Evidence-based health and wellbeing dance interventions: How does dance benefit physical, social and mental health? - Webinar presentation, SHSC's Health and Wellbeing Festival, Sheffield, UK

1. Evidence-based health and wellbeing
dance interventions
Dr Nicoletta P Lekka
SHSC Health and Wellbeing Festival, Sheffield, November 2020
How does dance benefit our
physical, social and mental health?

2. Outline
•What is Health?
•Dance ...and why it matters!
•Evidence-based benefits of dance
• Physical, Social and Mental Health
• Dance Movement Therapy
•Dance for Health
•Short videos – Enjoy!
• Acknowledgements, references, sources, photo credits

3. What is Health?
 “Health is a state of
complete physical,
mental, and social
wellbeing and not
merely the absence
of disease or
infirmity”
 “The ability to adapt
and self-manage in
the face of social,
physical, and
emotional
challenges”
c. (Photographer) Kazuo ota - Unsplash

4. Dance ...and why it matters!

5. The supportive nature of dance
Oneness - aliceunderwoodfilms.com
https://vimeo.com/3659
42729
movedancefeel.com
Camilla Greenwell (Photographer)

6. What is Dance?
 “Artistic
expression
through rhythmic
movement to
music”
 Uniquely
combines social,
cognitive and
fitness
components
c. (Photographer) Kazuo ota - Unsplash

7. Types of Dance
 Contemporary,
freestyle, ballet,
folk/traditional (from
all continents),
ballroom, Latin (e.g.
tango, salsa), hip-
hop, tap, jazz...
 Zumba / step-
aerobics: dance
fitness programs
c. (Photographer) Kazuo ota - Unsplash

8. Dance and Health
Dance interventions
are used by patients
with
 Parkinson's
 Fibromyalgia
 Cancer
 Hypertension
 Rheumatoid arthritis
 Multiple sclerosis
 Dementia
 Depression
 Anxiety
...and much more
c. (Photographer) Nathalie Jufer, "Senior Stars" by Clare Guss-West

9. Dance and Physical Health
 Dance is equal to or
greater than
exercise in its
effectiveness to
improve physical
health
 Can help reduce
physical health risks
and outcomes
associated with
sedentary and
inactive behaviour
c. (Photographer) Clare Guss-West, "Senior Stars“ by Clare Guss-West

10. Dance and Physical Health
Dance may improve
 Muscular strength
and endurance,
dynamic balance,
and cardiovascular
fitness
 Postural stability,
physical reaction
time, flexibility, and
cognitive
performancec. (Photographer) Nathalie Jufer, "Senior Stars“, by Clare Guss-West

11. Dance and Physical Health
Dance may
 Decrease body mass
index (BMI)
 Increase interoceptive
awareness (body
awareness)
 Be more beneficial than
repetitive physical
exercises and activate
brain plasticity
mechanisms at a
greater extent
c. (Photographer) Nathalie Jufer, "Senior Stars" by Clare Guss-West

12. Breathe Dance
https://youtu.be/BiZBTd
TAm4E
Breathe Dance -
Breathe Arts Health
Research

13. Dance and Social Health
 Dance is appealing and
socially engaging
 Dancing together disrupts
loneliness / isolation and
connects people
 Dance can interfere
positively on improving
health, well-being, and the
quality of life of people with
different sociodemographic
characteristics
c. (Photographer) Mikael Theimer

14. Dance and Social Health
 Important mechanisms in
group settings: mutual
support, empowerment,
mutual trust, cohesion,
experience to be part of
something larger,
corrective emotional
experiences, social roles,
interpersonal learning
 Dance contributes to a
sense of shared purpose
- feeling of achievement
c. (Photographer) Jolanda Prfunder, "Senior Stars" by Clare Guss-West

15. Dance and Mental Health
 Dance can improve
emotional, social,
psychological, and
physical well-being
 Can promote self-
expression, self-
esteem, self-
confidence, and
self-motivation

16. Dance and Mental Health
 Dance can have a
positive impact on
quality of life,
subjective well-being,
and body image
 Can improve stress
management and
interpersonal skills
 Can decrease
depression and
anxiety
c. Unsplash

17. Dance and Mindfulness - Similarities
Mindfulness:
 Termination of rumination and
automatic negative thoughts,
because of high concentration,
focus on the here-and-now, and
a state of mind which allows the
participant to observe feelings
and thoughts from a more
distant perspective
Dance:
 Experience of “flow”(a mental
state of being fully immersed
and focused), absorption, focus
on the here-and-now, high
concentration, physical
presence, and joy
c. (Photographer) Kazuo ota - Unsplash

18. What is Dance Movement Therapy?
 A creative arts therapy
(art therapy, drama
therapy, and music
therapy are the other
arts therapies)
 Focuses on the
expressive or
improvisational aspects
of dance as a
therapeutic tool, rather
than on specific
movement patterns
c. (Photographer) Patrick Pleau - National Centre for
Dance Therapy – Grands Ballets Canadiens de Montréal

