How does dance help people?
Dance is known as one of the foundations that will help many people create a fulfilling and energetic lifestyle as it helps to positively influence any individual by improving both their physical and mental wellbeing. Around the world dance is available in many different styles, such as Flamenco in Spain, Tango in Argentina, Salsa in Cuba and many others. Dance not only helps positively influence others’ lives but also helps to bring alive different cultures, and the many different dance schools such as; English National Ballet, Royal Ballet, Vaganova Ballet School, Bolshoi Ballet and many others help to do this.
Parkinson’s disease:
Taking up dance helps people with Parkinson’s disease in many ways, and some of these include increased physical confidence, improved mental functioning, improved psychological wellbeing, greater self-confidence, better self- esteem, better social skills, and helps people struggling with neurodiversity. The English National Ballet is one of the leading Ballet schools who are helping people specifically with Parkinson’s disease using dance. The components of the dance class, along with the artistic freedom and the social aspect of the English National Ballet’s environment can help people to manage daily life, living with Parkinson’s. Dancing enables the fluidity of movement, which helps people to develop their postural stability and flexibility of the spine and can improve balance. As well as this, the use of rhythm and voice can also help with movement and expression. Dance specifically helps with Parkinson’s as the repetitive movement of dance helps the body with building up muscle memory so that you can transfer these movements to your everyday tasks. In 2025 the English National Ballet put on a replay performance which was open to family members of people performing and in this performance the Dance for Parkinson’s company performed a piece from ‘With Love, us x’. Here is a link to the English National Ballet’s website, which talks more about Dance for Parkinson’s:
Dance for Parkinson’s - English National Ballet
Cerebral Palsy:
Dance also helps people with cerebral palsy improve their physical capabilities, range of motion, and muscle tone, which then helps to lead people to greater independence and a better well- being. Dance can significantly benefit individuals with cerebral Palsy by improving motor skills, cognitive abilities, and can also help people to enhance muscle strength, balance, coordination and range of motion. With regards to improved motor control, dance exercises that involve slow, repetitive movements like ballet help to build strength and coordination, which then helps to lead to better gait and overall better mobility. Furthermore, dancing helps to enhance cardiovascular health and increase the stamina of an individual. As well as this, dance requires memory, focus and problem solving skills, which can all contribute to improvements in cognitive function, which helps people living with cerebral palsy. Furthermore, participating in dance can help boost self- esteem, confidence, and produce a positive body image. Dance can be a therapeutic outlet, helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and overall improve a person’s mood. The creative movement of dance allows for more freedom of expression and exploration, which can be particularly beneficial for individuals with Cerebral Palsy who may have difficulty with structured dance routines. Here is some more information on how dance helps people with Cerebral Palsy
Dance, movement and cerebral palsy | #TeamBartsHealth blogs - Barts Health NHS Trust
Improving mental health
Dance therapy is a valuable component for psychological functioning through human interaction. The music used within the session helps to reduce pain, decrease anxiety and increase relaxation
Professional Dance therapist Bonnie Meekum stated that through her research of dance therapy, she found four ways dance therapy helps people decrease and in some ways get rid of their mental health problems:
Point 1: known as preparation, or the warm up stage. A safe space is established without obstacles or distractions, and a supportive relationship with a trusted companion is formed, comfort for participants is created as they move around with their eyes closed.
Point 2: Known as the incubation period, where the leader verbally prompts the participant to go into subconscious imagery, which is then used to create an internal environment, which is catered to the participant, with a relaxed atmosphere and symbolic movements
Point 3: known as illumination, this is interwoven through conscious awareness and self –reflection in which the participant uncovers and resolves their motivations, they begin to have an increased awareness and this then has positive effects on their daily life
Point 4: this is the final point and the evaluation; this discusses insights and the significance of the process, where they prepare to end the therapy
Dance therapy has shown to be an effective form of treatment for people with anxiety and anxiety related disorders, which travels across age ranges and a wide population of individuals. Studies show that dance movement therapy has been an effective form of anxiety treatment for those with and without intellectual disability shown to be effective in reducing aggression in young children
As well as this, the dance company Bloch stated many ways dance helps people improve their mental health. Here are just some of these ways: dance helps regulate stress hormones by raising your heart rate and releasing chemicals in your brain, which helps your body to reduce cortisol, which is the natural stress hormone, found in your body. Dance helps you to find a community and socialise as it provides you with the opportunity to meet people and make new friends. Dance also helps to improve your sleep and memory by releasing feel- good endorphins, which ultimately helps to improve people’s mental health. Here is a link to see more of what Bloch said on this subject:
The Benefits of Dance on Mental Health – BLOCH Dance UK
Dancing with ADHD:
Finally, dancing helps people with ADHD, as it provides physical exercise, which helps to increase the body’s dopamine levels which then leads to an improvement in focus and a reduce of stress and anxiety. This boost in dopamine (which is a brain chemical that people with ADHD are thought to have less off) helps with dopamine neurotransmission to the brain therefore helping people with ADHD. Furthermore, dance is beneficial as it improves confidence, aids in motor coordination, and helps to strengthen people’s memory. Having ADHD can also have some benefits with regards to dance, as children with ADHD are easily able to attain a hyper- focused ‘flow state’ especially if they are deeply involved in a specific task. They also may understand choreography as a whole rather than as a series of movements. As well as this, in some cases people with ADHD feel disconnected from the outside world, but by participating in dance it helps people to establish these connections they so desperately want and need, which gives them new relationships and a sense of community. Here is what Synergy Dance outreach had to say on the matter:
