How does dancing help you emotionally
How Dancing Affects Mental Health | Elite Dance Stuiod
While the physical benefits of dance are innumerable, dancing can also have a positive impact on mental health.
These benefits are not simply limited to reducing depression and anxiety. Dance is an amazing activity for developing confidence as well as cognitive and communication skills.
Improving mental health and developing cognitive abilities through dance is possible for people of all ages – children, adults, and seniors. Anyone can experience the mental health benefits of participating in dance lessons.
How Dancing Benefits Mental Health
Boosts Confidence
Dancing is beneficial in increasing self-esteem and boosting confidence by fostering self-expression and developing social skills.
Dance provides an environment in which individuals can develop a sense of connection and togetherness with other dancers. This strengthening of social bonds helps to build social confidence and reduce social anxiety.
Individuals who dedicate themselves to dance learn the importance of grit and perseverance. This drive and motivation eventually leads to a sense of accomplishment. Dancers feel a boost of confidence as they master routines and achieve their goals.
Reduces Depression and Anxiety
The physical movements of dance have been shown to reduce levels of stress, anxiety and depression. Much like aerobic exercise, dance provides relief from stress and tension.
Physical exercise elevates dopamine and endorphins, two neurotransmitters responsible for feelings of pleasure and happiness.
Dancing also promotes the experience of “flow”, which is an almost meditative state that allows the dancer to focus solely on the movements, music, and rhythms instead of worries and stress.
This experience of focus and flow also contributes to learning how to be more aware and mindful of one’s mental state.
Improves Cognitive Ability
Dancing not only helps to build body muscle, but brain muscles as well.
As a dancer practices and learns a routine, they are exercising the memory centers of their brain as well as strengthening their concentration. Dance routines also teach pattern recognition skills.
Building up these cognitive skills may contribute to a decrease in the risk of dementia and Alzheimer’s. Studies with Alzheimer’s patients have shown that including dance as part of a therapeutic routine can help improve, or slow the worsening of, the patient’s quality of life.
Helps With Emotional Expression
Dancing teaches expression through movement. Dancers are able to deal with difficult feelings and release them through the steps and routines learned during the dance lesson.
Performance helps extend this expression by placing the dancer in front of other people. What an individual may not be able to verbalize to others, they can often express in dance.
This development of emotional expression relates directly to flow and the reduction of depression.
If a dancer can express their emotions during the flow of dance, they are also able to be mindful of the way they feel. Being able to recognize these emotions is one way to avoid succumbing to depression.
The Brain is a Holistic System
Being a holistic system means that what affects one area of the brain can affect all areas of the brain. This works for both negative and positive impacts made to an individual’s mental health.
Dance is an activity that positively affects all regions of the brain. The creation of flow and focus lends to a sense of mindfulness which is a powerful tool in combating struggles such as anxiety. Also, building confidence and self-esteem can have a direct effect on calming social anxiety.
While taking that first step into a dance studio may seem like a monumental challenge, there is no denying that the lasting effects of dance are well worth the leap.
If you are interested in learning more about the mental health benefits of dance, or wish to enroll in one of our many dance classes, please contact Elite Dance Studio today.
3 Emotional Benefits of Dance
Who doesn’t love to dance? There’s nothing like swaying and stomping to the beat of your favorite music. And if you’ve got young kids, chances are when you turn on their favorite song, they’re total naturals.
What is it about dance that so easily prompts movement and joy in all of us?
In her article “A Dancer’s Brain Develops in a Unique Way,” brain researcher Hanna Poikonen writes:
“In dance, the basic elements of humanity combine in a natural way. It combines creative act, fine-tuned movement and collaboration, much like playing music. The movement involves the whole body, like in sports.”
Dance has a magical combination of elements that helps us become more in tune with our emotions and how we express them. This makes us more likely to form healthy bonds with others through empathy, communication, and self-awareness.
Here are the top 3 ways in which dance aids in our emotional development.
