Benefits of Dance Therapy

“Dancing is like taking a mini-vacation from the
 stress of the everyday – you have to be in the moment”

-Ofelia De La Valette,
Founder and owner of Dance 101, Atlanta

Bust a Move
It should come to no surprise that dance is powerful activity. In fact calling it “powerful” may actually be an understatement. Whether you took dance classes as an adolescent, danced competitively as a teen, or danced the night away every Friday night in college, you are familiar with the indescribable feeling that floods you mind, body and soul as you start to feel the beat of the base in your heart, as the treble gets you swinging your arms and tapping your toes.

The action of dancing has been used for centuries, but it wasn’t until a little over a decade ago that race was officially found to be a therapeutic form of exercise that benefits not just physical health, but mental and emotional heath too. The idea behind the research of dance therapy makes total sense; given the understanding that music is powerful enough to trigger memories, affect mood, and alter emotional well-being, it only seems right that busting a move to an enjoyable song had benefits as well. Moving to the beat increases the release of endorphins, the pleasure chemicals, from the brain, which gives you that indescribable euphoric feeling. Additionally, moving to the music is found to be a powerful stress reliever and joyful healer. For more information on the benefits of dance therapy, keep reading!

Movin’ Your Feet for Stress Relief
Research had shown that nearly any form of exercise can prevent and reduce physical and emotional stress (if you haven’t yet, check out the article Fit Mind and Body for more information on the mental and emotional benefits of psychical exercise); being that a good dance session can get your heart racing and blood pumping the same way a good jog does, it makes sense that dance therapy is an exceptional stress reliever.

Swing Your Hips for More Confidence
Being that dance therapy is a suitable form of psychical exercise, we weren’t surprised to find out the therapeutic movement is linked to increased confidence, as well as stronger social skills and communication abilities. When dancing, you are connecting with those around you on a whole new level; that said, you are also allowing yourself to let your guard down and show others a side of you that they may not have seen otherwise – but this isn’t a bad thing! By doing so, you are allowing yourself to be accepted by others without over thinking how they are perceiving you (something that the majority of women in today’s nation need to work on). When you feel accepted, your confidence levels are bound to rise.

Move to the Motions to Better Express Your Emotions
With the countless expectations and standards placed on women today, it can be hard to difficult to express the many emotions felt on a regular basis. Research has shown that dance therapy allows dancers to express those otherwise unaccepted emotions in a non-verbal medium, which also makes provides a sense of safety.