Have you heard about NeuroArts? Check out the latest research!

What is NeuroArts and how does Dance Debut programming support the arts and science research around wellness through the arts, music, and movement?

Human flourishing requires the ability to be creative and to explore artistic opportunities for expression. This is a way to regulate and process emotional experiences and to move past the experience into a problem-solving or supportive way. This a critical detail in our busy and demanding lives.

In a recent video, “Creativity and the Brain: How the Arts can shape well-being,” Richard Sima of the Washington Post explores NeuroArts in a series by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. There was some interesting discussion about the arts that we use in our everyday lives and the power of the arts in our well-being. All topics have been front and center for me throughout my life, and in my profession from dance educator to wellness facilitator.

At about the 10 min mark they share the research discovered that children by the age of three are desensitized to art exploration and creativity can begin to wane. This can hinder their ability to flourish, problem-solve and engage in creative and artistic ways. Just a few minutes later they explore how mental health is also supported by the arts. In fact, arts play a significant role in the support of mental health and can assist with anxiety, depression, neurological disorders, and more. For adults who engage in creative endeavors, arts, and activities, there is an increase in the overall sense of well-being. This can also prevent the onset of anxiety and depression as well.

It is imperative that we create a community of care in our environment because it is in our workday, or the activities that we spend the most time, that we will either be supported in well-being or drain our well-being. In the workplace, we want to inspire and cultivate healthy relationships and creative opportunities that lift the gifts and spirit of who we are as a person.

NeuroArts is the place where a growing body of research-based knowledge about how the brain and body respond to the experience of art is stored. And it is the springboard for interventions and programs that translate that knowledge into practice in clinics, homes, workplaces, and communities, all in service to individual and collective well-being. Here is a link for that information.

Parkinson’s research realizes the power of movement to the brain. What we know from neuro-reflex integration is that the brain requires movement for it to know what kind of function is required by the rest of the body and organ systems. Balance, cognitive function, depression, sleep, the halo effect – how those around us can lift our mood and be a community of support, are all important to how easily or how challenging it can be to feel energized and full of vitality during our most important creativity and action-based part of the day – the workday.

Online programs have meant better access, group gathering, and an easy fit into the schedule. The movement together with a group can inspire the movement one does alone after work or on breaks. What if you didn’t have to wait until breaks or after work? What if your whole day was empowered by the actions and postures you use while working?

The Balancing Business program provides participants with awareness techniques so that they can realize how stress is exhibited in their bodies. These can troubleshoot challenges before they can manifest into health challenges that may not be reversed through simple action.
Visiting museums, galleries, theatre, etc., or being involved in crafts, painting, and art, reduces the risk of cognitive decline. Art investment has a similar effect on health and well-being equal to physical activity. The Balancing Business program includes both. In fact, just as our days can be filled with neuro arts, the components of Balancing Business instinctively are supported by the arts, without any effort!

When we move, our body is speaking its own language, and there is a dance between the joints, muscles, fascia, brain, organ systems, and more as they find their balance and flow together. Used throughout the day, with color, sound, music, connection with others, and more, we can be uplifted and inspired to find harmony within ourselves.

It was EO Wilson who said, “We need each other in a collective to support our well-being and growth.” Susan Magsamen explores laying the foundation for a flourishing life by exploring nature as a sensorial art form and considering the sensorial goldmine we have in our five senses. Often explored through mindfulness practices, the Balancing Business program takes this into a deeper sense of knowing through the structure of the body, and the awareness of what being energized feels like. Dr. Michelle Greenwell has perfected the awareness skills and tools that awaken who you are and how you are feeling. Engaging in these tools throughout the day transforms the day, the business productivity and creativity, and one’s overall well-being experience.

Near the end of the interview, Jess Bone of the University College London states something that Michelle has kept forefront in her entire career as an educator and motivator – “The arts are a health behavior.”

To join Michelle for her special workshop next week, please click here to register. See how Michelle’s four decades as a dance educator and business owner have inspired her new program and also supported her own well-being through the challenges over the years, through the pandemic, and beyond – for you as a professional and business owner to find the way to flourish and be successful as a mentor and inspiration to others.