The interplay of dance and creativity as a pathway to health and well-being: a narrative review

BACKGROUND: Dance is increasingly recognized as a resource for promoting health and well-being. However, research has historically prioritized structured interventions, leaving creative-based dance, emphasizing participant agency and movement generation, comparatively underexplored. This narrative review addresses the intersection of dance, creativity, and health and well-being to clarify the distinctive contribution of creative-based dance across clinical and non-clinical populations, identifying recurrent mechanisms to inform future research and intervention design. METHODS: Following SANRA guidelines, a structured search (2015-2025) was conducted in Web of Science, Scopus, PubMed, and PsycINFO. Studies were included if creative-based dance - where improvisation, expressive movement, or motor creativity were central - addressed outcomes relevant to health and well-being. From 417 records identified, 56 studies were synthesised narratively. RESULTS: Creative-based dance is associated with physical, psychological, and social benefits across the lifespan. In non-clinical populations, findings show improvements in emotional regulation, body awareness, self-confidence, and social connectedness. In clinical contexts, these practices correlate with improved functional outcomes, emotional stabilization, and a renewed sense of agency and self-expression. CONCLUSIONS: Creative-based dance represents strategically important pathway within arts and health by foregrounding active ingredients like improvisation, exploratory movement and co-creation. This review shifts the focus from whether dance benefits health toward how specific creative processes support dimensions of health and well-being. While more mechanism-sensitive research is needed, these findings provide a conceptual basis for designing nuanced, multidimensional interventions across educational, community, and healthcare settings.