Dancing.
Dancing has always been a favorite activity of mine, and while some of my nursing home residents claim that I don’t have rhythm, I’m going to keep dancing anyway. To me, dancing is less about how you look and more about how you feel while you are dancing. It's a truly liberating movement that allows for self-expression. It also helps reduce stress and anxiety.
In my junior year of college, my roommate and I decided that if either of us were frustrated or stressed, we’d take a five-minute dance break. We always chose the same song to start (Robyn’s Call Your Girlfriend) and would dance it out. Once the five minutes were over, we’d return to our work or our conversation. I can’t speak for my roommate, but I know that I always felt better after dancing. It helped me focus more on my studies and served as an outlet to release stress and frustration, which also improved our friendship tremendously.
The benefits of dancing are so vast that there is a whole therapy, dance and movement therapy, dedicated to dance and its healing values. They are experts on the therapeutic benefits of dancing, so check them out! In the meantime, I’ve outlined some improvements dance can lead to across the five domains of health: physical, cognitive, social, emotional, and spiritual.
Physical
Improved balance and coordination (Douka et al., 2019)
Increased flexibility (Lima & Vieira, 2007)
Better postural stability and physical reaction time (Kattenstroth et al., 2011)
Bodily awareness (C. Quiroga Murica et al., 2009)
Reduces fatigue (Jing & Xudong, 2008)
Cognitive
Development of concentration and enhanced memory (Narikbayeva et al., 2024)
Social
Dancing can be done solo, but it is often a partner sport or a group activity. Whether ballroom dancing, designing choreography, or dancing freely with others, this socialization can provide you with:
Development of social skills, body language (Calçada & Gillham, 2022)
Setting boundaries, better relationships, and teamwork skills (Narikbayeva, 2024)
Increased empathy and an understanding of others’ emotional states (San-Juan-Ferrer & Hípola, 2020)
Emotional
Improvement of emotional state: anxiety, depression, and tension lessen, and self-esteem improves (Liu, et al. 2022)
Development of self-regulation (Koch, et al. 2019)
Increased self-awareness (Calçada & Gillham, 2022)
Improved self-confidence (San-Juan-Ferrer & Hípola, 2020)
Allows for the expression of internal feelings/ emotions through movement in harmony with music (Baxter, 2020)
Spiritual
Feelings of love/nourishment for the soul and a feeling of life’s spiritual dimension (C. Quiroga Murica et al. 2009)
*Please be aware that dancing could cause injury and that it is advised to speak to a doctor before engaging in physical activity such as dancing if you have any underlying health conditions.
**These benefits are general; the results of each study are dependent on frequency, length of engagement, etc. There is no guarantee that you will experience these benefits from dancing, though the evidence does point to positive impacts. :)
***Check our sources for dance benefits here.
One Last Thought…
A key to a successful dance party is choosing a song that compels you to dance. It should be a song that you like, one that brings back joyful memories. If you’re having trouble thinking of one, I’ve compiled a playlist of dance songs that urge my friends and family to move. Maybe your favorite dance song is already there, or perhaps the playlist will introduce you to some new music. Either way, we hope that it encourages you to dance, be free, and let go a little. If you’d like to add a song to the playlist, send it to us through our contact form!