The Argument for Dance in Cancer Care
The side effects of cancer diagnosis and treatment often result in complex and prolonged difficulties, yet there is little access to holistic or ongoing support. Difficulties include cognitive impairment and severe mental health challenges (including cancer related PTSD), body image disturbance, respiratory problems, incontinence, sexual health challenges, pain, drastic weight changes, fatigue, early menopause, sleep disturbances, reduced strength and coordination, lymphoedema, unemployment, loss of relationships, and more.
Compounding these difficulties can be an agonising sense of loneliness, as approximately 1 in 4 cancer patients are known to lack support - severely affecting one’s ability to cope.
The more I learnt about the challenges associated with cancer, and in parallel the numerous ways that dance could mitigate such challenges, the more determined I became to act. I founded Move Dance Feel in 2016 due to a strong conviction that dance can be part of the solution - filling the evident gap in care that overlooks people's ongoing physical and psychosocial support needs.
Move Dance Feel is a company led by women, for women - with any type of cancer, at any stage in their cancer experience (pre, during or post treatment). We also support women who are caring for someone with cancer. Our community describe dancing with us as a ‘pursuit of wholeness’, in that it tackles the sense of fragmentation that occurs due to cancer treatment, and compartmentalised approaches to mainstream cancer care. This life altering, or rather repairing, experience that our work offers is its greatest attribute.
“When you feel stretched too thin, with life pulling you in all directions, it’s so restorative to have Move Dance Feel to put yourself back together again and leave you feeling more grounded, centred and altogether stronger. The sessions are always a hugely positive experience and have become a real lifeline in my post-treatment recovery.”
When dancing as part of Move Dance Feel women transform, arriving full of tension and leaving in a state of blissful relaxation. They move from isolation to togetherness, from insecurity to confidence, from sadness to joy.
This shift in states of being and feeling can be both instantaneous and positively intense, amplified through the combination of music, whole body movement, creative expression and exchange. It is made possible through coming together to dance, as opposed to talking about cancer.
What stands us apart from other cancer support services is that dance - inherently - focuses on the relationship we have with our bodies. Our primary communication is physical. Unlike the majority of cancer support services, which expect people to verbalise and cerebrally process their cancer experience, Move Dance Feel offers an embodied approach to support, placing value on physical processing.
As cancer can cause sudden and immense changes to the body, people can commonly feel disconnected from it. And if disconnected from the body, one is largely disconnected from themselves. Dance promotes a greater sense of self awareness which helps to navigate such changes and to reconnect.
Drastic surgeries can leave women feeling like their bodies are ‘mutilated’, and yet when dancing they begin to ‘see the beauty’ again. Having a long term relationship with a healthcare institute (as is common when living with a long term health challenge like cancer) can result in viewing the body as problematic. Over a prolonged period of time this view is so internalised that it seeds feelings of self-judgement, distrust, anger, dislike or shame. Dance however offers an antidote. Its fun nature supports women to find pleasure in the body again, which helps to minimise such feelings and bring about a shift in seeing - causing changes in self perception.
Through collaborative, creative and playful dance explorations we focus on what the body can do, as opposed to what it can’t. This process of reconciliation is catalysed though dancing, and specifically the Move Dance Feel approach that includes, accommodates and celebrates women exactly as they are.
Our methodology consists of elements of practice adapted for this population and incorporates body nurturing (through touch, breath awareness, and imagery), which gives rise to feelings of self compassion. At the heart of compassion is acceptance, so when compassion is in the room so is a greater level of acceptance - for ourselves and for one another.
“I felt held by compassion, nothing could improve that.”
Tragically mainstream cancer care services tend to fixate on duration of life over quality of life, and this is reflected in the rise of mental health issues and long term disabilities among cancer patients that are partnered with feelings of constant worry. Dancing tends to quieten the worried mind, as it invites a cognitive workout that asks us to be here now - with this moment in time. It moves us towards a place of equilibrium - physically, mentally, emotionally and in relationship to others - enhancing mind body unity in a way that brings us into the present and frees us from over analysing yesterday or being concerned about tomorrow.
