 Above: DIT performers posing outside of Camden Yards Stadium in Baltimore before a show there for the March of Dimes. |
HEALTH BENEFITS OF DANCE
The photo on the right of this page, of a shirt that says "There is nothing dancing can't cure," reflects the sentiment of many avid dancers. Listening to music that one likes assists people in feeling better by activating endorphins. Physical exercise does the same thing, and so does socializing with friends. This recipe for improved well-being describes dancing perfectly! Indeed, dance blends the benefits of socializing, listening to music, and the exercise of moving to music. It is hard to imagine any activity with greater healing powers. All dancers know the feeling..... The elation that comes from doing moves well, the feeling of relaxation that comes from concentrating on the beat and forgetting one's cares.... Below is some research (including web links) that provides more detail on the biochemical mechanism for this, as well as anecdotal examples. And of course Cuban Salsa is even a better
tool for increasing well-being than ordinary partnership dancing
because of the extra social dimension of the continuous partner exchanges!
Another approach to "dancing for health" is to do Salsa as an aerobic activity for heart health/fitness. Note that Barb Bernstein has developed a "Salsercise" program of exercises done to Salsa music. Anyone interested can contact Barb about running this program (301-9806043). The extensive bibliography below illuminates the scope and mechanism for this correlation between dance and well being. A quick note: Soon after putting this page on the website, I was contacted by someone from the Mesothelioma Cancer Alliance. She wrote, "...As you may know, dance therapy has been recognized by major cancer centers and institutions as an effective approach to promote healing offer an emotional release among cancer patients." She included this link to a page about Dance Therapy: http://www.mesothelioma.com/treatment/alternative/dance-therapy.htm. The page says that "dance therapy…encourages a sense of well-being; often makes patients laugh; decreases chronic pain and body tension; and reduces stress, anxiety, and depression." It's a great therapy modality that can do all that!! Check out that link to read more! 1. Dancing for Health: Conquering and
Preventing Stress by Judith Lynne Hanna, AltaMira Press, a
Division of Rowman and Littlefield Publishers; 2006. 2. “Salsa Dancing Offers Physical and
Mental Benefits to Partners” by Richard Methia, August 4, 2010. (If you go to this link, be sure to scroll down all the way down the page so you don't miss some of the information.) 3. Dance Therapy Article from www.Wholehealthmd.com http://www.wholehealthmd.com/ME2/dirmod.asp?nm=Reference+Library&type=AWHN_Therapies&mod=Therapies&mid=&id=B11F5E72178C419CAF774DDBEB451FD7&tier=2 4. “Dancing Helps Boys With ADHD.”
Research project by Barbro Renck of Karlstad University and Erna
Gronlund of the University College of Dance in Stockhom, June 8,
2006, and reported in The American Journal of Dance Therapy. 5. “The Mental Health Benefits of Music” by Darlene Oakley, August 18, 2010. http://www.empowher.com/emotional-health/content/mental-health-benefits-music?page=0,0 6. “Divergent Effects of Joyful and
Anxiety-Provoking Music on Endothelial Vasoreactivity,” by Michael
Miller, MD, C. Charles Mangano, BA, RDMS, Valerie Beach, RN, Willem
J. Kop, Ph.D., and Robert Vogel, MD; Psychosomatic Medicine
72:000-000 (2010). Further “summary” report on this research:
“Joyful Music May Promote Heart Health, According to University of
Maryland School of Medicine Study” 7. “Shall We Dance? An Exploration of the
Perceived Benefits of Dancing on Well-Being” by Cynthia Quiroga
Murcia, Gunter Kreutz, Stephen Clift, and Stephan Bongard; Arts
and Health, Volume 2, Issue 2, Sept. 2010, pages 149-163. 8. “The Art of Healing: Visual and
Performing Arts Take on a Bigger Role in Patient Recovery” by Beth
Baker, Washington Post, August 17, 2004 Page HE01. 9. “Friends for Life: An Emerging Biology
of Emotional Healing,” by Daniel Goleman; New York Times,
October 10, 2006. 10. Socializing Appears to Delay Memory
Problems” by Tara Parker-Pope. Reported in the New York Times
Health Section, March 1, 2011. 11. “Having More Friends Adds Years to Your
Life---Study” by Silky Chandani, The Med Guru, Sept. 14, 2010. 12. "Dancing Away an Anxious Mind: A
Memoir About Overcoming Panic Disorder" by Robert Rand.
Copyright 2004 by University of Wisconsin Press. 14. "Dance Away Stress and Depression" by Christy Matta, MA, As reported in Psychology Today. Link at: http://blogs.psychcentral.com/dbt/2010/07/dance-away-stress-and-depression/15. "Exercise Treatment for Depression: Efficacy and Dose Response" by Andrea Dunn Ph.D.; Madhukar Trivedi MD, James Kampert Ph.D.; Camillia Clark Ph.D.; Heather Chambliss Ph.D. American Journal Preventive Medicine, 2005; 28(1):1-8. Link at: https://www.cebp.nl/media/m1121.pdf16. The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) is headquartered in Maryland. They publish and sell literature with information on how dance can be used therapeutically with people who are ill. Their address is 10632 Little Patuxent Parkway, Suite 108, Columbia, MD 21044-3263 and the phone is: (410) 997-4040. I have found them helpful in suggesting suitable things for me to read. For example, they have materials on Marian Chace, the key founder of the Dance Therapy Movement. For a summary of the development of this field which stems in part from the emphasis in modern dance on expressing the dancer's feelings, go to this link: http://www.dance-to-health-help-your-special-needs-child.com/history.html.
17. Dance: Take On a Cha-Cha Challenge, by Jeannine Stein,
Los Angeles Times, January 7, 2011. 18. The nation's top rated hospital, Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, puts out "white papers" which have information on health issues. In 2011, they published a booklet on anxiety and depression and one of the subtopics was the way exercise boosts mood. Research done at Duke University is cited in this publication that shows the benefit of regular exercise to comparable taking an antidepressant for mild to moderate depression. The article explains that exercise affects levels of brain chemicals like serotonin, which relieve tension, induce calm and make it easier to handle anxiety and stress. Hormones called endorphins are released by the pituitary gland during exercise, and they create a sense of well-being. (This is what happens when people who run get a "runner's high.") To read more about it, visit: http://www.johnshopkinshealthalerts.com/alerts/depression_anxiety/depression-exercise-connection_3892-1.html 19. "Hospitals Find That Alternative Therapies Are a Good Way to Attract Paying Patients," Washington Post Health Section, Nov. 15, 2011. Link: http://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/alternative-therapies-sometimes-help-and-almost-always-pay-off/2011/11/10/gIQAfuIpKN_story.html. This article discusses how hospitals increasingly offer art/music therapy (along with other alternative therapies) to inpatients not only because it can sometimes be effective treatment, but also for economic reasons. Offering alternative therapies apparently helps attract patients to that hospital. |
 Above: Shortly after putting up this page on my website, I saw someone with this shirt at a Salsa Congress. I think the caption says it all!! |