About the positive effects of dance on psyche, creativity and well -being

Art is a constantly changing mix of intellectual and emotional, physical and spiritual . It turns subjectivity a virtue.

Art as an individual form of expression offers a unique remedy with which we can explore ourselves and our position in the wide world, and is an incomparable way to exchange ideas with other people about what we see and feel, think and feel.

Art is a way to open dialogue

Dance is a full -fledged art form

Dance is a full -fledged art form , which is one of the "performing arts" , an end in itself and a means of enabling people to express their inner feelings, thoughts and experiences.

Dance is a natural form of self -expression : the body is of course expressed and with it the mind. We are all beings with free will, no matter how our personal situation may be. Through the dance, our body expresses how free we actually are while at the same time emphasizing the restrictions that our mind imposes.

Dance is the art form in which human movement becomes a medium to perceive, understand and communicate ideas, feelings and experiences. Dance has its own content, vocabulary, skills and techniques that need to be understood and used to master art.

The elements of the dance are the basic concepts and the vocabulary for the development of movement skills and the understanding of the dance as an art form. All of these elements are available in a dance or even in a short movement phrase.

But is this the only "use" of art forms? Your "higher expression" in the stage area? Or is it time to connect to our body again and return to dancing as an integral part of our lives?

A short historical excursion to the origins of the dance

Representing arts including dance have been part of human civilization since the beginning. We were born with an instinct for movement.

The dancers were considered crazy by those who couldn't hear the music. ”

Friedrich Nietzsche

Dancing in prehistory

People have danced constantly in antiquity, since the dance has always been one of the intrinsic forms of expression of humans. Nature events, community meetings, family moments, war and peace, the seasons ... - All of these were moments and events that should be expressed by collective, family and individual dances.

Dance is a universal form of expression that is anchored in every culture and community. Its roots go back to the history of how impressive wall representations in European, African and Asian caves prove. Particularly noteworthy is the "dancing shaman" from the three-brothers cave in southern France. Archaeological finds, such as dance images in Egyptian graves and Stone Age rock paintings on the Bhimbetka rocks in India, illustrate that dance is one of the oldest art forms of mankind. Since the dance does not have any material shape, art historians rely on such illustrations for dating.

At a time without highly developed language, the body served as a means of communication among the tribes to exchange identity and messages. Already around 4000 BC. The first dance techniques developed and religious dances were refined with new forms of movement such as balancing act and pair dance. This progress led to more harmonious and more complex choreographies. Dancing should never be underestimated; It was essential for our ancestors for communication.

Dancing in antiquity

In antiquity, dance played a central role in cultures, especially in ancient Egypt and Greece . Egyptian dancers were characterized by high leg movements and excellent balance, which underlines the high importance of dance in this society. In Greece, the dance was even more important and included different types such as religious, dramatic and lyrical dances.

Those who spoke to truth about the origins of dance explain that he was born at the time when all things were created, and so he (the dance) is as old as love, the oldest of the gods. "

Lukian von Samosata describes the essential role of dance: in his work de Saltatione .

Homer's works "Ilias" and "Odyssey" show the relevance of dance in wedding rituals, with men and women dancing together. Particularly noteworthy is the Dionysian dance , which was considered a connection between mortal and gods and was carried out in honor of Dionysus in religious ceremonies. The dance was therefore not only an expression of cultural identity, but also an important element in spiritual rituals.

The dance played a diverse role in antiquity: it served to communicate and establish friendly contacts, the worship of gods in ceremonies and rituals as well as healing by macabre dances. He was also used to express feelings against family and potential partners.

Every dance transported a specific message or emotion, such as the lyrical dances in honor of Apollo. In Greece, men and women usually danced separately, whereby common dances formed the exception. The dance made social ranking, gender, age and origin visible.

Dancing in the Middle Ages

The Middle Ages was a challenge for the history of dance art, characterized by a lack of written records. Only the nobility and the clergy had access to educational resources, which is why dances were mainly handed down orally. The Catholic Church also questioned numerous types of dance and prohibited nightly dancing, which further hindered the development. Nevertheless, dance forms such as rod dances and pair -row dances been handed down by iconographic sources.

In the late Middle Ages, dance masters began to capture these dances in notations, which documented the higher -standing social classes. Today it is possible to learn medieval dances - be it in dance schools or with private teachers - and even without professional knowledge, everyone can find access to the fascinating world of medieval dance.

The positive effect of dance ...

In the transition from childhood to adulthood, we begin to suppress our natural urge to move. Our movements are increasingly restricted and tasks due to social norms and cultural embossing. Dance is a culturally valid medium that can revive this natural urge in our adult life and authentically satisfy.

Kashyap (2005) defined dance as a unique physical discipline in which emotional, psychological, spiritual, intellectual and creative energies are combined and harmonized.

