6 Minute English / Dancing for the brain

Note: This is not a word-for-word transcript.

Hello. This is 6 Minute English from BBC Learning English. I m Neil.

And I m Beth.

Do you love to boogie on down, strut your stuff and throw shapes, Beth? What I mean is: do you like dancing?

Yes! I love to dance, just listening to the music and letting it move my body. What about you, Neil, do you often hit the dance floor?

Sometimes, but I m not a great dancer. To be honest, I get a bit embarrassed. But maybe I shouldn t, because it s been proved that dancing has many physical and mental health benefits, including releasing stress, boosting your mood, or just enjoying a fun night out.

In this programme, we ll be hearing how dancing can benefit our brains and emotions at every stage of life. And, as usual, we'll be learning some useful new vocabulary as well.

Of course, another great thing about dance is that there are so many different styles, from ballet and ballroom dancing to tap, hip hop and jazz. But my question is about a very unusual style, a traditional English folk dance where performers wearing black hats and colourful waistcoats hit sticks together while moving in patterns. But do you know the name of this unusual dance, Beth? Is it:

a) The Highland fling?b) Flamenco? or,c) Morris dancing?

I think the answer is Morris dancing.