2020-21 | Improving Young People's Mental Well-Being through a Dance Programme

Project Lead:

Dr Bahar Tunçgenç   l   School of Anthropology   l   University of Oxford

Partner Organisations:

Body Politic

According to a 2017 NHS survey, 12.8% of youth in England have at least one mental disorder. The main predictors of mental disorders are living in deprived areas, lacking social support and overall poor well-being. Mounting research shows that engagement with arts and physical activity can incur individual mental health benefits and facilitate' social relationships and functioning. Building upon this body of knowledge, this project aims to examine the efficacy of a 5-week-long community-based dance programme on improving at-risk youth's mental well-being, social relationships and school performance.

This project involves the partnership of Body Politic, a theatre company conducting dance programmes to improve the mental well-being of at-risk youth, and Dr Bahar Tunçgenç, a psychologist with years of experience researching how physical activities such as dance improves children's social relationships.

The first phase of the project was planned as a 5-week dance programme in schools. During the programme, participants would first focus on a topic of interest (e.g. managing aggressive behaviour) and produce a dance piece representing this topic in small groups, and a variety of evaluation methods will be used. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic led to changes and the project moving online. These films share the story:

Overview of the study

Initial findings of the study

If you would like to take part in a dance programme like this one, visit Body Politic to find out their current opportunities

If you would like to find out more about research in this area, visit the Social Body Lab or contact Dr Bahar Tuncgenc