Another separate category of dance engagement is, not as a dancer, but as a spectator of all of the above. A differentiation is needed between (a) the effects on the individual when the activity of “dancing” is enjoyed as a dancer within different dance domains (e.g., professional/”high-art” type of dance, erotic dance, religious dance, club dancing, Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), and what is commonly known as hobby, recreational or social dance), and (b) the effects on the individual within these different domains, as a dancer of the different dance styles (solo dance, partnering dance, group dance and all the different styles within these). We believe that this heterogeneity of evidence is partly due to a lack of a clear definition of dance for such empirical purposes. It remains unclear what exact parameters may be driving positive effects.
However, varying definitions of what constitute “dance” have led to a rather heterogenous body of evidence about such potential effects, leaving the picture piecemeal at best. “Dance” has been associated with many psychophysiological and medical health effects.