1. Dance Builds Empathy
Poikonen states that when dancing together, two people’s brain waves become connected:
“Brain synchronization enables seamless cooperation, and is necessary for creating both harmonic music and movement.
The ability to become attuned to another person’s brain frequency is essential for the function of any empathetic community.”
Regularly engaging in dance is shown to help build our ability to empathize and express emotion, two crucial aspects of creating a good connection with others.
Research has recently shown that people with dance experience are better at interpreting the emotions of others. Expressing our feelings through dance can make us more sensitive to when others are expressing themselves, too.
Now that multiple studies have come to the same conclusion, parents and educators are using it as a tool to help children build empathy early in life.
Dancing Classrooms, for example, is a program that brings the art of dance to underprivileged schools. After 20 classes and a regional showcase competition, 2/3rds of LA-area school principals reported an increase in acceptance amongst students.
Not only that, but 81% of the students themselves said they had more respect for their peers, too.
2. Dance Teaches Healthy Self-Expression
Part of the practice of mindfulness and emotional health is being aware of what you’re feeling, and expressing it in healthy ways.
What better way to exercise that ability than through dance? Dance can be used to express any mood: sadness, joy, anger, fear, and more. Think about the last time you saw a dance performance, and how you knew the emotions being portrayed without any direct dialogue.
The word “emotion” comes from the Latin word “emovere,” which means to move, move out, or move through.
Dance is fueled by emotion. It’s a process of feeling, and then moving through that feeling and thus sharing it with others.
Dance allows others to find genuine connection with how we’re feeling — whether they relate at that moment, or it reminds them of the moments when they shared that feeling themselves.
Learning how to express emotion carries benefits beyond the dance floor. We can learn to be vulnerable in healthy ways that aid in fulfilling social connection.
3. Dance Helps Fight Depression
When you’re feeling down, it may feel like dancing is the last thing you want to do. However, dance may be that final “oomph” to get you out of a funk.
Take DMT, or Dance and Movement Therapy, for example. DMT was developed as part of an art therapy intervention for mood disorders. Thanks to the positive results, it’s the only intervention recommended for some struggling with a mood disorder.
Not only does dance create a boost in mood-boosting chemicals like endorphins and serotonin, but it helps create a sense of community during times when people feel otherwise isolated.
Cognitive development plays a role in the emotional healing elements of dance as well. Focusing the body and mind on certain movements allows for temporary distraction from emotional pain and repetitive thought cycles, providing momentary solace and confidence building.
The joy of dancing goes far beyond the novelty of doing something different. It has a way of aligning body, heart and mind to create harmony within ourselves that affects ourselves and those around us.
It opens us up to connection, helps build confidence, and creates a physical routine to help us feel healthy inside and out.
What better way to contribute to the emotional health of your family than introducing them to the joys of dance?
It’s never too early or too late to build emotional development and have a little fun while you do it.
Mountain Contemporary Dance School offers classes for all ages in a variety of genres, so everyone’s different tastes can be met.
Learn to move from living to thriving by trying out a dance class that makes you feel like your best self »
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What are the health benefits of dancing?
Dancing is a great way for people of all ages to keep fit. Dancing is not only exciting and enjoyable, but also very healthy.
In this article, we will tell you exactly what benefits dancing can bring to your body.
Dance is one of those things that can really brighten up the monotonous life of any person. Dance is good for emotional state, mental and physical health and for well-being and self-awareness in general. When you decide to add physical activity to your life, you try to choose something more exciting. And what could be more exciting than dancing?
Why dancing is good for general well-being
Dancing protects your heart Dance is a great activity for those who are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. An Italian study has shown that people with heart failure who engage in dance as a form of exercise improve their heart health and improve their breathing. Their quality of life also improves significantly compared to those who exercise on exercise bikes or treadmills.
Dance helps to lose weight If you regularly practice dancing, then they will help you lose weight.
A study published in the Journal of Physiological Anthropology found that dance-based recreational aerobics is just as effective for weight loss and fitness as cycling or running.