“The session made me feel that I was embracing the present. Afterwards I thought that, at the end, the quality of what we do today matters more than for how long we are going to be here.”
When we make time to dance it can be seen as an act of self care, in that you press the pause button on the busy-ness of life and accompanying racing thoughts and instead spend time in and with the body - attending in a way that fertilises its healing capabilities.
As the most social of all art forms, dancing deeply connects us to others. The universal language of dance, communicating through the body, gives rise to intimate and long lasting friendships. In the context of cancer, to move with a group of people who ‘just get it’ and reciprocally exchange energy and joy is enlivening - engendering a palpable sense of wellbeing.
Feeling well is largely attached to feeling in balance. When faced with a cancer diagnosis, or any unexpected and life changing event, one can easily feel out of balance. What demands attention can feel unfamiliar, and often asks more of us than we are able to give. The relentlessness of hospital appointments, treatments and ongoing side effects, accompanied by an overwhelming (yet understandable) emotional response, can feel continuously destabilising. Consequently the effort and energy needed to rebalance is inaccessible - especially when journeying through cancer alone.
We invite people into connection through dance, and move through perceived limitations towards possibilities. In Move Dance Feel sessions women learn how to rebalance, to regain range of motion, to reclaim control over the size and speed of their movements, and to reconnect with their energy and strength. They are guided to release through movement, easing tension in both body and mind, and to notice the difference in feeling before and after the sessions. This learning by doing, not just by thinking or talking, is what reignites trust in the body and its abilities. Abilities that are enhanced by the sense of togetherness that dance generates.
“The enjoyment comes from a sense of dancing as a joint enterprise…that reciprocity of dancing with someone else encourages you to greater heights, just by the energy that’s generated between you and the other person, or the other people.”
People affected by cancer deserve a chance to feel well, to live well, even in the face of dying. Dancing, as a nurturing and liberating practice, offers this. It is hugely freeing both physically and mentally, and for many women in our Move Dance Feel community this (often newfound) freedom is empowering. Instead of feeling like the body is an ‘an enemy’, they discover how to ‘reconnect with the body with kindness’ and find a sense of beauty in spite of the scars.
Paramount to dancing in community is the sense of confidence (both physical and mental) it brings, catalysed by the way we see and value one another and cultivate collective strength. In Move Dance Feel sessions we also celebrate the individual within the collective, helping women to construct a new or greater sense of self image (which takes a hit during cancer).
Most importantly dancing gives rise to a wealth of positive emotions, which combats the heaviness of living with or beyond cancer. The true transformative potential of Move Dance Feel is that it enables us to connect to joy over fear, and thus undo the contractions of illness so that we can expand into aliveness.
“It makes me feel the absolute joy of being alive!”
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Churchill Fellowship Disclaimer:
The moral right of the author has been asserted. The views and opinions expressed in this report and its content are those of the author and not of the Churchill Fellowship or its partners, which have no responsibility or liability for any part of the report.
Dance and Cancer Research - A Summary
Supported by a Churchill Fellowship, in 2022 and 2023 I travelled internationally to catalyse a Dance in Cancer Care Network and collate research findings in this field.
Upon return, I created a database of research papers and below offer a summary of what we know to date. This summary was co-created with Emma Last, a Cancer Biomedicine student at University College London who interned with Move Dance Feel between 2023 and 2024.
Together we have synthesised the findings of qualitative and quantitative studies that discuss the benefits of dance in the context of cancer care, including randomised control trials, service evaluations, outcome reports, and systematic reviews. Thirty-eight pieces of literature are summarised below, spanning twenty-four years, making this the largest summary of dance and cancer research findings to date. In recognition of the fact that dance is a broad discipline, we have included studies that led interventions using dance movement therapy, art therapy (incorporating dance), somatic movement and authentic movement.
HEADLINES:
Dance is an emerging force in cancer care, influencing positive change in areas such as body appreciation, self image, social connection, stress relief, and quality of life.
