How Dance Can Promote Justice and Well-Being

Justice for painful experiences or human rights violations is pursued in many forms. In furtherance of justice, individuals and communities adopt creative and meaningful ways to express their pain, heal, and become more resilient.

One such practice is dance—an arts-based solution with both therapeutic value and the power to promote physical, emotional, and mental well-being. Dance has been described as a much-needed "solution to the problems of the world" (Reid, 2013) and "an important player in countering tyranny [that] helps heal the wounds of torture and trauma and build a more humane society." (Jackson)

A closer look at dance-based interventions also signals the limitations of legal and political mechanisms and practices (courts, tribunals, policy, etc.) in matters of justice and well-being.

Mainstreaming Dance for Well-Being

There is rich literature from across disciplines to indicate the importance of dance. In a 2021 paper, Anne Wargo investigates how dance affects us "cognitively, physically, emotionally, and socially” (Wargo 2021: 35). The answers are substantial.

From a historical and cultural perspective, dance has bound human beings together for thousands of years and has today been "transformed, gained new meaning, and received renewed significance" (Mills 2017: 1). In other words, "the use of dance as a healing art is presumably as old as mankind." (Koch et al., 2019).

A medical view suggests that dance training can help with respiratory ailments, Parkinson’s disease, deterioration of muscles and memory during the process of aging, and other conditions. Small children and young adults, according to Aloff, are often advised by physicians to study dance for health considerations. (2022: 8). According to Dhami et al.:

"Dance may be able to aid with both physical and cognitive impairments, particularly due to its combined nature of including both physical and cognitive stimulation. Not only does it incorporate physical and motor-skill-related activities, but it can also engage various cognitive functions such as perception, emotion, and memory, all while done in an enriched environment." (2014).

In furthering human rights objectives, Jackson talks about how movement and dance might be employed as a healing modality for women refugees (Jackson 2008). The transformative power of dance has also been utilized through programs like Refugees on the Move (ROM), in which dance is used as a tool for social and cultural mediation in refugee camps in sub-Saharan Africa. The program aims at restoring "the refugees’ self-esteem, reducing violence in the camps and creating links with local populations through dance and physical expression, and collaboratively creating original contemporary works" (UNHCR).

In the field of psychology, dance therapies emphasize the relationship between the body and the psyche (Chodorow 1991). New interdisciplinary partnerships between psychology and creative arts (Millard et al.,2021) are evidence of the possibility of a stronger role of dance-based interventions for vulnerable groups. Dance movement therapy (DMT), i.e., the "psychotherapeutic use of movement, has long established the interconnection of body and mind, and the healing power of dance." (Koch et al., 2019)

A Universal Appeal for Dance

There is a strong case for spelling out the importance of dance in matters of justice and well-being. In the words of Jackson:

"Dance, as both a source for learning about and for impacting/changing our social, cultural, political, and economic worlds, deserves to be 'heard' in any arena in which rights and justice concerns are raised."

Beyond the realm of human rights legal activism, experts across other disciplines speak for the need for further investigations into the potential and power of dance as a response to some of the most complex challenges today (Koch et al. 2019; Dhami et al. 2021)

A universal appeal for dance must also consider integrating dance as a potential part of our everyday engagements with physical and psychological well-being challenges. Dance, Dhami et al. write, is a more appropriate and beneficial alternative to other practices like therapy. It is less costly, can be done anywhere, and is an enjoyable and social activity. Further, an appeal to encourage and support artists and other stakeholders on different platforms (business, academia, counselors, etc.) to create awareness and align their works with the objectives of justice and the well-being of all needs to be made.