and anxiety.
Some people, however, appear to have a natural talent which allows them to pick up dance steps with apparent ease, while others find moving gracefully difficult. It is often thought that some people are “born to dance”, while others have “two left feet” – but in fact, a combination of real-life experience and science shows us that almost anyone can learn to dance well with the right training. It starts at only a few months old, when babies are able to recognise the beat of a piece of music and can move along to the rhythm. In fact, we aren’t the only species to respond rhythmically to music – parrots and one species of elephant can too.
There are several factors that determine what enables some people to progress to be professional dancers while others shuffle awkwardly at the school disco. The first important factor is the physical traits of a dancer. They tend to have small feet and be slightly taller than average, by one or two centimetres. Genetic factors that promote social communication by changing the levels of chemicals in our brain are also more common in professional dancers, giving them an enhanced ability to express emotion through dance.
However, even if we lack the genetic and physical traits of the professionals, we can still progress through hard work. Dance training causes subtle changes in the brain. This occurs by a process known as plasticity, where the brain adapts in response to experiences. Dancing can increase plasticity throughout the brain, even in the elderly. The more often we complete a task, the easier it becomes for our body to do so without conscious effort. This is the so-called muscle memory, which we hear professional dancers talk about. Dedication and training can help dancers to refine and develop their art, suggesting that all of us can become better dancers.
Thanks to the plasticity of the brain, even non-hearing dancers can learn to dance to an extraordinary level, illustrating the inclusivity of dance and its ability to bring people together. Using mirrors and following visual cues such as copying teachers’ moves allows deaf dancers to learn the physical movements of dance. To achieve their hugely impressive timing to music, non-hearing dancers report using vibrations, which activate a certain area in their brain, to follow the beat of the music. With the arrival of hearing-impaired dance troupes such as DMD, who integrate elements of sign language into their performances, dance accessibility can only continue to grow.
Although some brains are wired to dance thanks to differences in the genes contributing to emotion and communication, we can all re-wire our brains to be better dancers while enjoying the many health and social benefits that dance can bring.
Piemērs:
0. Dancing has a hugely beneficial effect on physical and mental well-being. — True
1. Having a reaction to music is a uniquely human ability. —
2. Dance training is able to make changes in the brain at any stage in life. —
3. Success in dancing comes from constantly paying attention to the dance moves. —
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