In 2008, Ryan Keller and Travis Lansford started Dance Doctors, a dance studio that offers dance lessons while giving clients a great workout. “We wanted to make dancing available for pretty much anyone who needed it,” says Keller, who has been dancing professionally for eight years. “We offer group classes, and the lowest [price] range for private lessons in the Valley.” There are three Dance Doctors locations in Mesa, Surprise, and Gilbert, and the company offers special classes for seniors. While the Gilbert studio caters to younger clientele, the Mesa and Surprise studios have older clients, and are located in the heart of senior communities.

“In a full hour of exercise, you get cardio, you get stretching, you get balance, you get coordination,” Keller says. “It’s extremely relaxing and very good for your memory as far as trying to learn something new and going back to it in a couple days.”

According to the Mayo Clinic and the National Health Association, social dancing can help to reduce stress, increase energy, improve strength, and increase muscle tone and coordination. It can also lower the risk of heart disease, decrease blood pressure, and help you manage your weight.

“The best part, actually, is [when] I have students who wear pedometers on a 2,000-steps-a-day program for diabetes,” Keller says. “They could get to about 3,500 steps in a half-hour through dancing.”

Dance Doctors offers different styles of dance such as tango, foxtrot, salsa, jitterbug, samba, waltz, and cha-cha. Group class rates start at $7 per person, and private lessons are $75 per hour. www.dancedocs.com.