Read why these elders love dancing and you'll want to kick up your heels, too.

Never has something so fun been so good for you. No, not what you're thinking. We're talking dance.

Like other moderate, low-impact, and weight-bearing activities, dancing helps strengthen bones and muscles while being easy on your joints. It tones your body, improves your posture and balance, and increases your stamina and flexibility. By burning an average of 300 calories an hour, you are also lowering your risk for obesity, high blood pressure, and diabetes.

Dancing may even protect your memory: A study in the New England Journal of Medicine found that ballroom dancing at least twice a week made people less likely to develop dementia. And whether you're studying ballet alongside friends or dancing the salsa with a stranger, the social stimulation of any dance class is considered good for one's mental health.

Finally, being in the company of music—whether it's a jaunty foxtrot, a romantic waltz, a stomping country two-step, or a soothing Hawaiian love song—is just plain good for the soul. We know it to be true. And so do the following dancers. Read on for proof positive of how much joy and inspiration a bit of dancing can add to one's life.