Existing literature indicates that dance can alleviate symptoms of mental health conditions linked to cancer such as depression and anxiety.
In addition to the psychosocial benefits of dance, physical improvements have been noted including improvements in physical function and alleviation of treatment side effects.
Transformation of self-image is a common outcome reported by studies of dance-based interventions in cancer care. One 2016 study investigating the effects of community dance for cancer patients saw dancers experience a significant reversal in self-image following their participation in the programme’s final performance (Butler et al., 2016). They observed that the dancers ‘moved from seeing themselves as suffering – to persons who were able to communicate something of worth and integrity’. Weis’ 2019 study of dance theatre as an intervention for male cancer survivors revealed similar benefits, with participant interviews revealing increased self-esteem and feelings of personal empowerment.
Dance interventions with a focus on group activity have been proven to alter self-image through enhancement of social connection. La Cour’s 2016 study of dance alongside storytelling in cancer rehabilitation found that the supportive group environment resulted in feelings of self-acceptance and confidence, with one participant sharing that they felt they ‘could make mistakes and it was okay’.
A 2018-19 study by Move Dance Feel found that participants felt the group setting meant they were not alone in facing difficulties and challenges, altering how they perceived themselves and their situation. Another dancer in this study commented on how pushing through their initial self-consciousness and responding with movement to their personal challenges in a group context felt enabling. Several other studies have proven dance-based interventions to successfully improve patients’ sense of support and social wellbeing (Ginsburg & Goodwill, 2009; Ho, 2005; Jenkins & Wakeling, 2019; Karkou et al. 2021; MacDonald, 2022).
Reduced rates of depression and anxiety are other commonly reported outcomes of incorporating dance into cancer care. Women who took part in a 10-month dance theatre programme involving expressive movement, performance, and improvisation showed lower rates of anxiety and depression as well as increased quality of life (Weis, 2019). Weis also studied the effects of a dance theatre programme in males with cancer, where a significant decrease in anxiety and a slight decrease in depression was observed (Weis, 2021).
Physical benefits, including fitness, management of cancer symptoms, and control of treatment side effects, have been explored in various studies. Following their participation in a 16-week ballet programme, women with breast cancer showed significant improvements in physical activity levels and shoulder range of motion (MacDonald, 2022). In a study looking at the influence of ballroom dance on cancer patients and their partners, a noteworthy correlation was observed between the number of weeks participants spent in dance training and increased functional exercise capacity (Thieser et al., 2021).
Management of disease and treatment-related fatigue is another outcome frequently explored by dance in cancer care studies. A 2014 study saw significant reductions in cancer-related fatigue in the dance intervention group, where fatigue levels were reduced by 36% compared to the control group in which fatigue levels were unchanged. Similarly a Move Dance Feel study highlighted a clinically meaningful improvement in levels of fatigue (46%), and collated countless qualitative comments from participants with regards to feeling more energised as a result of dancing.
The evidence communicates that dance should play a role in every cancer journey. With its ability to improve quality of life through enhanced social connection and self image, as well as its capacity to support physical recovery, it is an extremely effective means of support - not only for those living with cancer, but also their wider support systems.
Further research is needed to strengthen the impact of dance in cancer care. Key areas requiring investigation include: the optimisation of interventions (for example, determining whether there is an optimum duration and mode of delivery); the exploration of potential adverse effects; and the efficacy of dance across different cancer types and patient populations.
Database of Research Papers
The database currently consists of 38 papers, spanning 24 years of research across 15 countries (the map below indicates which countries).
Each paper has been categorised using colour-coded tags, in order to indicate specific study areas and to group (and cross reference) results. Eight tags have been identified so far, they are;
Self Image
Emotional Wellbeing and Mental Health
Social Connection
Quality of Life
Body Appreciation / Image
Physical Wellbeing / Physical Function
Symptom and Side Effect Management
Behaviour Change
To access the database please click on the link below - this will take you though to a short form. Once you have submitted your contact details the link will appear. We ask for your contact details so we can track how many people have access to the database and the global spread of users. If you encounter any problems with gaining access, contact us.
