Neuroscientists are turning to the multifaceted activity of dance to demystify how the brain coordinates the body to perform complex, precise movements that express emotion and convey meaning. Dancing requires the coordination of limbs, posture, balance, gesture, facial expression, perception, and action in sequences that create meaning in time and space.
More and more research is showing that dance activity reaches deep into those areas of the brain responsible for cognition and emotional expression, bulking up the brain’s capacity to scaffold new connections and work more efficiently. Dance is a complete process for modeling, shaping, doing, and redoing our individual brain wiring diagrams. This helps youth build the greatest capacity for learning and development. A brain that “dances” is literally transformed by it.
The Physical Activity Dance Group at UT Arlington partners with Tarrant County Youth Collaboration and Dancing Classrooms North Texas to help recruit and train teaching artists needed to deliver this award-winning physical education program to north Texas public schools and coordinate special events such as Ballroom-Style dance competitions for fifth and eighth grade students.
