Biomolecular Effects of Dance and Dance/Movement Therapy: A Review

This review presents a collection of clinical and preclinical studies that evaluate the effects of dance activities on hormones and other small-molecule metabolites within the human body. The results of these studies show that dance activities can increase levels of nitric oxide, serotonin, estrogen hormones, and HDL cholesterol, while they can decrease levels of dopamine, serum glucose, serum triglycerides, and LDL cholesterol. Levels of cortisol can either be increased or decreased, depending on the type of dance.

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s10465-022-09368-z

Dance on the Brain: Enhancing Intra- and Inter-Brain Synchrony

The authors propose a Synchronicity Hypothesis of Dance, which states that humans dance to enhance both intra- and inter-brain synchrony. They divide neurobehavioral processes in seven categories: sensory, motor, cognitive, social, emotional, rhythmic, and creative.  They cite literature showing that dance increases neural synchrony, which they propose leads to enhanced interpersonal coordination. This hypothesis suggests that dance may be helpful to repattern oscillatory activity, leading to clinical improvements in autism spectrum disorder and other disorders with oscillatory activity impairments.

https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2020.584312/full#B40