July 31, 2020 • 8 mins
Gyms are closed and we’re stuck at home with too much screen time. The cure: Dancing. Turns out dancing is good not just for the body but is also a proven mood-booster. Learn how to make the most of your moves from Dr. Elise Risher, Director of the Dance/Movement Therapy Program at Sarah Lawrence College.
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Episode Transcript
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Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something good
(00:27):
for today. Many of us are spending more time indoors
than we might like, too much screen time, too much TV,
can't go to the gym. Many are getting grumpy and
maybe even gaining weight. That's why it's good news to
hear about a trend that's getting us off the couch
and making us happy. Across the globe, people are dancing more,
(00:48):
joining virtual dance parties or taking online classes. There are
regular dance parties hosted by d j D Nice fans
include Michelle Obama and Rihanna, and there are also popular
daybreaker events morning dance parties that take place before the
workday starts. Turns out dancing can make a real difference
for mind and body during the pandemic, and science shows
(01:09):
that dance is more than just exercise. A study in
the New England Journal of Medicine showed that dance can
even reduce one's risk of dementia by seventy six percent.
And think about all the good chemicals that dance releases
into your body. Daybreaker founder Rata agra Wall uses the
acronym dose to list them dopamine, oxytocin, saratonin, and endorphins,
(01:31):
all of which lead to feelings of happiness. Today we're
talking to Dr Elise Rischer, who was the director of
the Sarah Lawrence College Dance and Movement Therapy program. She'll
tell us why dancing maybe the ultimate feel good therapy
for these COVID times. Here's what she had to say. So,
Dr Rischer, thanks so much for joining me. Oh my pleasure,
(01:51):
Thank you for having me. So why is dancing so
good for us mentally as well as physically and and
what are the benefits to mind and body? So typically
we think about dance as being beneficial to the body. Right,
it improves balance and coordination. It uh, it gets our
(02:12):
blood pumping, right, it gets uh the hearts pumping, blood moving. Um,
it helps us with motor planning, motor control, voluntary movement.
But well, we don't always kind of identify are the
less visible things that the dance can really provide A
way to calm the body. It can lift our mood, right,
(02:32):
It causes the release of endorphins, It increases levels of serotonin,
which you know improves our mood, and dopamine which also
helps with brain functioning. And it it organizes us and
gives us access to our emotions in a way that
we might not otherwise have. So sometimes, you know, you
(02:53):
ever have that feeling and I feel something, but I
don't quite know what it is I'm feeling, or I
feel blood, I feel stuck, um, And dancing actually can
help clarify that. So we find when we're working with
people in a mental health setting, when they might start
out with that I don't know what I'm feeling, after dancing,
(03:14):
they have more access to those emotions and they can
articulate what those feelings are. Is dance a particularly useful
tool right now during COVID, Yeah, it absolutely is. And um,
you know, one of the things that happened with COVID, uh,
certainly for the students that we're training, is that you know,
you get moved away from this embodied experience. Right, We've
(03:41):
got this virus that is that we can't see causes
people to be anxious frightened. We're isolated from one another. Um,
there's this kind of constant change we have no control of.
We don't we can't plan. Many people are dealing with
loss either of loved ones, their livelihood, of their own health,
(04:01):
their sense of security. We're witnessing trauma happening out in
the world. We're you know, we're seeing videos of of
men being brutally murdered or brutalized. And for many of us,
we're doing this from a distance, right, We're sitting in
(04:22):
front of a screen witnessing it where somehow disembodied, we
may spend the day on zoom. Others are actively putting
their lives on the line. They're out there. There are
essential workers, their health workers. They're exposed to the virus UM.
So dance can be a wonderful way to get us unstuck.
(04:43):
It gets us back in our body, you know, as
I said before, it gets that blood pumping, It gets
the heart beating faster. Right, we get our feet stomping.
What's also great about dance, beyond just the physical, is
that it accesses our creativity and our imagination, and in
doing that, it accesses our capacity to enact change. Right.
(05:05):
It allows us to connect with one another. So it
may be the people that you're isolating with that you
can dance with, or maybe it's somebody on a screen. Um,
you know that there are opportunities for connection with other people.
