The science
Dance does what other exercise can’t.
Movement, music, memory and other people, all at once. That combination is why researchers keep finding stronger results for dance than for walking, cycling or the gym.
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.
Selected research
What the studies say.
Dementia risk
Frequent dancing was linked to a lower risk of dementia than any other physical activity studied.
A 21-year study of adults over 75 compared leisure activities. Dancing stood out among physical activities — swimming, cycling and walking did not show the same effect.
Verghese J. et al. “Leisure Activities and the Risk of Dementia in the Elderly.” New England Journal of Medicine, 2003.
The aging brain
Dance grew the hippocampus more than conventional fitness training.
Seniors in an 18-month dance program showed greater gains in hippocampal volume and balance than a group doing repetitive endurance and strength exercise.
Rehfeld K. et al. “Dancing or Fitness Sport?” Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 2017.
Depression
Dance movement therapy reduced symptoms of depression.
A meta-analysis of controlled trials found dance movement therapy effective for reducing depression and anxiety in adults.
Karkou V. et al. “Effectiveness of Dance Movement Therapy in the Treatment of Adults with Depression.” Frontiers in Psychology, 2019.
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.