Arts for Health Programs

WHOLISTIC
Dance for Brain and Whole-Person Health

Discover. Engage. Advance.
Strengthen Community Health.

Become a Community Dance Leader

Discover how accessible dance can support movement, cognitive engagement, emotional expression, and social connection. Learn to create welcoming dance experiences in which how movement feels matters more than how it looks.

Dance and Public Health

How you feel is more important than how you look

This program uses dance as an accessible community health activity. Its primary focus is health promotion, participation, connection, and well-being—not performance quality or clinical treatment.

The training materials explicitly distinguish community dance for public health from Dance/Movement Therapy. Community dance is group-based and focused on health promotion, while Dance/Movement Therapy is a specialized clinical practice delivered by credentialed therapists.

Four Benefits of Community Dance

Physical

Balance, postural control, mobility, strength, flexibility, coordination, and cardiovascular movement

Brain and cognitive health

Memory, attention, reaction time, executive function, motor-cognitive dual tasks, and cognitive flexibility.

Emotional well-being

Joy, creativity, stress regulation, self-expression, and positive emotion

Social connection

Belonging, eye contact, empathy, nonverbal communication, synchronization, and interpersonal trust.

What You Will Learn

Foundations

Warm-ups and stretching
Creative movement
Improvisation
Choreography
Safe movement modification

Elements

Body: What moves
Space: Where it moves
Time: When and how quickly it moves
Force: How the movement is expressed

Dance for brain

Mirroring and observation
Memory and movement sequences
Opposite-side movement
Speed and level changes
Reaction and switching activities
Motor-cognitive dual tasks

Dance for older adults

Balance and fall prevention
Coordination
Range of motion
Cardiovascular movement
Attention and memory
Emotional regulation
Social participation

Dance Leader Pathway

Level 1: Dance Facilitator

10 hours of in-person or hybrid training
Dance principles, safety, cultural competence, and whole-person health
Creative dance and choreography activities
Readings and practice
Level 1 competency evaluation

Level 2: Dance Instructor

Complete or test out of Level 1
At least 30 hours of facilitator activities
Level 2 competency evaluation
Preparation to lead independently

Level 3: Dance Master Educator

Complete or test out of Levels 1 and 2
At least 200 hours of dance instruction
Observed teaching
Level 3 competency evaluation

Who Can Participate?

The program is open to adults aged 18 and older who are interested in movement, healthy aging, public health, teaching, or community service. Previous experience may be helpful but is not required unless program leadership confirms that requirement.

Participants must be 18 or older and willing to complete a minimum annual volunteer commitment.

Certification

Certified leaders receive curriculum access, continuing education, newsletters, and invitations to events.

editor_choice Dance Instructor Certificate

Levels 1 + 2
1 Year

Renewal involves instruction, volunteer teaching, evaluation and continuing education

workspace_premium Dance Master Educator Certificate

Levels 1 + 2 + 3
1 Year