Dance as an Ode to Belonging

"When I walk into my local silent disco, even after five years, I still feel a small pang of awkwardness at the door. It never stays. Under a soft glow of lilac, with sequins from bags catching the light and scattering it across the floor, the format is simple: settle the body, connect, and dance. The lightly guided movement at the start puts everyone on an equal footing. Discomfort dissolves."

"Dance helps people find small points of connection that can support belonging. Sophie Gill of POHSS Studio explains this clearly: "In our spaces people connect through the shared love of music and movement first and there is an 'unspoken' (literally) unity that occurs. The belonging comes from enjoying an experience together, firstly and then evolves into so much more. 'A community that moves together moves together' is what I often say.""

"While the research base from across the lifespan is growing, there is converging evidence that dancing with others can support belonging in ways that are immediate and meaningful. What the research shows Disadvantaged adults in a 12-week dance program described stronger acceptance within the group and a growing sense of belonging, which accompanied reductions in depression and social isolation (Murrock & Graor, 2016)."

Silent discos and community dance settings use gentle structure, shared music, and lightly guided movement to reduce initial awkwardness and equalize participants. Headphones can create a private listening experience while maintaining shared rhythms and visible celebration, making the activity social rather than solitary. Shared movement supports small points of connection that grow into belonging through mutual enjoyment of music and movement. Research across the lifespan shows converging evidence that group dance can produce immediate, meaningful feelings of acceptance, reduce isolation and depression in disadvantaged adults, and create accessible spaces for people who struggle to find belonging elsewhere.

Read at Psychology Today