19. Dance Movement Therapy and
Mental Health
 The psychotherapeutic
use of movement to
promote emotional,
social, cognitive, and
physical integration of
the individual, for the
purpose of improving
health and well-being
 Founded on the
principle that movement
reflects an individual’s
patterns of thinking and
feeling

20. Dance Movement Therapy and
Mental Health A form of psychotherapy that
 Uses non-verbal
communication
 Emphasises the human
body as its primary means
of communication and
expression
 May offer a way to work
through issues that are
difficult to articulate
because they are painful,
frightening, or simply
difficult to access and
address through cognitive
means

21. Please share!
“Dance for Health provides holistic, evidence-based
alternatives for the individual to manage and adapt to
physical, mental and social health challenges.
In Dance for Health sessions, trained teaching artists
engage people as dancers, rather than patients, in joyful,
interactive, artistic activity.”
Dance for Health, IADMS

22. Dance - A joyful, creative experience
 A meaningful, valued
and enjoyed activity
 Great sense of
pleasure, leading the
individual to find a
sense of belonging
 Feelings of joy,
satisfaction and social
connectedness likely
to have significant role
in encouraging
attendance /
completion of a dance
intervention
c. (Photographer) Kazuo ota - Unsplash

23. Scottish Ballet -
Dance for Parkinson's Scotland
https://youtu.be/8VggGDz4SVQ
© Scottishballet.co.uk

24. Acknowledgements
For valuable comments and suggestions, my very great appreciation to
 Clare Guss-West (CH)
 Emily Jenkins (UK)
 Emma Redding (UK)
 Sylvie Fortin (CA)
Dance for Health Committee, International Association for Dance Medicine
& Science (IADMS) www.iadms.org - an interdisciplinary team of
teaching artists, dance educators, researchers, and healthcare
professionals
“Promoting dance as a life-long partner for health and wellbeing”

25. References - Sources
 Fong Yan, A., Cobley, S., Chan, C., Pappas, E., Nicholson, L.L., Ward, R.E., Murdoch, R.E., Gu, Y.,
Trevor, B.L., Vassallo, A.J., Wewege, M.A. and Hiller, C.E. (2017). The Effectiveness of Dance
Interventions on Physical Health Outcomes Compared to Other Forms of Physical Activity: A
Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Medicine, [online] 48(4), pp.933–951. Available at:
https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007%2Fs40279-017-0853-5.
 Harrison, S., Bierski, K., Burn, N., Mclusky, S., McFaull, V., Russell, A., Williams, G., Williams, S. and
Macnaughton, J. (2020). Dance for people with chronic breathlessness: a transdisciplinary approach
to intervention development. BMJ Open Respiratory Research, 7(1), p.e000696.
 Hernandes, J.C., Di Castro, V.C., Mendonça, M.E. and Porto, C.C. (2018). Quality of life of women
who practice dance: a systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 7(1)92.
 Hwang PW, Braun KL. The Effectiveness of Dance Interventions to Improve Older Adults' Health: A
Systematic Literature Review. Altern Ther Health Med. 2015 Sep-Oct;21(5):64-70. PMID: 26393993;
PMCID: PMC5491389.
 Karkou, V., Aithal, S., Zubala, A. and Meekums, B. (2019). Effectiveness of Dance Movement
Therapy in the Treatment of Adults With Depression: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analyses.
Frontiers in Psychology, 10:936. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00936.
 Karkou, V. and Meekums, B. (2017). Dance movement therapy for dementia. Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews. [online] Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6464250/

26. References - Sources
 Koch, S.C., Riege, R.F.F., Tisborn, K., Biondo, J., Martin, L. and Beelmann, A. (2019).
Effects of Dance Movement Therapy and Dance on Health-Related Psychological
Outcomes. A Meta-Analysis Update. Frontiers in Psychology, 10:1806. doi:
10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01806.
 McNeely, M.E., Duncan, R.P. and Earhart, G.M. (2015). A comparison of dance
interventions in people with Parkinson disease and older adults. Maturitas, 81(1), pp.10–16.
 Millman, L.S.M., Terhune, D.B., Hunter, E.C.M. and Orgs, G. (2020). Towards a
neurocognitive approach to dance movement therapy for mental health: A systematic
review. Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy. DOI: 10.1002/cpp.2490
 Noguera, C., Carmona, D., Rueda, A., Fernández, R. and Cimadevilla, J.M. (2020). Shall
We Dance? Dancing Modulates Executive Functions and Spatial Memory. International
Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(6), p.1960;
doi:10.3390/ijerph17061960
Photo credits
 Images by Clare Guss-West, Jolanda Prfunder and Nathalie Jufer are from Clare Guss-
West's "Senior Stars" projects with Konzert Theater Bern and University Bern Institute of
Sports Science, Switzerland

27. Thank you for listening!
Dr. Nicoletta P. Lekka
Consultant Psychiatrist
T: https://twitter.com/nicoletta_lekka