The Song of the Body: Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing - Softcover

The Song of the Body: Dance for Lifelong Wellbeing is a fascinating and highly researched look at dance as a profession, an industry and a hobby. The book celebrates dance as a powerful means of enhancing physical and emotional health at all stages of life and considers dance and lifelong wellbeing from the perspectives of the young through to older adults. This beautifully produced collection includes profiles of dance luminaries such as Gillian Lynne and Robert Cohan as well as commentary from dancers, directors, teachers and dance agencies and companies including Step into Dance, Growing Older (Dis)gracefully and Dance UK. The book approaches a broad selection of culturally relevant and significant topics, from how dance can aid the mental and physical health of older adults, to how it can enrich the lives of the young. Other topics include how dance can help adults with learning disabilities overcome barriers to wellbeing, as well as posing the question 'who cares about the health and professional wellbeing of professional dancers?' With a foreword by renowned ex-prima ballerina and RAD president Darcey Bussell CBE and with stunning colour photographs throughout, The Song of the Body is a must have addition to the bookshelves of anyone with a professional or personal interest in dance and wellbeing.

The Royal Academy of Dance is one of the world's most influential dance education organisations. Our exams set standards in classical ballet worldwide and we are a global leader in dance education and Continuing Professional Development for dance. Founded in 1920 to set standards for dance teaching within the UK, today the RAD has a presence in 79 countries, with 36 offices and over 14,000 members worldwide. They count more than 1,000 students in their teacher training programmes and more than a quarter of a million students are being examined on its syllabi. The RAD's patron is Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.