Dancing gives you energy Do you feel like you lack energy during the day? Dancing will help you regain it. A study published in The Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition found that weekly dancing can improve physical fitness and make adults more energetic.
Dancing makes you more flexible, strong and resilient Dancing requires you to be flexible at times. Most dance classes begin with a warm-up that includes stretching and flexibility exercises. When you dance, you must try your best so that all muscle groups are involved. Dancing makes you stronger by making your muscles resist the weight of your own body. Many dance styles, including jazz and ballet, involve jumping. And in order to jump, the muscles of your legs must be especially strong.
Dancing is a physical exercise, so it makes you more resilient. Endurance is the ability of the muscles to work each time for a longer and longer period without fatigue. If you practice dancing regularly, especially in an energetic style, you will become much more resilient.
Why dancing is good for your emotional state
Dancing makes you happy Dancing is a special act that everyone enjoys. If you watch a man dancing, you will surely notice a big smile on his face. Smiling and laughing while dancing is absolutely normal! Just dancing allows you to truly enjoy life and yourself. Unlike other physical exercises, there are no age restrictions in dancing. A person at any age can dance and enjoy the benefits that this activity brings to his health.
Dance relieves you of stress and depression Dance has been proven to prevent mild depression and make the dancer more confident. Depression is becoming more and more common in teenagers and adults of all ages.
A study published in the International Journal of Neuroscience has shown that dance therapy not only helps with depression, but also helps fight stress by regulating serotonin and dopamine levels in the body. Considering that dancing is also a social act, it helps to get rid of the feeling of loneliness that so often affects people and depressions and at times - elderly people living alone.
Dancing makes you feel good about yourself Dancing helps you become more confident. Every time you learn a new move, you gain more confidence and your mood gets better. And this heightened self-confidence extends to all areas of your life. Dance is a social act, as we have said. Research has shown that strong social connections and hanging out with friends help boost self-esteem and give you a positive outlook on life. Dancing gives you many opportunities to meet other people. Sign up for dance classes - it will help you raise your self-esteem and make new friends. Given that exercise relieves tension and stress, dancing will make you feel good overall.
Benefits of dancing for mental health
Dancing improves memory Dancing can improve memory and prevent dementia, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Scientists have found that aerobic exercise helps prevent shrinkage of the hippocampus, the part of the brain responsible for memory. The hippocampus naturally shrinks throughout adulthood. This often leads to memory problems, and sometimes to dementia.
Dancing helps fight Alzheimer's A study in older adults published in the New England Journal of Medicine found that dancing often helps to avoid symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of dementia. In addition, dancing makes people of any age smarter. This study also showed that people suffering from Alzheimer's are able to retrieve forgotten memories when they dance to familiar music.
Dancing makes you smarter For centuries, textbooks and other writings about dance have lauded the health benefits of the activity, treating dance as a physical exercise.
Today, thanks to scientists, the benefits of dance for the mind have also been proven. The main quality of an intelligent person is the ability to make decisions. The ideal way to develop this skill is to take on a job that requires you to make decisions quickly (in seconds) all the time. So, to become smarter, you can just work on your dance style without memorizing the sequence of movements. In general, the mind and quick wits are well influenced by the study of something new. It doesn't have to be a dance - it's about any new skill. But dancing will stimulate your brain, forcing it to come up with new solutions. Difficult activities are best suited for this, as they require new neural connections.
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Benefits of dancing. How does dancing affect women's health and sexuality?
Knowing yourself through dance
Dance is a state of mind, a way of self-expression and a manifestation of mood.
And if in sports the mood can interfere with the achievement of the goal, then in the dance any mood is embodied in movement.
Unlike sports, where the arms, legs and shoulder girdle are mainly involved, the muscles of the abdomen, hips, feet, hands, neck and face are also involved in the dance, which gives a greater scope for self-expression and harmonious strengthening of the whole body.
Here, unless we are talking about professional dances, there is no focus on results and there is no restriction in movements. You can let go of yourself and be in touch with your body, mood and state of mind. It can be said that dance captures and combines movements, emotions and state of mind.
