Dancing is a fun and energetic way to get your body moving and burn calories. The number of calories you can burn dancing for 30 minutes depends on several factors, including your weight, intensity level, and dance style.
Calories Burned Dancing Calculator
A 155 pound person dancing for 30 minutes will burn the following calories, on average:
| Intensity | Dance Style | Calories Burned |
|---|---|---|
| Low Impact | Slow dancing, salsa, merengue | 149 calories |
| Moderate Intensity | Country line dancing, ballroom dancing | 298 calories |
| High Intensity | Zumba, hip hop, aerobic dancing | 357 calories |
As you can see, the intensity level and dance style make a big difference in calories burned dancing for 30 minutes. Fast, high energy dancing like Zumba can burn over twice as many calories as slow dancing.
Factors That Influence Calories Burned Dancing
Here are some of the key factors that determine how many calories you’ll burn from 30 minutes of dancing:
Your Weight
Heavier people burn more calories dancing than lighter people. Someone who weighs 200 pounds will burn around 20% more calories doing the same dance routine as someone weighing 150 pounds.
Dance Intensity
The intensity of the dance you are doing greatly impacts calories burned. High intensity dancing like Zumba can burn over 300 calories in 30 minutes. Lower intensity dancing like slow waltzing may only burn around 150 calories.
Dance Type
The style of dance makes a major difference in calories burned. Aerobic dance styles like hip hop, Zumba, and jazz burn the most calories by keeping your heart rate elevated. Slower styles like ballroom dancing or swaying burn fewer calories.
Experience Level
Experienced dancers who can execute complex choreography tend to burn more calories than beginner dancers. Having dance skills allows you to push yourself further and keep moving without breaks.
Age and Fitness Level
Younger, fitter individuals tend to burn more calories dancing than older, less fit people. A 20 year old will burn more calories doing the same dance as a 50 year old due to higher muscle mass and cardiovascular fitness.
Calorie Burn Rate by Dance Style
Here is an overview of the average calorie burn rates during 30 minutes of various dance styles:
Zumba: 357 calories
Zumba combines aerobic movements with energetic Latin music. With combinations of fast and slow rhythms, Zumba keeps your heart rate up, burning over 350 calories in 30 minutes.
Hip Hop Dance: 298 calories
The fast moves and jumping routines involved in hip hop dancing burn a high number of calories. Hip hop includes many high intensity bursts of movement.
Jazz Dance: 272 calories
The constant movement and technical steps of jazz dancing burn upwards of 270 calories in a half hour class. Jazz includes defined energetic movements like kicks and leaps.
Bollywood Dance: 272 calories
Similar to Zumba, Bollywood styles mix aerobics with dance moves from traditional Indian culture. Fast footwork and arm movements drive the calorie burn into the 270s for 30 minutes.
Country Line Dancing: 245 calories
Although line dancing doesn’t burn as many calories as styles like hip hop, moving in lines and pairs for 30 minutes can still burn over 240 calories through steady aerobic movement.
Salsa Dance: 223 calories
The quick steps and rhythmic hip movements of salsa dancing burn around 220 calories in a half hour. While not extremely strenuous, salsa keeps your heart pumping.
Ballet Dance: 198 calories
Though lower impact than other dance styles, the constant motion of ballet can still burn up to 200 calories in 30 minutes. The technical steps require muscle control and engagement.
Ballroom Dance: 148 calories
Smooth, graceful ballroom styles like waltz and foxtrot burn roughly 150 calories with their sweeping movements across the floor. There are bursts of quick steps mixed with slower gliding.
Slow Dancing: 130 calories
Dancing closely with a partner at a slow pace burns around 130 calories for 30 minutes. Slow dancing involves more swaying than quick steps.
Tips for Burning More Calories Dancing
Here are some tips to maximize the calories you can burn dancing for 30 minutes:
Pick Up the Pace
Select faster-paced dance styles like hip hop or Zumba over slower styles like ballroom dancing. The quicker the movements, the more calories you’ll burn.
Use Your Arms
Incorporate movements that engage your arms as well as legs. Styles like jazz dance that have defined arm motions burn more calories than leg-dominated dances.
Engage Your Core
Draw your core muscles in to keep your abdominal area engaged as you dance. Using your core increases intensity.
Minimize Breaks
Keep moving as much as possible during the 30 minutes instead of taking excess breaks. The more constant motion, the greater the calorie burn.
Enhance Intensity
If dancing at a low intensity, look for ways to enhance the movement to burn more calories. Add jumps, kicks, or faster footwork.
Add Weight
Wear wrist or ankle weights while dancing to increase resistance and burn extra calories. But start light, around 1-3 lbs per limb.
Dance Longer
Dancing for longer than 30 minutes results in more total calories burned. But even 30 minutes provides great calorie-burning benefits.
Health Benefits of Dancing
Beyond burning calories, dancing provides many excellent health and fitness benefits including:
Cardiovascular Health
Getting your heart pumping with dancing improves circulation, cardiovascular endurance, and heart health over time.
Muscular Strength
Dancing tones and strengthens muscles throughout the body, especially in the legs, core and arms.
Coordination and Balance
Learning dance steps challenges your balance and coordination skills, keeping these faculties sharp.
Flexibility
The variety of motions used in dance helps improve flexibility and range of motion in joints and muscles.
Posture
Proper dance posture realigns the spine for better posture. Core engagement tones abdominal muscles.
Stress Relief
Releasing energy dancing can lower stress levels and boost mood through releasing endorphins.
Best Dance Styles for Weight Loss
All dance styles can burn calories and support weight loss goals. However, the fastest fat-burning styles include:
Zumba
With high interval intensity, Zumba maximizes calorie burn and fat loss during each class.
Jazz Dance
The technical leaps and jumps of jazz dancing burn major calories while sculpting lean muscle.
Hip Hop
Hip hop’s aerobic steps mixed with floor work torch calories and build defined abs and legs.
Salsa
Salsa’s saucy steps fires up metabolism and can slim down thighs, hips and waistline.
Bollywood
Mixing traditional Indian steps with modern music creates an intense cardio calorie burner.
The Bottom Line
Dancing for 30 minutes can burn 130-350 calories depending on the style. Low impact dances like ballroom burn closer to 130 calories while high energy styles like hip hop or Zumba burn over 350. Factors like body weight, experience level, age, and dance intensity impact calories burned. Higher intensity dancing provides excellent weight loss and cardiovascular benefits.
