Brain Dance

This classic "must have" is NDA's most popular publication. Includes locomotor/nonlocomotor movement, assessment, and interdisciplinary topics.

It could happen to anyone. One afternoon coming home from the gym, Diane Wilson pulled to a stop at a red light. In an instant, her life changed in ways that could never be reversed. What unfolded was a vexing journey into a health care system with few insights or tools. Diane became a person with an invisible injury, that no one would talk about, that affected every second of her life and eventually birthed a new vocation, as an applied neuroscientist. Brain Dance is a captivating, and touchingly candid true story. It traces Diane's journey through random and sometimes humorous events which shed light on how her brain kept her injury from her, the loss of focus, mobility and sense of self, an obsession of day-trading retirement funds, and finally holistic therapies-including a retreat with Thich Nhat Hahn, acupuncture, singing and neurofeedback. She chronicles the gift of recovery and her incredible journey to now help people around the world and make the most of their amazing brain. This book is for anyone who is curious about the brain, has had even a bump on the head or has felt totally lost in life and a need to start over. Diane Grimard Wilson is a Chicago peak performance coach, licensed clinical professional counselor and has a board certification as a fellow in neurofeedback. She holds certifications in integrative medicine for nutrition for mental health, music therapy and meditation teaching. Her first book, "Back in Control: How to Stay Sane Productive and Inspired in Your Career Transition" was a finalist for the prestigious Nautilus Book Awards and she is a former contributor to the Chicago Tribune. Her clients include physicians, leaders, executives and parents. Diane is host of the "Genius: Sciencing Our Human Potential" podcast where she interviews leaders and other personalities for their human stories on resilience, change and coping with the global pandemic. Diane lives in Oak Park, Illinois with her husband, Gary Wilson, an environmental journalist.

“Lively and enlightening.”—Sarah L. Kaufman, Washington Post “[A] zippy guide to better health.”—Publisher’s Weekly STARRED Review Discover why humans were designed for dancing—and learn how to boogie for better health—with two neuroscientists as your guide. Dancing is one of the best things we can do for our health. In this groundbreaking and fun-to-read book, two neuroscientists (who are also competitive dancers) draw on their cutting-edge research to reveal why humans are hardwired for dance show how to achieve optimal health through dancing Taking readers on an in-depth exploration of movement and music, from early humans up until today, the authors show the proven benefits of dance for our heart, lungs, bones, nervous system, and brain. Readers will come away with a wide range of dances to try and a scientific understanding of how dance benefits almost every aspect of our lives. Dance prevents and manages illness and pain: such as Diabetes, arthritis, back pain, and Parkinson’s. Dance can be as effective as high intensity interval training: but without the strain on your joints and heart. Dance boosts immunity and lowers stress: it also helps reduce inflammation. Dance positively impacts the microbiome: and aids in digestion, weight loss, and digestive issues such as IBS. Dance bolsters the mind-body connection: helping us get in tune with our bodies for better overall health. We’re lucky that one of the best things we can do for our health is also one of the most fun. And the best part: dance is something anyone can do. Old or young, injured or experiencing chronic pain, dance is for everyone, everywhere. So, let’s dance! Types of dance featured in the book: Partner dance (salsa, swing dancing, waltz) Ballet Hip hop Modern Jazz Line dancing Tap dancing And more!