When we mirror other people in movement or move together
in rhythm, we feel a connection. It gives an opportunity
(05:27):
to play with one another, right, you know, be filly
to experiment. Um. So I think you know, I'm always
saying to my students at this point in time, this,
we're really offering something that uh, you know that is
so needed. It can feel superfluous when there's so much
(05:47):
going on, but in fact, dances are most elemental experience.
I always say, if you if you can breathe, if
you're heart eating, you can dance. So are there any
moves that you feel are more beneficial, are effective than others?
And and how much time do we need to spend
to get the full benefits? I always say more is better,
but even one song can do it. Right, put on
(06:08):
your favorite song uh and and dance to it. It
can lift your mood, can shift your perspective. Right, your
breath gets deeper, your joints are loosened, it relaxes you.
And it doesn't really matter what type of movement um
anything that speaks to you, whether it's uh, you know,
some kind of complex dance moves that you that you're
(06:29):
trying to learn by the latest TikTok um, or if
it's like folk dance or cultural dance that connects you
to your past in some way. But we really encourage improvisation,
you know, just find that space in your body that
feels like it wants to move and and let that
begin the movement um and bring it into your whole body. Well,
(06:53):
this is amazing and I'm definitely want to start dancing,
like immediately, I'm already thinking about the songs that I
want to play. Thank you so much for doing this, um,
and thank you so much for your advice. This is
this is just wonderful and we're so grateful to have
you on the show. My pleasure. Thank you again. It's
so great to hear from Dr Rischer about the positive
(07:15):
impact dance can make. So here's something good for today.
Dancing is an inexpensive, easy and fun way to alleviate
the negative feelings we've built up during the pandemic. The
substances released by dancing our happiness makers, and you don't
even need to do any special steps. Improvisation works just fine,
(07:35):
and if you're pressed for time, even one song can
make a difference in your mood. So pump up the
volume and add a little dancing to your day. Okay,
thank you for listening, and please share Today's something Good
(07:56):
with others in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli, co
author of Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women.
To learn more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women
dot com or download the Seneca Women app free in
the app store. Cares Something Good is a production of
the Seneca Women podcast network and I Heart Radio Have
a Great Day. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
(08:23):
check out the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
Welcome to this episode of Here's Something Good, a production
of the Seneca Women Podcast Network and I Heart Radio.
Each day we aspire to bring you the good news,
the silver lining, the glass half full, because there is
good happening in the world everywhere, every day, we just
need to look for and share it. Here's something good
(00:27):
for today. Many of us are spending more time indoors
than we might like, too much screen time, too much TV,
can't go to the gym. Many are getting grumpy and
maybe even gaining weight. That's why it's good news to
hear about a trend that's getting us off the couch
and making us happy. Across the globe, people are dancing more,
(00:48):
joining virtual dance parties or taking online classes. There are
regular dance parties hosted by d j D Nice fans
include Michelle Obama and Rihanna, and there are also popular
daybreaker events morning dance parties that take place before the
workday starts. Turns out dancing can make a real difference
for mind and body during the pandemic, and science shows
(01:09):
that dance is more than just exercise. A study in
the New England Journal of Medicine showed that dance can
even reduce one's risk of dementia by seventy six percent.
And think about all the good chemicals that dance releases
into your body. Daybreaker founder Rata agra Wall uses the
acronym dose to list them dopamine, oxytocin, saratonin, and endorphins,
(01:31):
all of which lead to feelings of happiness. Today we're
talking to Dr Elise Rischer, who was the director of
the Sarah Lawrence College Dance and Movement Therapy program. She'll
tell us why dancing maybe the ultimate feel good therapy
for these COVID times. Here's what she had to say. So,
Dr Rischer, thanks so much for joining me. Oh my pleasure,
(01:51):
Thank you for having me. So why is dancing so
good for us mentally as well as physically and and
what are the benefits to mind and body? So typically
we think about dance as being beneficial to the body. Right,
it improves balance and coordination. It uh, it gets our
(02:12):
blood pumping, right, it gets uh the hearts pumping, blood moving. Um,
it helps us with motor planning, motor control, voluntary movement.