Benefits of Dance for Children with ADHD - Synergy Dance Outreach
Parkinson’s disease:
Taking up dance helps people with Parkinson’s disease in many ways, and some of these include increased physical confidence, improved mental functioning, improved psychological wellbeing, greater self-confidence, better self- esteem, better social skills, and helps people struggling with neurodiversity. The English National Ballet is one of the leading Ballet schools who are helping people specifically with Parkinson’s disease using dance. The components of the dance class, along with the artistic freedom and the social aspect of the English National Ballet’s environment can help people to manage daily life, living with Parkinson’s. Dancing enables the fluidity of movement, which helps people to develop their postural stability and flexibility of the spine and can improve balance. As well as this, the use of rhythm and voice can also help with movement and expression. Dance specifically helps with Parkinson’s as the repetitive movement of dance helps the body with building up muscle memory so that you can transfer these movements to your everyday tasks. In 2025 the English National Ballet put on a replay performance which was open to family members of people performing and in this performance the Dance for Parkinson’s company performed a piece from ‘With Love, us x’. Here is a link to the English National Ballet’s website, which talks more about Dance for Parkinson’s:
Dance for Parkinson’s - English National Ballet
Cerebral Palsy:
Dance also helps people with cerebral palsy improve their physical capabilities, range of motion, and muscle tone, which then helps to lead people to greater independence and a better well- being. Dance can significantly benefit individuals with cerebral Palsy by improving motor skills, cognitive abilities, and can also help people to enhance muscle strength, balance, coordination and range of motion. With regards to improved motor control, dance exercises that involve slow, repetitive movements like ballet help to build strength and coordination, which then helps to lead to better gait and overall better mobility. Furthermore, dancing helps to enhance cardiovascular health and increase the stamina of an individual. As well as this, dance requires memory, focus and problem solving skills, which can all contribute to improvements in cognitive function, which helps people living with cerebral palsy. Furthermore, participating in dance can help boost self- esteem, confidence, and produce a positive body image. Dance can be a therapeutic outlet, helping to reduce stress, anxiety, and overall improve a person’s mood. The creative movement of dance allows for more freedom of expression and exploration, which can be particularly beneficial for individuals with Cerebral Palsy who may have difficulty with structured dance routines. Here is some more information on how dance helps people with Cerebral Palsy
Dance, movement and cerebral palsy | #TeamBartsHealth blogs - Barts Health NHS Trust
Improving mental health
Dance therapy is a valuable component for psychological functioning through human interaction. The music used within the session helps to reduce pain, decrease anxiety and increase relaxation
Professional Dance therapist Bonnie Meekum stated that through her research of dance therapy, she found four ways dance therapy helps people decrease and in some ways get rid of their mental health problems:
Point 1: known as preparation, or the warm up stage. A safe space is established without obstacles or distractions, and a supportive relationship with a trusted companion is formed, comfort for participants is created as they move around with their eyes closed.
Point 2: Known as the incubation period, where the leader verbally prompts the participant to go into subconscious imagery, which is then used to create an internal environment, which is catered to the participant, with a relaxed atmosphere and symbolic movements
Point 3: known as illumination, this is interwoven through conscious awareness and self –reflection in which the participant uncovers and resolves their motivations, they begin to have an increased awareness and this then has positive effects on their daily life
Point 4: this is the final point and the evaluation; this discusses insights and the significance of the process, where they prepare to end the therapy
Dance therapy has shown to be an effective form of treatment for people with anxiety and anxiety related disorders, which travels across age ranges and a wide population of individuals. Studies show that dance movement therapy has been an effective form of anxiety treatment for those with and without intellectual disability shown to be effective in reducing aggression in young children
As well as this, the dance company Bloch stated many ways dance helps people improve their mental health. Here are just some of these ways: dance helps regulate stress hormones by raising your heart rate and releasing chemicals in your brain, which helps your body to reduce cortisol, which is the natural stress hormone, found in your body. Dance helps you to find a community and socialise as it provides you with the opportunity to meet people and make new friends. Dance also helps to improve your sleep and memory by releasing feel- good endorphins, which ultimately helps to improve people’s mental health. Here is a link to see more of what Bloch said on this subject:
The Benefits of Dance on Mental Health – BLOCH Dance UK
Dancing with ADHD:
Finally, dancing helps people with ADHD, as it provides physical exercise, which helps to increase the body’s dopamine levels which then leads to an improvement in focus and a reduce of stress and anxiety. This boost in dopamine (which is a brain chemical that people with ADHD are thought to have less off) helps with dopamine neurotransmission to the brain therefore helping people with ADHD. Furthermore, dance is beneficial as it improves confidence, aids in motor coordination, and helps to strengthen people’s memory. Having ADHD can also have some benefits with regards to dance, as children with ADHD are easily able to attain a hyper- focused ‘flow state’ especially if they are deeply involved in a specific task. They also may understand choreography as a whole rather than as a series of movements. As well as this, in some cases people with ADHD feel disconnected from the outside world, but by participating in dance it helps people to establish these connections they so desperately want and need, which gives them new relationships and a sense of community. Here is what Synergy Dance outreach had to say on the matter:
Benefits of Dance for Children with ADHD - Synergy Dance Outreach
Emily Holland
21/05/2025
21/05/2025
