DANCE

The Role of Dancing in the Educational Process

  • Dance can enhance physical, cognitive, and emotional development in students. It combines movement with learning, fostering creativity and self-expression.
  • Dancing can make the integration between a person's body, mind and soul. The person does not exist without a body revealing its soul and the soul can not exist if it does not express itself through the body.
  • Dance supports a holistic approach to education by addressing multiple aspects of development (physical, mental, emotional, social) simultaneously.
  • Dance promotes emotional expression and can be a way of releasing stress and tension. It encourages teamwork, communication, and the development of social skills through group performances and collaborations.
  • Dancing helps improve motor skills, visual-spatial coordination, balance, and overall physical fitness.
  • Through dancing children can acquire concepts about space and orientation (front/back, right/left, near/far) and develop notions about time and rhythmic structure and rhythmic sense.
  • We can not know much of our body if we do not move it.
Reference: Marzia Candela, Rosa Conte, Nicolina Pastena, Cristiana D’anna, Filippo Gomez Paloma, The Role of Dancing in the Educational Process, Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, Volume 106, 2013,Pages 3069-3074, ISSN 1877-0428.(Link)

What Can Dance Teach Us about Learning?

  • Learning through physical action and observation, exemplified by dance, is a powerful and essential educational tool.
  • This method of learning is supported by the brain's action observation network which activates both when we observe and when we perform actions.
  • The integration of physical learning in education will stimulate creativity, increase motivation, and social intelligence, moving beyond a solely cognitive approach to a more holistic understanding of human development.
Reference: What Can Dance Teach Us about Learning? - Scott T. Grafton, M.D. About Scott T. Grafton, M.D. (Link)

Why Do We Dance?

  • Dance arises from natural human movements, like walking, but is differentiated by rhythm and an aesthetic quality.
  • Rhythm is inherent to human life (e.g., heartbeat, breathing) and the universe, as seen in the cycles of nature, it reduces mental effort by creating automaticity in movements, which has practical applications in labor and group activities.
  • Dancing is a physical expression of heightened emotions such as joy, fear, anger, or love and it serves to amplify or evoke emotions through physical movement.
  • Based on their psychological and social motivations, there are 3 categories of dances:
    • Religious dances: for worship, spiritual ecstasy, or to connect with the divine.
    • War dances: to intimidate enemies or inspire aggression and unity among participants.
    • Profane dances: focused on courtship and social interaction, often reflecting societal attitudes toward morality and propriety.
  • History: In earlier periods, dance served as part of religious or sacred rituals across cultures, often tied to religion, fertility, and communal celebration. Examples include:
    • The sacred dances of ancient Egypt, Greece, and Rome.
    • Medieval funeral dances, symbolizing the tension between life and death.
    • Renaissance and Baroque-era social dances that reflected societal hierarchies and decorum.
  • Dance is driven by the instinct for life, a response to death, and the need for societal cohesion linking the physical to the cosmic.
Reference: Engel, Carl. “Why Do We Dance?” The Musical Quarterly, vol. 6, no. 4, 1920, pp. 510–31. JSTOR. (Link)

Dance and the brain: a review

  • Dancing helps the brain stay flexible and adaptable, thanks to its mix of movement, music, and emotions. When people train in dance for a long time, their brains physically change to support better control of movement, balance, and spatial awareness.
    • For expert dancers, certain parts of the brain involved in hearing and controlling movement grow stronger and thicker.
    • Another part of the brain, the corpus callosum, which helps the two sides of the brain work together, becomes better connected. This makes communication between the left and right sides of the brain faster and more efficient.
  • Dance training strengthens the brain's auditory-motor integration, crucial for syncing movement to music. EEG (Electroencephalography) studies show that expressive movements generate distinct neural patterns, which could be decoded using machine learning algorithms, revealing the emotional intent behind movements.
  • Dance-based therapy shows promise for:
    • Parkinson disease: Tango and other dance interventions improve mobility, balance, and symptom severity.
    • Autism and psychiatric conditions: Dance therapy provides emotional regulation and social interaction.
  • Dancers and musicians develop distinct brain adaptations suited to their training because dance combines artistic creativity with athletic precision, differentiating it from other forms of physical training.
Reference: Karpati, F. J., Giacosa, C., Foster, N. E. V., Penhune, V. B., & Hyde, K. L. (2015). Dance and the brain: a review. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1337(1), 140–146.(Link)

