The science
Evidence Library
Science-backed research and evidence on how dance transforms lives, improves mental wellness and enhances cognitive and physical health — the studies Dance for Wellness™ is built on.
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Four at once
One dance, four feel-good chemicals.
Dopamine
Joyful music
The reward signal, released when you listen to music you love.
Oxytocin
Dancing with others
The bonding hormone, released by moving in sync with a group.
Serotonin
Meaning and belonging
Linked to mood, from feeling connected to the people around you.
Endorphins
Moving and sweating
The body’s own pain relief, from sustained physical effort.
Dual-tasking
Why group dance, specifically.
Most exercise asks the body to repeat. Group dance asks it to decide — which step comes next, where the group is moving, how the music is changing — many times a minute.
That split-second, combined thinking and moving is called dual-tasking. It’s the thread running through the strongest studies on dance and the aging brain, and it’s the principle every Dance for Wellness™ class is built on.
Advocacy
If it works like medicine, it should be covered like medicine.
We advocate for insurance coverage of dance lessons as a recognized therapeutic intervention — so cost is never the reason someone can’t take part.