It is through dance that a woman gets to know herself and the world. The plasticity of movements allows you to reveal the true female nature and abilities of your emotional and spiritual world, which is impossible to do in sports or in everyday life.
Dancing allows you to improve the qualities of character by training various muscle groups.
The movement of the legs enhances the feeling of support (I am confident on my feet, I can push off from a reliable support and achieve my goal), which contributes to the development of purposefulness and self-confidence.
Through the movements of the pelvic region, the most common in oriental, Arabic, African-American dances, we release the tension that has accumulated in the muscles that support the female organs. As a result, the relieved tension turns into sexual energy. Along with sexuality, mood improves, activity and vigor increase.
Movements of the arms, shoulders, fingers, characteristic of Arabic, Indian and Spanish dances, improve our interpersonal skills.
By developing arms and shoulders in the dance, we feel our body in space better, which means we can better find our place in a group of other people. In addition, the hands are responsible for attracting the right people to us and repelling those with whom we are not comfortable.
Through the muscles of the face , which are not involved in sports, a woman in dance can show spiritual emotionality. This is very important, because by nature women are more expansive creatures, and, unlike men, they need to express their emotions more often, and here dance has an advantage over sports.
The world is accelerating, the essence of a woman is changing along with it, and incendiary Latin American, African and Arabic belly dances, in which all muscle groups are involved, are perfect to throw out the resulting muscle tension. But, unlike sports, which also relieve muscle tension, the process of relaxation in dance occurs through the smooth movements inherent in female nature, and not through the sharp masculine ones that prevail in fitness. Energetic dancing is the best match for today's rhythm of life of a modern woman.
While exercising, you can quickly lose weight, but dancing can also achieve such an effect in a short time if you give all your best and breathe properly.
Breathing has a very strong influence on fat burning, in fact, it depends on it how the female figure will be formed. And here, Latin American, African American and Arabic dances have advantages over waltz and folk dances, which quickly reduce weight, especially if proper breathing is used during classes.
In most sports, you can get injured even if you follow your coach's instructions exactly. In dancing, the risk of harming your health is reduced to zero, of course, if you do not take into account street dances with hard-to-perform acrobatic stunts. But even in ordinary dances, one must be able to properly dose the load so as not to stretch the muscles and damage the ligaments.
Which dances to choose
If you are over 40 and have problems with your spine, then you should give preference to calmer dances, such as waltz, tango, slow foxtrot. Because oriental or Latin American dance classes with a heavy load can aggravate the disease.
In general, if a woman has never been involved in sports, it is best to start increasing physical activity with dancing. They allow you to solve health problems and have a preventive effect. For example, Arabic belly dancing is a good prevention of premenstrual syndrome (PMS). They also increase blood circulation in the pelvic area, which prevents the occurrence of female inflammatory processes and formations associated with fibroids and endometriosis.
Any dance improves mood, which means that hormones of joy appear, which has a positive effect on the immune system. People who go in for dancing, during periods of epidemics of colds, get sick less often and recover faster.
The influence of dancing on interpersonal relationships with others can hardly be overestimated. After all, dancing improves mood, which always has a positive effect on relationships with others. While dancing, we listen to ourselves, our body and can better feel our partner.
While enjoying the dance, we learn to feel pleasure in sex and deliver pleasant sensations to a loved one.
Dancing with a partner, such as bachata and salsa, has the most beneficial effect on relationships.
Dancing in pairs, a woman learns to listen to her partner, to follow him, to catch special signs from him, which improves her interpersonal relationships in life.
In pair and group dances, the energy that builds up during movements is enhanced by a partner or group and helps a woman achieve her goals faster. In fitness, there is also such an effect when a coach stimulates a group to a certain result, but in sports there is practically no verbal communication and emotional relationships. In dancing, you can show your attitude towards a partner or a group.
Choosing dance or sports is, of course, a personal matter for everyone. Sports can increase patience and willpower. Dancing also allows you to develop stress resistance, flexibility and sociability.
