Why Dance?

Dance is a powerful vehicle for brain health, wellbeing, and community.

Inspired by our founder’s passion for bridging neuroscience and dance, all of our programs emphasize a partnership between the arts, the sciences and community.

Dance is very special and unique, as it’s both an aesthetic activity as well as a form of exercise. And it really packs a punch when it comes to our health.

“If you had to design from scratch an activity to reduce the risk of dementia, it might involve socializing, communicating, using the brain, and engaging in aerobic exercise. In other words, it might look a lot like dancing.”

– Simon Long, World Alzheimer Report 2023 lead author and Editor at Large for The Economist

Dance . . .

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Enhances our agency, helps us build new spaces of belonging and champions our collective joy!

Dance is a universal language and when we join together in making dances, we share in elevating our voice beyond just the spoken and written word.

Increases coordination, agility, and strength

Older adults who practice dancing have improved gait and show significant improvement on standard physical fitness tests. (Source: Verghese et al (2006) J. Am. Geriatr. Soc doi: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2006.00808.x ; Rodríguez and Paris-Garcia (2022) Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health.)

Motivates older people to be physically active

Underactivity is a confirmed, modifiable risk factor for dementia (>85% of older people do not meet recommendations regarding physical activity). (Source: Harrison et al (2020) J. Primary Care & Community Health; WHO, Physical activity (2022).)

Improves well-being and supports neural synchronization

Older people who took part in dance classes experienced improved mood, which resulted in a reduced need for depression medications. Engaging in dance involves mirroring. Mirroring results in synchronous engagement of brain areas associated with empathy. (Source: Vankova (2014) JAMDA; Ellingsen et al (2020) Science Advances).

Supports cognitive function and causes positive changes in the brain

Older adults who engage in moderate aerobic dance activity show activation in networks of the brain that support memory. (Source: Sinha (2021) Neurobiology of Learning & Memory.)