Dancing toward Well-Being: Effects on Mood and Well-Being of a 12-Week Flamenco Dance Workshop in Women Aged 60–80 Years

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of a flamenco dance program on the mood and subjective well-being of 34 self-selected women from the community, aged between 62 and 79 years. The mean age was 70.11 (SD = 5.13). Participants voluntarily enrolled in a 12-week flamenco dance workshop conducted by the Autoestima Flamenca Association, with one two-hour session per week. Every two weeks, mood measurements (sadness, anxiety, anger and joy) were taken, and subjective well-being assessments were conducted before and after each session. It was found that the participants’ overall mood and subjective well-being improved significantly following the intervention. These improvements were observed at both the individual and group levels. Overall, our findings suggest that participation in a free 12-week flamenco dance program had a positive impact on mood and subjective well-being in this segment of the population.

Keywords

• flamenco dance
• mood
• subjective well-being
• self-esteem
• social dance
• older women