When considering the topic of sustainability, individuals tie changes to the physical form of society. Many tend to disregard the psychosocial changes that must also occur to provide long term transformations. PubMed Central argues artistic practices play a key role in leading the transformations for a sustainable society. Dance and music promotes self-awareness, learning, care for others and wellbeing at individual and group levels. Sustainable behaviors derive from an individual’s inner foundation of values and beliefs. Music and dance offer a route to inner transformation through targeting compassion as a set of action-driven embodied processes by whole body rhythmic activity. PubMed Central suggests that dance and music can assist a mind shift towards sustainability through encouraging greater self-awareness and consideration for other perspectives.

Research has shown that extensive dance practice promotes an elevated ability to communicate feelings. Meanwhile, extensive music practice promotes the ability to regulate emotions better. Together dance and music can facilitate increased feelings of self-trust and help individuals synchronize their movements. Cases show that people with different socio-cultural backgrounds developed a rise in joint identity and cooperation after they moved in sync together. Since people from different sociocultural backgrounds experience problems differently, movement synchronization could therefore help people feel more connected and prepared to help one another. A systemic review by McCrary and colleagues showcased that dance and music also had a positive outcome in 17 different health domains. Thus, leading to aid in the reduction of stress levels and burnout prevention.

As previously suggested, the use of dance and music can have an increase on emotional intelligence. Utilizing dance and music can act as a symbolic expression to creating one’s own representations. Improvisation in dance and music encourages the exploration of new possibilities and solutions and the expression of divergent opinions. The adoption of screen dance and workshops can be used to elicit “kinesthetic empathy.” Kinesthetic empathy can help to lower levels of prejudice against groups and promote the wellbeing of others. These changes can allow a shift towards a sustainable mindset.

Sustainability by dance and music supports the development of qualities needed for deep transformation. While dance and music show promise in supporting inner changes, it is imperative to remember they can be amplifiers for different messages. PubMed Central believes that it is important to create benevolent attitudes and frameworks that consider the whole context. It is essential to use it as another source of individual and societal resilience. Dance and music can contribute to- and sustain- cultural diversity as well as diversity of thoughts and ideas, while not dividing people.