Dancing has an invigorating effect on mind and body and lets people move in patterns outside the constraints of everyday life. Dance influences our personality, our behavior and our relationships with the environment and finally strengthens self -image and independence .

The important aspects of our psyche and personality, which are demonstrably positive on dancing, are self-confidence , self-esteem , creativity , constructive communication and coping patterns .

... on creativity

Creativity affects each of our senses - seeing, smelling, hearing, feeling, tasteing and maybe even the extraordinary. One can define the term “creative thinking skills” as the constellation of generalized spiritual skills such as divergent thinking, productive thinking, inventive thinking or
imagination.

The phenomenon of creativity is still of considerable interest for researchers due to the increasing demand for new solutions for old or persistent problems.

In a study by Banes (1998) it was found that dancers may be better able to oscillate between the fantasy world of dance and reality, with a clearly positive correlation on their creativity. A better repertoire of thinking processes such as attention, concentration, concept formation in dancers enables you to get involved in the process of dancing and sink into it.

Creative movement and dance share an ubiquitous connection and lead to self -discovery . Badrinath (2002) believes that the expression aspect of the dance only ignites the creative potential of dancers.

We dance to laugh, we dance to cry, we dance to madness, we dance to hope, we dance to scream, we are the dancers, we create the dreams. "

Albert Einstein

Are you interested in bringing more creativity into your life? Then dance courses may be just right for you. Dancing creates unique connections in your brain, which enable you to look at situations from a different perspective and to find creative solutions.

Dance is a valve to express itself through different movements. It leaves room for new emotions through an artistic risk. With dance you express your inner emotions without restrictions that enable a creative perspective.

Physical activity in general is not only good for your body, but also good for your mind. To be active releases endorphins that ensure that you feel more confident, creative and healthier.

... on self -confidence

The self -concept is the cognitive aspect of the self, which refers to one's own self -image. Self -esteem is the affective or emotional aspect of the self and generally refers to how we feel or how we appreciate ourselves (Brown and Marshall, 2006).

Components of self -esteem that are specifically for certain areas of life experience are competence, kindness, sympathy, self -control, personal power, moral self -detention, physical appearance and body function.

Researchers have pointed out a possibility of growth or self -transcendence that allows dancing. Beards experience a number of advantages, including a positive body image and lower self-objectification, as non-dancing college students (Tiggemann, Couts, & Clark, 2014).

It was also found that dancing strengthens confidence in our posture Dancing makes you beautiful and acts as a remedy for a broken self -image and strengthens self -confidence. Badrinath has also said that the basic attitude of dance brings confidence. Creative activities generally have a positive effect on our self -assessment .

Visit a dance course or a dance school

Would you like to immerse yourself in the creative forms of movement of dancing and send body, mind and soul to an exciting and extremely enriching journey? Then it makes sense to look for dance courses or a dance school

In addition to the instructions from a dance teacher, you get the opportunity to watch others around them and to pursue their movements. As you process the movements of the other participants, develop your own creative style, which makes your processes unique.

This will also increase motivation and competitive spirit in them. You want to develop, maybe even be better than the person next to you. At the same time, sibling can develop new ideas and inspire others.

A dancer, which was now passionate in adulthood, once reported how she went into her first dance course as a child and was completely overwhelmed. While the teacher choreographed, she met another girl her age, who was also in her very first dance course. Both young girls were nervous because of what was in front of them. However, there was a calming feeling to know that I was not alone in this situation. The girls subsequently developed a lifelong friendship and an immense love for dancing.

It became clear to them that nobody judges their appearance, but instead accepted their differences. Through this experience, they learned to make contacts and at the same time develop creative and physical skills that have been preserved all my life.

This experience report exemplifies a large number of dancing people who have found their passion with a dance course or in a dance school.

Dancing can fluid , but there is also a structure . Dancing is not about where you live or how you look, but about who you are and how you define yourself. If you are interested in having a more creative view of life, dance can be an extremely useful tool. It can help you develop new connections in the brain.

It is also a great way to express yourself, and it enables you to interact during a competition and thus strengthen self -confidence. All of this can lead to a more creative attitude to life. Many areas of life can benefit sustainably.

Dancing as a pedagogical instrument

We got to the bottom of dancing as an artistic form of expression and the passion exercised. Now we illuminate dance from another side: To what extent is dance in formal and non-formal education systems present?

To what extent is dance a tool in the hands of practitioners? Is it legitimate not only to "use" dance as an art form or as an expression, but as a pedagogical instrument?

In fact, dance offers a learning method that develops communication skills, problem solving techniques and creative and critical thinking in addition to kinesthetic skills. In essence, the aim of the dance training is to include the students in artistic experiences through the processes of the creation, performance and reaction.

