“Some dancers thrill audiences with exotic poses and excessive speed. I think you should care more about entering people’s hearts and elevating their souls than about entertaining their minds” (Venkatraman, 2006). Dance is defined as a series of movements that match the speed and rhythm of a piece of music (Webster Dictionary). Even though this is the literal definition of dance, there is so much more to it. Dance is the movement of the soul and of the heart and it is such a powerful and strong form of expression that it is so hard to truly comprehend. Emotions are what make us human, and when we use our movement to tell a story using these emotions it makes us stronger as individuals.

“Dancing is an excellent form of exercise because it not only burns calories and builds muscles, but it also contributes to an overall sense of happiness” (Hanson, 2003). Dancing releases an increased amount of endorphins because it is not just about the physical activity; it is also about the music, which both affect the mind. Like runners, dancers experience what is known as a mood boost, created by endorphins when they are released “when the body is forced to exert itself at a certain level” (Hanson, 2003). In addition to that, dancing creates a high sense of satisfaction of knowing that you worked hard to reach certain goals. Although these are all things that might seem temporary, there are also many long-term benefits for mental well-being.

Dancers tend to be self-motivated and self-disciplined. Dancers are used to working towards a specific goal and are aware that the results won’t happen overnight. In addition to being extremely self-motivated they also have gained a variety of skills that help them both inside and outside of the studio. Dancers are trained to learn to repeat things not only with their bodies, but also with their hands and in words. This process of repeating things until it becomes a memory is a skill that gives dancers an advantage with anything that they do in life. These skills typically allow dancers to be highly disciplined and this discipline carries over into other aspects of their lives (Hanson, 2009).

Dancing both professionally or just for fun can lift spirits and make one feel better both mentally and physically. A study done in the New England Journal Of Medicine states that dancers have a sharper mind than any other athletes and they are at a lower risk for developing brain disease than people who don’t dance. It was the only activity out of 11 that lowered the risk of dementia by 76%. In addition, dance is known to help eliminate depression and strengthen social bonds. These are just a few of the benefits that dancing has on mental health and overall well-being (Hanson, 2017).

There has always been a division between how we move our bodies and what we do with our brains. As time has passed there has been a growing body of scientific evidence which suggests that “the way that we use our body can have an impact on the way we think” (Lovatt, 2017). Dance can lead to changes in the way a person thinks as well as their level of creativity. Some people believe that it is the physiological arousal of dance that leads to this change but others believe that it has something to do with the freedom of dance-based movement and the positive emotions it produces (Lovatt, 2017).

In a study conducted by Peter Lovatt in 2017, where he had his co-workers dance in the workplace and then do a problem-solving activity in order to figure out the impact this had on their brain and the way that they think. He found that different kinds of dance helped them solve different kinds of problems. He also found that all forms of dance help with divergent thinking. “Divergent thinking is a thought process used to generate creative ideas by exploring many possible solutions” (Lovatt, 2018). This kind of thinking is a skill that takes a lot of time developing and this study shows that dancing can quickly engage the part of the brain that allows people to think divergently.

When Lovatt discovered this divergent thinking skill he immediately began to figure out how dance could help with Parkinson’s disease (PD). Parkinson’s disease leads to “a disruption of the divergent thinking processes” (Lovatt, 2018). Keeping this in mind, he began to conduct an additional study where he had patients with PD use improvised dance to improve their divergent thinking abilities. This is just one of the ways that dance can change the way that people think and improve an individual's quality of life even with a disease like PD.

Not only does Lovatt believe that dancing can help people become more divergent in their thinking processes, but he also believes that it can help boost self-esteem in individuals. He believes this because of a study conducted by Rebecca Beris in 2013. She found that since dance had such a high degree of tolerance for imperfection, it became easier for people to feel comfortable with themselves. She studied 11 sports and found that dance was the only sport that kept athletes smiling or laughing. This is astonishing considered that many athletic directors at both high schools and colleges don’t even consider dance to be a sport (Lovatt, 2018).

One of the things that makes dance so beneficial to both the body and the mind is the way that music is integrated into everything. The American Dance Therapy Association writes, “dance encourages dancers to express strong emotions in their portrayal of the music and so teach them how to express themselves and grasp a stronger sense of musicality and passion in not only their performance but in their life.” Dance allows for creativity through musical connection which has been proven to improve depression by 47%. Lyrical dance has commonly been used in movement therapy because of the strong connection between the music and the movement. Psychologists say that it helps their patients tune in with their emotions and really begin to understand what they are feeling (Supplies, 2018).

