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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.

One of the most exciting (and stressful!) parts of being a college student is balancing school and social life on your own for the first time. The unique freedom of college can’t be replicated when living with your parents, which makes it a perfect time for many people to experiment. Some people try new substances or dress differently, while others take the opportunity to find themselves through romantic and sexual relationships. 

Many believe romantic opportunities on college campuses have disappeared with the prevalence of hookup culture, but that doesn’t mean college students don’t want to find relationships! In a study analyzing 22 college campuses across the US between 2005 and 2011, nearly the same number of students reported engaging in hookup culture and going on a date (62% and 61%, respectively). Only 8% of students reported engaging in hookup culture without going on a date or being in a long-term relationship, while 26.5% of students said they had not engaged in hookup culture but had been on a date or been in a long-term relationship. 

Clearly, college students aren’t putting all their focus on casual sex in the ways they are typically portrayed as doing, but there are a lot of layers to the romantic experience on college campuses that are worth unpacking. Keep reading for a guide to college romance; whether that means hook-ups, long-distance, or just finding a spark. 

What Makes Dating in College Unique?

Most people come to college after years in a smaller school environment where they have been with the same people for a long time, so the opportunity to meet new people can be exciting.

Danielle*, a junior in college, says this constant ability to meet new people makes dating in college unique. “Even if it’s not anything serious, you have the opportunity to get to meet and learn about a lot of new people,” she says. “The pool of people is just so much bigger. It takes the pressure off a little bit because there are always people that you’ve never met before.”

Dr. Akeem Marsh, a professor of psychiatry at NYU, says a major difference between relationships in college versus later in life is that students come into college with more varied expectations for relationships.

“If individuals seeking relationships at later stages in life are more evenly matched at level of development, expectations tend to be more evenly matched,” Dr. Marsh says. In college, expectations are less likely to be evenly matched, and many interactions reflect that. This often leads to hurt feelings and confusion.

This should be taken into account, especially given how easy it can be to rush into relationships in college with the excitement of new freedom and connection.“Relationships move faster in college because you can spend so much more time together than in high school,” says Claire, who has experienced long-term relationships in both high school and college. She says the lack of boundaries afforded by college schedules and living arrangements allows couples to spend more time together more quickly, making it easy to rush into things.

Hookup Culture

The newfound freedom of college students has many people, including college students, expecting campuses to be flooded with partying, substance-use, and sex—things that lend themselves to hookup culture. And while this behavior can definitely be found on college campuses, not everyone is in pursuit of this stereotypical college lifestyle.

Some students come in with the expectation that hookup culture is much more widespread than it actually is, which in turn alters expectations and behaviors leading to, more often than not, a bad experience with their sexuality.

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DR. AKEEM MARSH

The expectations of hookup culture can lead to problematic behaviors in relationships, like expectations of sex and non-exclusivity, which can be hard to break.

The expectation of hookup culture in college can also make people who are in relationships feel judged. Katie is in a long-distance relationship with her partner of almost a year, and she says people often look down on her or say she is doing something wrong for staying in the relationship, thinking she should be single in college instead.

However, Katie has realized “it’s important to stay true to you and be honest with yourself. And if you’re happy in a relationship, you can still be very fulfilled with your college experience.”

The prevalence of hookup culture can also make it difficult for some students to find meaningful, serious relationships in the first place. “There is this tendency for people to not want to put a label on things because that might make it seem so serious or put too much pressure on a relationship. There’s not really any in between,” Danielle says. 

Overall, it’s best to participate in hookup culture in whatever way makes you most comfortable. Brigham says hookup culture can provide people an outlet to explore their developing sexuality in a lower pressure environment, but if it makes you uncomfortable that is okay too.

“Do what you want and participate as you would like because people are going to be judgmental no matter what,” Claire says. “You should do what makes you happiest, and it works for some people and it doesn’t work for others.” 

Tips for Creating and Sustaining Relationships in College

With the whirlwind of being a college student, it can be hard to find time to focus on building healthy relationships. Here are some tips to make it work

Put Yourself Out There

While college may provide you with constant opportunities to meet new people, connections don’t form overnight. “In order to make things happen or to seek out relationships you need to be willing to put yourself out there a little bit more to either stand out or take initiative with people,” Danielle says. 

This can be hard, so try to be open to meeting new people and say yes to new opportunities, even as you get more comfortable on campus. Simply doing things you enjoy will make it easier to search for like minded people. For example, you can join a new club, or partner with someone new in your favorite class—you never know when you will hit it off with someone.

Establish Priorities

Prioritizing time with the people you care about is an important part of maintaining relationships, whether they be platonic or romantic.

For Gail, this looks like blocking out time for both her partner and her friends. Nick agrees, saying “just making it a priority to hang out is a really big deal because it’s really easy to just get lost in the different work you have to do.”

Priorities can also go beyond relationships. 

Communication

Communication is the bedrock of a healthy relationship, especially in college where things are changing each day. “Be honest and open from the beginning,” Dr. Marsh says. “Regular communication is key.”

Nick says technology makes this easier. “If you’re communicating with your partner for the majority of the day, it almost feels like you’re with them,” he says. On days when he and his partner don’t have the time to see each other, he says texting keeps them connected. 

Gail has learned that, as you, your partner, and the people around you navigate this confusing stage of life, it is important to always check in with your partner. “Make sure you both are comfortable, you’re reaching out if you need help, and you’re not keeping anything inside,” she says. 

Communication is also hugely important for long-distance relationships. Katie says she and her partner try to talk every day. She says it is integral for them to be kept in the loop on each other’s lives and how they are feeling, even if they are not physically experiencing these things together.

Remember That You Have Time

While some people form lifelong connections while in college, most people don’t. And that is okay and normal. The most important thing about this time of your life is focusing on growing as an individual, and sometimes another person can complicate that.

*Names of some sources have been altered for the sake of personal privacy.