Music & Mental Health in the Dance Field

The dance and the song propel each other into existence, and the beating pulsing heart of the song determines each leap and each step and each spin. The melody and the tempo and the beat of the song instruct the dancer where and how much to work and when to move and how to feel. Quicker tempos may produce active kinetic movements while slower songs produce looseness and grace. The relationship isn't a visual but a kinetic relationship. Music coordinates the brain's motor activity and body movement for greater coordination and fluidness. For the dancer, the appropriate music doesn't so much accompany their performance but rather supplements it by programming the body's movements in time with sound.

In addition to physical motion, music also has a central role for the dancer's mental health. Listening to and dancing to music stimulates the release of dopamine and related pleasure chemicals in the brain and lowers stress and anxiety. It creates a doorway for emotional release where the individual may release emotions through motion that may otherwise become locked-up and debilitating. Music and dance have even been therapeutically employed to work towards issues of mental health like depression and post-traumatic stress. For the dancer, making intentional choices around a piece of music may be a fantastic ally; not just for the escalation of physical performance but also for the building of emotional resilience and mind health both stage-side and life-side.