Antonio Banderas sold us (well,
I was already sold) on the personal and social benefits of dancing in
Take the Lead. I've been reading many articles about studies attesting the health benefits of dance. I read another article today about a project in an Argentine hospital. Borda and Ramos Mejia hospitals in
Buenos Aires, offer Tango workshops or
"Tango Therapy" (in French).
Silvina Perl, the workshop coordinator, works with patients with mental illnesses or disorders to treat their psychosis. At Ramos Mejia, Perl works with seniors who struggle with solitude and depression. Through Tango, Perl helps them reach out, reconnect and in some cases, relearn social interaction.
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| credit: lapresse.ca |
LaPresse.ca (French) has also published an
article on the benefits of dance on teenage girls. I've been a firm believer that dance, in all disciplines, brings much good and develops many skills. My friends at
Swing Dynamite also believe, as
Frankie Manning did, that
Lindy Hop makes people happy. They invited me to blog about it!
Dance sharpens the mind as well as the body. It also has many social benefits, especially if it is a social dance (obviously!), like swing (or ballroom). For instance, it develops a transferable ability, such as
breaking out of your comfort zone. Moreover, if you work on
contact improvisation, it can enable you to think on your feet (pun intended). There are many ways dance can have a
positive effect on your life, whether you practice dance or observe and appreciate it.
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Project: Ballet in the Street
Credit: Mercedes Déziel-Hupé
Dancer: Kim Ng |
Earlier this Fall, I also read about the
emotional benefits of ballet on girls. This is but one of many on the same topic, like these ones by
Child Development Institute Parenting Today,
Livestrong,
Ehow Mom, Suite101 or
Girlsrcool.com. Many of them make some valid points, thus helping dance shed some of its bad rep (eating disorders ring a bell?). But few are "academic" or "scientific" and as with everything, it'll take years, many dedicated spokespeople and many more funky projects (such as the
Ballerina Project, the
Ruche En Pointe video or
Levis commercials) to make dance alluring to pop culture (and of course, funders). I am also working on a project of my own to help promote dance in Ottawa, it's
Ballet in the Streets (or the Galleries 1,2,3 of the project on
my tumblr).
If only these studies existed when I was trying to write a thesis on a similar subject... before I "suspended my program until further notice". Perhaps academics in my immediate surroundings did not see the value of such a research. Or perhaps I felt so lost as to where to begin supporting something I knew deep down; dance is a language and it's good for the soul..
Maybe if we collectively start to recognize the value of dance, we'll foster creative endeavors, boost our self-esteems, feel great and look good while dancing to that Korean Top 40 song...oh,
you know it.
