5 Dance and wellbeing
Dance and drama provide opportunities for children and young people to use their imagination, develop individual skills and work together with peers to create shows, productions or performances. While engagement in dance and drama might be a personal process, with individuals each benefiting from different aspects, there is an evidenced connection between dance and wellbeing. Dr Anna Duberg delivers a powerful TEDx Talk entitled ‘How we can dance our way to better mental health’. She developed Dance for Health, a dance initiative to improve youth mental health and reduce stress through dancing, which is now widely implemented across Sweden as a cost-effective complement to school healthcare and has touched the lives of thousands of young people (TEDx Talks, 2023).
There is a risk that certain forms of dance can be stereotypically portrayed for particular groups of people. For example, it is only fairly recently that ballet pointe shoes have been created in a range of skin tones (Freed of London, no date), and it tends to be female dancers who dance en pointe. Yet the opportunity to move to music in different ways is something that can be made available to most children and young people. In some cultures, dance is a key part of family and community celebrations. Whereas for others, it might take place in extracurricular activities or leisure time pursuits.
In the next activity, you have the opportunity to hear the experiences of some young people who enjoy and benefit from participating in dance.
Activity 4 Theatre and dance
Watch Video 1 of a young disabled woman, Saida, who has been a participant and now volunteers at Chickenshed in London, a theatre company designed to include everyone.
Then, watch Video 2 which captures reflections by a range of children and young people about why they love to dance.
Use Table 2 below to record any key quotes, that you believe support the view that dance has positive impact on wellbeing.
Transcript: Video 1 I am Saida
Transcript: Video 2 Why do you love to dance?
| Quote | Impact on wellbeing |
|---|---|
| Example: ‘I was quite a shy person when I was younger. I still kind of am, but I feel like I could never talk. I could never speak in front of 100 people, but I feel like I could dance in front of 100 people. It just makes me so confident.’ | Positive impact on self-confidence, linking to mental health |
Feedback
Saida and the other young people highlight a wide range of positive experiences as a result of their participation in drama and dance. These range from individual experiences where they feel able to be themselves, whatever their personality, age, gender, sexuality, body shape or ability.
Some of them convey a sense of freedom and enjoyment of both expression and physical movement. For others, they appreciate the opportunity to have fun with friends and support each other, while also learning new skills. The links to wellbeing are multiple and connections can be seen regarding physical and mental health, as well as opportunities for community, care and creativity.