Dance releases energy mobilized by the fight-or-flight stress response that was otherwise restrained.

Dance releases energy mobilized by the fight-or-flight stress response that was otherwise restrained.

Saying the lion is kind of the beasts says something about lions and also something about kings.

He [Wilhelm Reich] believed that the individual's walk, stance, and breath patterns revealed a specific character type. Reich thought chronic muscular tension indicated repression and blocked the expression of affect. An example is the tight holding of the chest area as a sign of repressed feelings of need and longing.

Participants in dance, both dancers and viewers, may experience catharsis and develop a sense of mastery or self-discovery.

Dance therapy provides an outlet for energy and a safe and playful environment in which many areas of conflict can be identified and worked through, and appropriate adult roles and behavior tried out.

The 1980's witnessed a new dance genre in New York City and Los Angeles. Slam Dancing was perhaps a way for adolescent males to deal with the stressors of maturation, aggressive personal feelings, and violence in the society at large. Through dancing, the youths expressed raw power and rage while achieving euphoria, enhanced self-concept, and a healthy fatigue.