"Wellbeing is a combination of physical, mental, emotional and spiritual states that are cultivated and chosen," says one dance practitioner. Other artists associate wellbeing with the freedom to make choices for oneself or to have quality personal, social and professional relationships. According to the World Health Organisation, wellbeing is "a resource for daily life and is determined by social, economic and environmental conditions... it encompasses the quality of life and the capacity of individuals and societies to contribute to the world with a sense of meaning and purpose".
Finally, what is wellbeing and how does dance relate to it? Are dancers, whose art is considered to contribute to the well-being of society, the first to enjoy this privilege?
A new report by the European Dance Development Network (EDN) seeks to shed light on this issue. The key interest of the report is not only to look at the strategies and skills that dance practice can bring to society in relation to health and well-being, but also to look at if and how these same strategies affect the working environments and working conditions of dance professionals. The study was conducted by Monica Gillette, a dance dramaturge and facilitator. Between January and November 2024, EDN presented and produced a series of online and onsite events together with members and partners. Nearly 400 participants in these activities contributed to the mapping for this report.
The research showed that there are a number of ways in which wellbeing is processed and experienced: at a sensory and physical level, through relationships, and in the wider context of being recognised and respected and having the opportunity to contribute to society with a self-defined sense of purpose and meaning. Dancer and choreographer Tommy Noonan challenges the notion of wellbeing as some kind of fixed ideal, seeing it as a fluid concept to be understood in relation to different needs.
According to the report's author, "this expanded understanding of wellbeing, with definitions ranging from government organisations to artists and arts administrators, is part of what makes the issue of wellbeing within the European contemporary dance landscape so relevant to the wider society".
Dance is increasingly recognised for its contribution to wellbeing, social healing and social cohesion. Throughout the research for the report, it became clear that it is not only the act of dancing that can enhance wellbeing, but also the many practices and approaches that dance artists and organisations have cultivated to create an environment of care as a key ingredient for a more just and equitable coexistence.
The report highlights some of the ways in which dance contributes to societal wellbeing. There are many examples of dance meeting a diagnosis such as Parkinson's disease, cancer, multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer's disease, depression, cognitive disability and mental illness. Depending on the main symptoms associated with these diagnoses, the report suggests that dance practice can support improved motor skills, pain management, cardiovascular fitness, memory loss and a reduction in anxiety, depression and trauma reactions by focusing on physical and emotional awareness.
Another important and formative area is integrating dance into school settings, starting at a young age. Access to dance in the early years enhances communication, motoric and cognitive skills, nurtures essential social skills and encourages collaboration and emotional expression. As the report points out as children grow older, dance can provide an important outlet for increasing body awareness and self confidence, empowering them to connect with themselves and others in meaningful ways. Dance can facilitate greater social cohesion, notably combating isolation and loneliness in teenage years. Dance in school settings can also provide an added benefit to participating school teachers, who are often up against the challenges of shifting demographics, increased workload and low pay.
Additional areas in which dance can improve wellbeing include people dealing with forced displacement, contexts of trauma, conflict and grief, as well as a variety of intercultural and intergenerational projects, to name a few. While each requires their own specific adaptations and considerations, very often common outcomes occur, such as improved self-confidence, body awareness and positive emotions, and a stronger sense of connection, belonging and empowerment.
According to the research and specific case studies examined, incorporating movement and body work into the running and development of an organisation can have transformative results. For example in Nomad Dance Academy, are engaging movement practices before board meetings in order to enable softer communication and smoother and more gentle approaches to problem solving. Also in Tanzhaus Zürich over the past four years there have been regular sessions where the entire administrative and production team, as well as technicians and dramaturgs, meet in the studio for embodied sessions with a facilitator.
And since the contribution of dance and its professionals to the wellbeing of specific and wider social groups has been recognised in the above and many other ways, one might expect that dancers would be in a constant state of wellbeing as a result of their involvement in dance, and that they would share this wellbeing with society by creating a stock of it. Apparently this is not the reality.
In line with the findings of the survey, and in support of others with a similar focus in most cases, freelance artists exist in the unpredictable landscape of constantly applying for funding, auditioning or seeking co-producing partners to fund their work. This means that many live from project to project and supplement their income in a variety of ways, either through other roles within the arts, such as teaching or producing, or through jobs outside the arts.
Most dance artists and organisations also have to constantly apply or lobby for financial stability, which is often extra and unpaid work. In terms of wellbeing, being in a state of constant concern for stability is exhausting and time-consuming.
At this point we can recall the findings of On the Move's October 2024 study, published by Creatives Unite, on mental health, wellbeing and cultural mobility. The report refers to the 2022 Arts and Culture Barometer, which found that "more than half of responding artists are concerned about their mental well-being. 40%, particularly performing artists, have considered or already changed jobs in the past year, with younger artists feeling the most pressure. The report goes on to describe the stressors that negatively affect artists' wellbeing, such as irregular working conditions, lack of long-term contracts, constant competition for grants without recognition or feedback. Most artists also lack occupational health care, have to work through illness to avoid loss of income, and have little opportunity to recover from work-related stress.
With this in mind, the EDN study suggests breaking down the separation between dance professionals and society or the public, "recognising that we are all part of the society we often talk about changing or improving through dance". As the author of the report points out, "it is time to take a fresh look at the knowledge and practices developed by dance artists and organisations as a guide to improving our own wellbeing at personal, collective, systemic and policy levels".
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Photo credits: Photo 1: Nick Youngson, Photo 2: Lambtron
Photo source1, photo source 2