Creative Dance for All Ages, Second Edition, has had a long history of providing a dance curriculum to teachers and students preparing to teach creative dance. Author Anne Gilbert demystifies expectations when teaching creative dance and provides the theory, methods, and lesson ideas for success in a variety of settings and with students of all ages. This one-stop resource offers dance teachers everything they need, including a sequential curriculum, lesson plans, instructional strategies, assessment, and other forms. It’s like having a seasoned dance teacher at your side offering inspiration and guidance all year long. Internationally recognized master teacher and author Anne Gilbert Green presents creative dance for everyone and tips on meeting the challenges of teaching it. She offers a complete package for teaching creative dance that includes the theory, methodology, and lesson plans for various age groups that can be used in a variety of settings. Gilbert also offers an entire dance curriculum for sequential teaching and learning. The second edition of her classic text has been revised, reorganized, and updated to meet all the needs of dance teachers. The second edition of Creative Dance for All Ages includes these new features: • An easy-to-navigate format helps you quickly access the material and find lesson planning and assessment tools. • Content reflects changes in the field of dance education to put you on the cutting edge. • Forty age-appropriate and brain-compatible lesson plans are accessible through the web resource, which save prep time and help ensure compliance with the latest standards. • Five downloadable video clips demonstrate the lesson plans and teaching strategies and how to put them to work in the classroom. • Suggestions for modifying lessons help you include students of all abilities. • Eight assessment forms and curriculum planning templates are adaptable to your needs. If you’re a novice teacher, the book also contains these features to ensure effective instruction: • The same conceptual approach to teaching dance was used in the first edition. • A sequential dance curriculum helps you systematically cover a 10-week quarter or 16-week semester. • Class management tips put you in control from the first day. Creative Dance for All Ages, Second Edition, is an unparalleled resource for dance educators who are looking for a conceptual creative dance curriculum that will support teaching to learners of all ages. Whether in a studio, company, recreational, or educational setting, you will discover a comprehensive and well-rounded approach to teaching dance, emphasizing the how as much as the why.

As seasoned dancers and dance educators, Minton and Faber approach brain function from inside the body as embodiment of thought. Their collection of neurological research about the thought processes in learning and performing dance encompasses a vision of dance as creative art, communication, education, and life. The book informs neuroscientists, educators, and dancers about the complex interdependence of brain localities and networking of human neurology through an integration of physiology, cognition, and the art of dance. Chapters address observation, engagement, critical thought, emotion, memory, imagery and imagination, learning, problem solving, and 21st century skills. Finer components are explored through neurological networks, classroom pedagogy, dance, and movement experiences that provide: Description of the thought processes, their components, and their neurological functional needs. The neurological physiology that has been discovered in the cognitive process. How brain function can be applied to the educational classroom. Applications of the neurological research to dance education, the choreographic process, and dance performance. Movement explorations for readers to experience the thought processes through dance with neurological knowledge in mind.

Anne Green Gilbert’s Brain-Compatible Dance Education, Second Edition, strikes the perfect balance between hard science and practicality, making it an ideal resource for dance educators working with dancers of all ages and abilities. Gilbert presents the latest brain research and its implications for dance educators and dancers. She makes the research findings accessible and easy to digest, always connecting the science to the teaching and learning that takes place in classrooms and studios.

Dance Psychology is the study of dance and dancers from a scientific, psychological perspective. Written by Dr Peter Lovatt (AKA Dr Dance), this Dance Psychology textbook provides a general introduction to the Psychology of Dance and then it delves in to eleven of the most central questions concerning Dance Psychology. Are humans born to dance? Does the way you move your body change the way you think? Will dancing make people happier? Can dancing put people in to a trance-like state? Will a person's dance confidence change across the lifespan? Does dancing make people healthier? Why do we enjoy watching some dance performances more than others? How do dancers remember so many dance routines? Why don't dancers get dizzy? Will dancing improve a person's self-esteem? How do we communicate emotions with our body? Drawing on academic literature, this book is engaging, technical and, in places, critical; it is essential reading for anyone with an interest in Dance Psychology.

In the last few years, concerns about dancers’ health and the consequences of physical training have increased considerably. The physical requirements and type of training dancers need to achieve to reach their highest level of performance while decreasing the rate of severe injuries has awakened the necessity of more scientific knowledge concerning the area of dance, in part considering its several particularities. Scientific Perspectives and Emerging Developments in Dance and the Performing Arts is a pivotal reference source that provides vital research designed to reduce the gap between the scientific theory and the practice of dance. While highlighting topics such as burnout, mental health, and sport psychology, this publication explores areas such as nutrition, psychology, and education, as well as methods of maintaining the general wellbeing and quality of the health, training, and performance of dancers. This book is ideally designed for dance experts, instructors, sports psychologists, researchers, academicians, and students.