The Importance of Dance

Taking time each day to practice dance or dancing freely around the living room can positively impact people’s health. Not only is dancing a form of creative expression that can help build a person’s creativity and imagination, but it can also positively affect physical and mental health. People who choose to take time out of their days to dance can see improvements in many aspects of their life.

The Modern Electronic Dance Scene

The first electronic dance music came in the 1980s and was called House, considered a descendant of disco music (California Institute). Its first appearances were found in Chicago, Detroit, and New York City and featured an intensified disco-type beat with little to no vocals (California Institute). These new styles are still seen today in the modern electronic dance music scene.

Today’s electronic dance music has switched over from vinyl to a heavy reliance on digital technology. “Most electronic dance music today directly derives from House music, featuring 4/4 steady beats, or drum patterns, and eight-bar repeating cycles (California Institute). New technology now offers electronic dance music the opportunity to have acoustic, organic, and electronically generated sounds to intertwine with the music in creating today’s electronic dance music (California Institute).

Various electronic dance music events all have similar aspects but may range in size and design. Different classifications of these events include “raves, music festivals, mainstream clubs, and after-hours clubs” (California Institute). The term “rave” usually is defined as a group of people gathering to dance and listen to electronic dance music.

Groups Committed to Healing Dance

Some different styles of healing dance include 5Rhythms and Ecstatic Dance. “5Rhythms is a dynamic movement practice—a practice of being in your body—that ignites creativity, connection, and community” (5Rhythms). 5Rhythms allows participants to reach out of their comfort zone and delve deep into their inner creativity and connection. People looking to try out 5Rhythms can also expect to interpret each rhythm in their own way that allows them to rediscover themselves and connect with others in a group setting (5Rhythms).

Ecstatic dance is a form of dance that allows dancers to move freely to the music and rhythm, which often leads to trance and feelings of ecstasy. Ecstatic dance may make participants feel connected to others around them and their own emotions, and it also acts as a form of meditation that can heal people’s stress.

How Dance Can Help The Healing Process

Electronic dance music can heal in a variety of ways. “Through the act of dance, EDM participation requires one’s awareness to be in the body, allowing participants to experience “a kind of bodily mysticism, in which mystical union is experienced on physical, somatic, and kinesthetic levels” (Sylvan, 2005, p. 78)” (California Institute). Electronic dance music can enhance psychological health and well-being through several different themes, including connectedness, embodiment, altered states of consciousness, spirituality, personal transformation, utopian models of society, neo-tribalism, gnosis, and connection to the primordial past (California Institute).

5Rhythms offers participants a way to heal by allowing them to express themselves freely. This free expression can have an overall therapeutic impact on the body and a rediscovery of one's true self.

Ecstatic dance’s healing comes from encouraging participants to express themselves freely and offering opportunities to connect with others in the group. These aspects of ecstatic dance promote the alleviation of stress and a feeling of serenity.

So as we can see, dancing has the fantastic ability to heal both mentally and physically. People trying to heal with stress and anxiety can positively impact their mental health when implementing dance into their lives. Adding dance into their routine can help alleviate some of the daily struggles they might face. Dance, in general, can be used psychotherapeutically and as a healing tool (NCBI). People who take time to dance can also see physical improvements, including improved balance, motor skills, and other muscle improvements (NCBI). Overall, dance is a great way to get active and creative while also healing mentally and physically.

Ways to Make Dance A Part of Your Life

Listen to music in the car or while making dinner at night. By adding music into random moments during the day and letting yourself dance, you begin to allow your body and mind to connect to the music
Find a fun video online to dance along with
Find an online group that is offering virtual dance
Join a local in-person dance event such as Ecstatic Dance OKC

Learn more information about Ecstatic Dance OKC’s monthly events.