The Mood Boosting Benefits of Ecstatic Dance

In theory, ecstatic dance sounds like a lot: I’m in a room full of strangers, listening to music I wouldn’t typically listen to, freely moving my uncoordinated limbs in what can barely be described as dance movements. 

And yet, when I get to the community hall across town, I can’t help but feel a little excited despite my nerves. I’m attending Dance Awake, a conscious dance session located in Cape Town, South Africa.

Dance Awake founder Brian Bergman, a Dancing Freedom facilitator, yogi, and veterinarian, explains that conscious dance is an umbrella term encompassing many types of free-form, non-judgmental movement. Dance Awake is one flavor of conscious dance; another more well-known form is ecstatic dance. 

What Is Ecstatic Dance?

As the name suggests, ecstatic dance often leads to a feeling of ecstasy. Unchoreographed, intuitive dance has been practiced for centuries, often for spiritual and shamanic purposes. 

Dancer Gabrielle Roth is often credited with reviving modern dance in the 1970s when she founded 5Rhythms, a type of ecstatic dance. Other sources credit ecstatic dance as a dance form popularized in Hawaii in 2000.

“Ecstatic dance is dancing for the purposes of self-discovery and self-care,” says Dr. Elizabeth Newman, a psychological associate and Dance Movement Therapist. “When one is dancing in an ecstatic manner, fully enacted in personhood, it is an entirely different experience than dancing in a room or club with friends. We are no longer looked at or looking, subject to judgment—we are simply in a state of being.”

Ecstatic dance differs majorly from a typical “dance class” in that there is no choreography. Although some forms of ecstatic dance come with a little bit of guidance, you generally sway to the music as you choose. Instead of following an instructor’s exact movements, you move according to your own intuition.

What a Class Could Look Like

Every ecstatic dance class has a different approach. Some use specific types of music to get you into a state of “flow”. Some open with a brief meditation or intention-setting exercise. 

Most ecstatic dance meetups are accompanied by the following guidelines:

• No phones or photographs: Don’t use cameras or phones during the session.
• Be sober: Don’t take any intoxicants before or during the dance session. 
• No talking: Instead, use your body to communicate where necessary. 

Ecstatic and conscious dance classes also emphasize the importance of respecting others’ space. If you’d like to dance with someone, you can ask for consent through body language. Many classes have guidelines on how to ask to dance and how to say yes or no. 

Classes are usually between 45 minutes and two hours long, although this can vary.

What Makes This Type of Movement Good For Mental Health?

For me, an unchoreographed dance class is a double-edged sword. I could never keep up with the choreographed dance classes I attended in my awkward tween years—but how am I meant to know how to move without instructions?

I start by swaying, a little awkwardly, to the music. Then, as I notice the other participants moving freely, I feel caught up in a pleasant vibe and I find myself moving more intuitively. A part of me feels like a child: just like children seem to dance and move according to their own intuition, I start feeling slightly less self-conscious. 

I understand in that moment why people love ecstatic dance so much. Being able to dance, sober and without judgment, isn’t something that one often gets to do—at least, not in my culture. I slowly feel much like I do during a good gym session: present in my body, endorphins pumping, working up a gentle sweat.

Newman, who is a member of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), has seen the mental health benefits of ecstatic dance first-hand. “Dance is cathartic. Dance is healing,” Newman says. “Our body is stimulated by music and physical activity and movement to release endorphins, those feel good chemicals that flood our body after a great workout,” she says. In addition to getting your blood flowing, this movement can stimulate the release of dopamine.

The Research

Although there’s a lack of research on the mental health benefits of ecstatic dance, the research that’s out there is promising. In one study, ecstatic dance participants reported experiencing a boost in self-esteem and a lifted mood. 

A survey-based study conducted in 2021 found that people who engaged in conscious dancing more frequently experienced greater trait mindfulness. About 96% of the respondents with anxiety or depression said they found conscious dance to be therapeutic, as well as 95% with a trauma history, 89% with chronic pain, and 88% with a history of substance abuse. 

Mindfulness is a major theme of ecstatic dance. “Letting go in meditation is not just for the mind. We can do so in conjunction with our body as well,” Newman says. Research has found that mindful movement improves mental well-being in many population groups, including older adults, and people with spinal cord injuries and depression.  

It Can Help Alleviate Depression

Bergman, who has been practicing conscious dance for over a decade, has experienced these mental health benefits for himself. While traditional therapies didn’t seem to work for him, conscious dance helped him process grief and depression. “I was able to dance myself into a bigger version of me: one that can hold the depression as just something that was going on along with everything else,” he says. “It was like taking a breath of fresh air after being buried underwater.”

“Where it really helps is in reminding you that you’re more than just your mind,” he says. “You’re processing a lot of emotions through physical movement, and as such it’s more grounded, embodied, and somatically felt.”

The first (and most difficult) step is usually getting yourself there, Bergman says. If you’re extremely depressed, it may be difficult to leave the house. In that case, he recommends dancing at home. “If you put on some music and dance, you’ll generally end up feeling a little better.”

Will I Always Feel Ecstatic During Ecstatic Dance?

As someone with post-traumatic stress disorder and a history of chronic illness, I often feel distanced from my body; I prefer to live in my mind. Movement-based meditations gently push me out of this comfort zone, reminding me to experience the pleasures of moving consciously. 

My first conscious dance session left me feeling great—but I wouldn’t say that I experienced ecstasy. Does that mean I did it wrong?

According to Bergman, not everybody experiences ecstasy during conscious dance—and that’s okay. “The reason I prefer ‘conscious dance’ over ‘ecstatic dance’ is because the word ecstatic is a bit loaded,” Bergman says. “Many times, the dance is not ecstatic for people. It brings up other experiences, which are all valid.”

He gives an example of someone who experiences depression and attends a conscious dancing session. They might leave feeling lighter and more relaxed—not necessarily ecstatic, but that’s still a positive leap for them.

How Do I Try It?

Almost everybody can benefit from ecstatic dance, Newman says. “If you can move any part of your body, you can dance. People of any age, size, background, and mobility level can take part in ecstatic dance,” she says. 

With that said, she also recommends you listen to your body and stay mindful of physical limitations. Don’t push yourself, especially if you have an injury or disability.  

If you’re looking to join an ecstatic dance class, ecstaticdance.org has a map of classes around the world. 

But you also don’t have to wait until you find a designated class to try it and get the benefits! If dancing around others sounds a little nerve-wracking to you, you might feel more comfortable doing it in the privacy of your own home. Either pop on some tunes and get moving try an online ecstatic dance session. Dance Awake streams their music at the same time as their Thursday classes, allowing you to tune into the vibes from anywhere in the world. 

One of my first anxieties was around figuring out what to wear to an ecstatic dance class. Now that I’ve been to one, I see I had nothing to worry about: nobody judges. Generally, you’ll want to wear comfy, free-flowing clothing that lets you move around. Think less night club and more yoga class. 

Feeling fearful or self-conscious? That’s normal, Bergman says. “I always say that those are your two first dance partners!” he says. “The guideline of conscious dance is to start where you are. So embrace self-consciousness as a feeling in the body.”

After some time of dancing, self-consciousness can transform into a feeling of silliness, fun, and lightheartedness. “Most people move through self-consciousness quite quickly when they see everybody else doing their thing on the dance floor—it emboldens them to do the same,” Bergman says. 

For me, moving through self-consciousness was a part of why the dance session felt so good. There’s a lot to be said about the mental health benefits of “feeling the fear and doing it anyway” — even if you, like me, get out of your comfort zone one (awkward) dance move at a time.