This powerful connection between music and movement has a huge impact on the lives of so many people. In addition to allowing people to tune in with themselves, it also allows them to connect with other people on a deeper level. Oxford University has discovered that social stereotypes can be broken down between groups of children through dancing. A study conducted by the university in 2015 taught 100 children multiple dance moves and then split them up into groups to practice. They later asked these groups to perform in front of each other and they found that the students watching felt a close connection with every single person that was dancing because they just did the same thing. This study proves that dance can pull all kinds of people together and defy stereotypes,  something that is extremely important in today’s society (Tuncgenc, 2016).

A study conducted by The University Of Illinois found that dance may be a form of interpersonal intelligence. The students who dance will generally put more effort into their academics and can help people become more aware of themselves. They state that “because dancing involves nonverbal spatial and musical intelligence it can lead to improvements in reading and nonverbal reasoning” (Keinänen, 2000).

A recent article that was sent out in the AARP Newsletter proves that dancers obtain certain qualities that set them apart from other people. Dancers typically have extremely strong cognitive skills as well as memory due to having to pick up choreography quickly. In addition to that, a study conducted in 2005 by research from McGill University found that dancers are also extremely good at multitasking because they have to think about so many different things while they are performing (Hetland, 2003). These are only a few of the qualities that set dancers apart from other people in a professional environment.

An enhanced memory is one of the biggest qualities that sets dancers apart because remembering choreography is a huge part of being a dancer. Dancers are required to memorize sequences of movement after only being shown it a couple of times; most people just can’t seem to comprehend how that is possible. If you take a closer look at the structure of the human memory, you will find that there are three key things that dancers do in order to enhance their memory. These three elements are visualizing the movement, going over the movement with their body slowly, and practicing it both in and out of the studio. Not only do these three things help dancers remember things quickly but it also shows how hard working you have to be to participate in such a demanding physical and mental activity (Lovatt, 2017).

Not only does dance have the ability to enhance memory but it can also create a higher level of intelligence. Intelligence is defined as “the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills” (Webster Dictionary). To put it simply, the essence of intelligence is decision making. Neurologists all around the world have found that in order to improve your mental acuity, you should try and involve yourself in activities that require rapid decision making skills. Dr. Robert Katzman states that “dancing is an example of a fast-paced activity that demands speedy decision making skills. It requires instant responses to questions like Which way to turn? and What speed to move your body?” (Beris, 2016). Because this is something that dance requires, Katzman believes that dancing is an excellent way to maintain and enhance  intelligence.

In addition to both enhanced memory and intelligence, dance is also known to help improve muscle memory. Dancers can achieve more complex movements when they participate in the process of marking the movement. Marking simply means walking through each move to get the basic idea of the overall movement down. Researcher Edward Warburton, a former professional ballet dancer, found that marking movement “lessened the conflict between the cognitive and physical aspects of dance” (Beris, 2016). By marking through movement it gives the dancer a chance to memorize and repeat moves with more fluidity which helps to get it into their brain (Beris, 2016).

One of the most common themes between all of this research is that “dance is the movement of the soul and of the heart and it is such a powerful and strong form of expression that it is so hard to truly comprehend” (p. 1). No matter how hard researchers try, there is really no way to truly comprehend the effects that dancing can have on the brain. There are so many people out there who, often times, disregard the powerful effect that dance can have on mental health. It is important that even though many people believe that dance is not as physically challenging as many other sports, the benefits it can have on a person’s mentality is astonishing. All of the skills that people can acquire through dance not only create a higher sense of self, but can also put an individual ahead in the workplace, whether it be related to dance or not.

As a dancer myself, I have experienced the undeniable benefits that this form of artistic expression has on both my physical and mental health. Through learning to express externally, emotions that had so long remained internal, I discovered the release that dance provides. Like countless studies have shown, I’ve come to understand the endless benefits resulting from dance, among these, a sharpened mind and thought process, a stabilized mental state, an improved self and interpersonal awareness, an emotional freedom, and a more complete humanity.