The Health Benefits of Dance. Home Health Care Management & Practice

  • Dance offers health benefits similar to traditional exercises like jogging or swimming, but with added fun and creativity, making it easier to sustain as a regular activity.
  • The side-to-side movements in dance strengthen weight-bearing bones (e.g., femur, tibia) and improve muscle tone and posture but also increases flexibility.
  • Dance boosts activity in brain regions responsible for memory, multitasking, planning, and attention. Memorizing routines and working with a partner challenges the brain, helping it stay sharp and adaptable over time.
  • In a 21-year study cited in the article, they discovered that individuals of 75 years old who engaged in reading, dancing, playing board games, and playing a musical instrument once a week had a 7% lower risk for developing dementia. Those who participated in these activities at least 11 times per month reduced their risk of dementia by 63%.
  • Dance therapy is tailored for individuals with physical or psychological limitations, helping manage stress and improve mental and physical health. It is effective in treating:
    • Eating disorders and body image issues.
    • Developmental motor problems in children.
    • Limited range of motion in older adults.
  • Dance is found in every culture, making it something that connects people all around the world. It shows how dance can bring people together and be a simple, enjoyable way to express yourself and stay active.
Reference: Alpert, P. T. (2010). The Health Benefits of Dance. Home Health Care Management & Practice, 23(2), 155–157. (Link)

Why people dance – evolution, sociality and dance. Dance, Movement & Spiritualities

  • Dance integrates intellect (reason and cognition) with affect (emotion and feeling). It provides a way for discovering self-awareness, the human condition, and emotional expression.
  • Dancing and social evolution: The act of dancing together creates a unique social dynamic, allowing individuals to experiment with and create new relationships or ideas and it had a significant role in the evolution of human societies.
  • Cultural Examples of Dance's Impact (emotional or experiential states associated with dance and cultural practices)
      Kefi (Greece)
    • The term kefi originates from Arabic and Turkish roots, meaning health, merriment, or heightened spirits and it refers to a state of emotional intensity, often experienced during Greek social dances.
    • Kefi is not only a personal feeling but also a shared communal experience, emphasizing a collective euphoria. It involves a combination of joy, nostalgia, and emotional catharsis, sometimes even accompanied by tears.
    • Kefi is not only a personal feeling but also a shared communal experience, emphasizing a collective euphoria and it involves a combination of joy, nostalgia, and emotional catharsis, sometimes even accompanied by tears.

      Mafana (Tonga-Polynesia)
    • Mafana translates as "internal warmth" or heightened emotional consciousness, particularly felt during Tongan music and dance performances. It reflects feelings of joy, enthusiasm, and exhilaration, blending personal emotion with cultural expression.
    • Mafana is experienced during formal social and ceremonial events that foster collective appreciation for aesthetic beauty and deep societal values, such as the lakalaka dance, which combines poetry, movement, and music.
    • It manifests through intricate choreography, improvisation, and refined movements, such as the fakateki (a subtle head flick)

      !Kia (San Communities in Africa)
    • !Kia is a state of increased consciousness reached during the healing dances of the San people of Southern Africa. It involves activating spiritual energy, known as n/um, to heal both individuals and the community.
    • N/um, a spiritual power stored in the pit of the stomach, is "heated" through rhythmic dancing, singing, and communal participation. As the energy rises, it culminates in !kia, a transcendental state where the healer connects with the spiritual world. Reaching !kia is a physically intense and emotionally challenging process, requiring the dancer to overcome fear and pain.
    • The shared euphoria of !kia strengthens bonds within the community, creating a profound sense of connection and unity. The process combines physical exertion with spiritual liberation, making the dance a vital part of the San's cultural and social identity.
Reference: 4. Grau, A. (2015). Why people dance – evolution, sociality and dance. Dance, Movement & Spiritualities, 2(3), 233–254. (doi:10.1386/dmas.2.3.233_1)