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As one of the most frequently practised leisure activities, various forms of dancing offer a wide spectrum of elements for improving cognitive functions and brain plasticity, which ultimately promotes well-being. However, the elements of dance interventions that trigger favourable brain states for different populations are currently poorly understood. Creativity and autonomy are factors whose influence on well-being is increasingly recognized and which can be integrated into dance to varying degrees. The aim of this pilot study was to investigate the effect of physically performed dances with different creative and autonomic demands on electrical brain activity. In a within-subject design, 11 healthy participants danced two conditions in randomised order: choreographed (CHOR) and free dance (FREE). Eyes open spontaneous EEG was recorded at baseline and after fifteen minutes of dancing. Results show statistically significant changes within dance conditions (p < 0.05, r ≥ 0.5) with higher parieto-occipital alpha activity after both conditions and higher oscillatory activity of beta over central, temporal right, and left regions after FREE. Gamma power increased post CHOR over right temporal and central regions after FREE. Between-dance comparisons did not reach statistical significance in the post-tests. The accompanying large variances indicate individual responses. The results point to the need to expand the number of possible influencing factors and take more differentiated, individual characteristics of the dancers into account.
Fraile-Fuente et al. (Wed,) studied this question.
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