But well, we don't always kind of identify are the
less visible things that the dance can really provide A
way to calm the body. It can lift our mood, right,
(02:32):
It causes the release of endorphins, It increases levels of serotonin,
which you know improves our mood, and dopamine which also
helps with brain functioning. And it it organizes us and
gives us access to our emotions in a way that
we might not otherwise have. So sometimes, you know, you
(02:53):
ever have that feeling and I feel something, but I
don't quite know what it is I'm feeling, or I
feel blood, I feel stuck, um, And dancing actually can
help clarify that. So we find when we're working with
people in a mental health setting, when they might start
out with that I don't know what I'm feeling, after dancing,
(03:14):
they have more access to those emotions and they can
articulate what those feelings are. Is dance a particularly useful
tool right now during COVID, Yeah, it absolutely is. And um,
you know, one of the things that happened with COVID, uh,
certainly for the students that we're training, is that you know,
you get moved away from this embodied experience. Right, We've
(03:41):
got this virus that is that we can't see causes
people to be anxious frightened. We're isolated from one another. Um,
there's this kind of constant change we have no control of.
We don't we can't plan. Many people are dealing with
loss either of loved ones, their livelihood, of their own health,
(04:01):
their sense of security. We're witnessing trauma happening out in
the world. We're you know, we're seeing videos of of
men being brutally murdered or brutalized. And for many of us,
we're doing this from a distance, right, We're sitting in
(04:22):
front of a screen witnessing it where somehow disembodied, we
may spend the day on zoom. Others are actively putting
their lives on the line. They're out there. There are
essential workers, their health workers. They're exposed to the virus UM.
So dance can be a wonderful way to get us unstuck.
(04:43):
It gets us back in our body, you know, as
I said before, it gets that blood pumping, It gets
the heart beating faster. Right, we get our feet stomping.
What's also great about dance, beyond just the physical, is
that it accesses our creativity and our imagination, and in
doing that, it accesses our capacity to enact change. Right.
(05:05):
It allows us to connect with one another. So it
may be the people that you're isolating with that you
can dance with, or maybe it's somebody on a screen. Um,
you know that there are opportunities for connection with other people.
When we mirror other people in movement or move together
in rhythm, we feel a connection. It gives an opportunity
(05:27):
to play with one another, right, you know, be filly
to experiment. Um. So I think you know, I'm always
saying to my students at this point in time, this,
we're really offering something that uh, you know that is
so needed. It can feel superfluous when there's so much
(05:47):
going on, but in fact, dances are most elemental experience.
I always say, if you if you can breathe, if
you're heart eating, you can dance. So are there any
moves that you feel are more beneficial, are effective than others?
And and how much time do we need to spend
to get the full benefits? I always say more is better,
but even one song can do it. Right, put on
(06:08):
your favorite song uh and and dance to it. It
can lift your mood, can shift your perspective. Right, your
breath gets deeper, your joints are loosened, it relaxes you.
And it doesn't really matter what type of movement um
anything that speaks to you, whether it's uh, you know,
some kind of complex dance moves that you that you're
(06:29):
trying to learn by the latest TikTok um, or if
it's like folk dance or cultural dance that connects you
to your past in some way. But we really encourage improvisation,
you know, just find that space in your body that
feels like it wants to move and and let that
begin the movement um and bring it into your whole body. Well,
(06:53):
this is amazing and I'm definitely want to start dancing,
like immediately, I'm already thinking about the songs that I
want to play. Thank you so much for doing this, um,
and thank you so much for your advice. This is
this is just wonderful and we're so grateful to have
you on the show. My pleasure. Thank you again. It's
so great to hear from Dr Rischer about the positive
(07:15):
impact dance can make. So here's something good for today.
Dancing is an inexpensive, easy and fun way to alleviate
the negative feelings we've built up during the pandemic. The
substances released by dancing our happiness makers, and you don't
even need to do any special steps. Improvisation works just fine,
(07:35):
and if you're pressed for time, even one song can
make a difference in your mood. So pump up the
volume and add a little dancing to your day. Okay,
thank you for listening, and please share Today's something Good
(07:56):
with others in your life. This is Kim Azzarelli, co
author of Fast Forward and co founder of Seneca Women.
To learn more about Seneca Women, go to Seneca Women
dot com or download the Seneca Women app free in
the app store. Cares Something Good is a production of
the Seneca Women podcast network and I Heart Radio Have
a Great Day. For more podcasts from my heart Radio,
(08:23):
check out the i heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or
wherever you listen to your favorite shows.
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