When asked, "Why and How is Dance Beneficial?" I Reply:

The benefits of dance and creative movement are at the forefront of all therapeutic and mental health arenas. It is considered one of the best modalities for mental health with tremendous benefits with extensive research to validate these known benefits.

Kristen is holding up her award for Dancer of the week surrounded by her dance friends

Some of these benefits include:

Physical Benefits - an increase in motor skills, fine and gross, muscular strength, flexibility, and improved range of motion through regular movement training.

Emotional Benefits - students learn how to express emotions with others in a healthy, supported environment facilitating better communication w/ oneself and others. Self-awareness and self-confidence increase as a result.

Intellectual Benefits - The movement training tasks in class call on analysis, synthesis, and movement responses. Dance requires a unique kind of thinking that relies on creative problem solving. Solutions to movements also require students to develop higher level critical thinking skills.

Social Benefits - Dance, because of it's intimacy level, and requiring vulnerability on many levels creates opportunities for meaningful social interactions and connections, and a profound sense of belonging.

Therapeutic Benefits - Dance Movement Therapy offers an opportunity to record alternatives in the bodily emotional expression within a supportive environment that helps regulate and modulate emotions. DMT's effectiveness is related to working with the awareness of bodily experiences when they emerge, are created or repeated. DMT operates where sensation and meaning come together. Focusing and working with the body and movement enhances the integration of the psychosoma.