Dance as a rich learning method cannot be used as an end in itself, but as a means and/or tools in formal and non-formal education in order to develop individual and collective skills for problem solving, learning concepts and the understanding of topics, linked movement activities with academic topics and enables practitioners to use the deeply rooted physical-kinesthetic intelligence of young people.

Dance activities enable the participants to tackle a variety of themed topics (possibly all) and are effective for dealing with all types of human behaviors. Guided explorations can be converted into concrete forms. Dance pedagogy offers a vehicle for holistic lessons that cultivated the human properties that are needed for society. Dance integrates mental, physical, emotional and spiritual aspects of education.

Dancing has an impact on life.

Dance education in youth welfare

Dance can be removed from the representative arts and used as a tool in youth work.

The Community Outreach Project in Sweden used hip hop , for example, to establish the basis and method of creating local meeting points that encourage creativity. This process encouraged young people and gave them opportunities to make positive changes in their lives.

The aim was to prevent discrimination and estrangement, and at the same time learn to promote diversity, participation and social engagement.

The use of non -formal participatory education gave young people a space to develop themselves and their interests. Hip Hop offered them the opportunity to channel their energy and creativity and thus positively influence their own situation. Hip-hop culture was used to encourage young people to make changes in their own lives and in society.

Dance in therapy

Finally, for the sake of completeness, we would like to respond to the possibilities of dance as a form of therapy.

Dance/movement therapy is defined as a psychotherapeutic application of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual for the purpose of improving health and well-being.

It was created in the 1940s, as early innovators, many of whom were experienced dancers, began to recognize the use of the use of dance and movement as a form of psychotherapy. It is a holistic healing approach that is based on the empirically supported claim that spirit, body and soul are inseparable and interconnected; Changes in the body mirrors 's changes in the mind and vice versa.

Dance and movement therapy as an embodied, movement-based approach is often difficult to describe because it is necessary to actively get involved in the process in order to get a real feeling for what it is.

The dance/movement therapy is based on the following premises:

• Movement is a language, our mother tongue. The non -verbal and movement communication begins in the uterus and continues throughout the life. Dance/movement therapists believe that the non-verbal language is as important as the verbal language and use both forms of communication in the therapeutic process.
• Body, mind and soul are connected.
• Movement can be functional, communicative, development -related and expressive. Observe, assess and intervene dance/movement therapists by looking at the movement through these lenses while it arises in the therapeutic relationship in the therapeutic relationship.
• Movement is both an evaluation instrument and a primary intervention mode.

Dance/movement therapists use these premises to lead their work and use body movement , the core component of dance, as primary access to their psychotherapeutic work.

Dance/movement therapists approach single, couple, family and group sessions by observing and evaluating both their clients and their own movements by using verbal and non-verbal communication to develop and implement interventions that address emotional, social, physical and cognitive integration an individual.

Further information on where dance/movement therapy is practiced and with whom dance/movement therapists work, see the following video:

Bibliography and sources:

• Kashyap, T. (2005). My Body My Wisdom: A Handbook of Creative Dance Therapy
• Kashyap, T. (2002). Sharing dance. NArthaki: A Directory of Indian Classical
  Dances
• Badrinath, V. (2002). Dancing for the body and the brain. In Narthaki: A Directory of
  Classical Indian Dances
• Brown, JD, & Marshall, Ma (2006). The Three Faces of Self-Steste. In M. Kernis, Same Issues and Answers: A Sourcebook of Current Perspectives
• Tiggemann, M., Coutts, E., & Clark, L. (2014). Belly dance as an embodying
  activity?: A test of the embodiment model of positive body image. Sex roles
• Fit to dance? - The Report of the National Inquiry Into Dancers' Health and Injury, by Dr. Peter Brinson and Fiona Dick, Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (London, 1996)
• Making kinesthetic sense: creative dance as a tool for learning, by Mary Ann Brehm and Lynne McNett, International Association for Creative Dance
• National Dance Education Organization Standards for Learning and Teaching in Dance: Ages 5-18. Reston, VA: National Dance Education Organization (2005)
• Regular Marvels - A Handbook for Animateurs, Practitioners and Development Workers in Dance, Mime, Music and Literature, by François Matarasso, The Community Dance & Mime Foundation (United Kingdom, 1994)

Joachim Rodriguez y Romero

Owner and managing director of Kunstplaza . Publicist, editor and passionate blogger in the field of art, design and creativity since 2011. Successful conclusion in web design as part of a university degree (2008). Further development of creativity techniques through courses in free drawing, expression painting and theatre/acting. Profound knowledge of the art market through many years of journalistic research and numerous collaborations with actors/institutions from art and culture.

www. kunstplaza .de/