Dance is beneficial to our health and fitness. The exercise it provides leads to a strong and toned body, the endorphins it releases contribute to an improved mental outlook, and the socialization of shared dancing offers us support and community. Public dance classes are available in traditional genres. In addition, new hybrid dance classes aimed specifically at fitness have developed. Zumba uses salsa steps and rhythms in a dance class of non-stop movement. Jazzercise is a dance franchise that uses jazz dance in its fitness program. Other dance fitness trends emerge continually.
Around the globe there are organizations aimed at developing community dance programs. People Dancing, a UK group, supports dance programs for all across the country, including therapeutic dance, like dance for People with Parkinson’s. Similar programs exist world-wide including the US.
There are a variety of ways that dance and movement therapy can be used to enhance the quality of life among people. The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) describes these techniques as “psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration to improve a person’s overall well-being (ADTA). Dance therapists work in a wide variety of settings, from hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, and drug treatment facilities to schools, nursing homes, community centers, and prisons. They can also work as freelancers or by founding private practices.
Contextual Connections
An article in Headway, a journal for brain injury, quoted research fellow, Dr Gemma-Collard Stokes. She said, “What we have in dance is a uniquely rich sensorial experience that combines physical, cognitive and socially stimulating activities…“Stimulating our sensory systems through dance can assist in the process of rebuilding the pathways between cognition and our motor skills…”
https://www.dancemagazine.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-becoming-a-dance-therapist/
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Dance/Movement Therapy Video
Parkinson’s disease is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder that affects a person’s ability to move, causing freezing, unintended, or uncontrollable movement of the muscles. Several programs offer specialized classes to aid people with Parkinson’s, helping to improve aspects such as balance, flexibility, coordination, and forming a mind-body connection.
Dance for Parkinson’s classes empower participants to explore movement and music in ways that are stimulating, refreshing and creative. The classes are designed for people with PD and their companions, offering a fun and creative outlet to them in the form of dance.
The Dance for PD® program was developed and implemented by the Mark Morris Dance Group of Brooklyn, NY. Dance for PD is internationally active and acknowledged as an effective way to manage symptoms of Parkinson’s through movement, music, imagery, and socialization. Extensive information on the program and its effectiveness, along with scientific research to support the work, can be found on the Dance for PD website. People suffering from other complaints like neuropathy, dementia, and traumatic brain injury also find benefit in attending these dance classes.
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Meet members of Brooklyn’s flagship Dance for PD® class and learn why the program has become such an important part of their lives–and why you belong here too.
People Dancing is “the UK development organization and membership body for community and participatory dance.” They promote dance as a fun and healthy activity for all people by engaging “the general public in creating and performing dance with friends and families.”
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