Dance for Health
PUBLIC RESOURCE
Dance for Health provides holistic, evidence-based activities for the individual to manage and adapt to physical, mental, and social health challenges.
In Dance for Health sessions, trained teaching artists engage people as dancers, rather than patients, in joyful, interactive, artistic practice.
-IADMS Definition
Global Advocacy, Benchmarking, & Research
In 2019 the World Health Organisation (WHO) published a report representing the most comprehensive evidence review of arts and health to date, referencing over 900 publications, including 200 reviews covering over 3000 further studies. The evidence shows a robust impact of the arts on both mental and physical health and found that the arts can help in providing multisectoral, holistic, and integrated people-centered care, addressing complex challenges for which there are no current healthcare solutions.
At IADMS, we promote innovation in research and best practice, bringing together the healthcare and the dance sectors to facilitate the implementation of dance-based practices within evolving health and social structures. We are pursuing an international consensus on core benchmarks that would allow dance-based programs to be implemented in a health care context, be covered by insurance, or be prescribed by a health professional. Overall, we advocate for dance as a life-long partner for health and well-being, building collaborations among multidisciplinary stakeholders to influence national and international dance for health policy.
Global Advocacy - A Call for Champions from Across the Disciplines. IADMS Dance for Health Champions are members either working in the field of Dance for Health, following Dance for Health developments out of personal or professional interest or new to the field of Dance for Health and curious to find out more. These supporters and advocates volunteer time, passion, and expertise to support the initiatives of the IADMS Dance for Health Committee. Together we cultivate and magnify internal advocacy, and organize activities to integrate IADMS health care and Dance for Health members. Champions take on the role of bridges to advance and diffuse knowledge, research, and best practice in the field of Dance for Health.
If you would like to become a Dance for Health Champion, please email danceforhealth@iadms.org.
Find Our Dance for Health Resources here:
Blog Posts:
Developing a Dance for Health Project
Ballet for All: Adapting: Shifting Focus to Adapt Practice
Healthy Dancing for Every Body
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DANCE FOR HEALTH NETWORKS
AUSTRALIA
- Australia Dance Health Alliance - www.dancehealthalliance.org.au
- Australian Centre for Arts and Health - www.artsandhealth.org.au
- CHALCollective - The Institute for Creative Health
CANADA
- National Center for Dance Therapy, Les Grandes Ballets - https://grandsballets.com/en/national-centre-for-dance-therapy/about-the-centre/
EUROPE
- The Dance & Creative Wellness Foundation - www.danceandcreativewellness.com
- Nordic Arts and Health Research Network - https://taikusydan.turkuamk.fi/research-network/
- European Association of Dance Movement Therapy - www.eadmt.com
- Migrant Bodies, Moving Borders - www.migrantbodies.eu
UNITED KINGDOM
- People Dancing and OneDanceUK - www.danceinhealthandwellbeing.uk
- Aesop - Arts Enterprise with a Social Purpose - https://ae-sop.org
- Culture Health & Wellbeing Alliance -www.culturehealthandwellbeing.org.uk
- All Party Parliamentary Group On Arts, Health and Wellbeing - https://www.culturehealthandwellbeing.org.uk/appg-inquiry/
- The MARCH Network - www.marchnetwork.org
- Akademi - Dance Well - https://www.akademi.co.uk/dance-well/
- Arts & Health South West - www.ahsw.org.uk
- Royal Academy of Dance - Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing - https://www.royalacademyofdance.org/dance-with-us/dance-for-lifelong-wellbeing/
- Arts and Health - National Resource for Ireland - www.artsandhealth.ie
- Sidney De Haan Research Centre for Arts and Health - https://sidneydehaan.wordpress.com/
UNITED STATES
CALIFORNIA
- National Organization for Arts in Health - https://thenoah.net
- The Tamalpa Institute - www.tamalpa.org
FLORIDA
MARYLAND
MINNESOTA
NEW YORK
- Dance for PD®, Mark Morris Dance Group - www.danceforpd.org
- Gibney - https://gibneydance.org
VIRGINIA
- National Dance Society - www.nationaldancesociety.org