Has TikTok Changed Our Relationship to Dance? A Dance Therapist Gives Her Opinion
TikTok has exploded on the international scene with 2.05 billion users worldwide and 136 million monthly users in the United States. Many of these users create, share, and participate in dance content. With so many users engaging with dance, the question arises: Has TikTok changed our relationship to dance both personally and culturally? As a board certified dance therapist in San Francisco, I have witnessed firsthand how people relate to dance before and after the advent of TikTok as a social media platform. As dance therapy focuses on healing through dance, I examine both the pros and cons of the social media dance content explosion.
The Democratization of Dance: Dance for All
Often in the United States there is a tendency to view dance as a specialized skill that people take classes to achieve. Many people feel uncomfortable dancing if they have not had formal training in dance. There is a lot of judgment around how one dances, especially if one has not taken classes. TikTok has made dance accessible and fun for many people who otherwise would not dance. Each new dance trend allows users a chance to view dance content and participate in dance itself. TikTok dance trends may encourage more people to move their bodies but with the goal of increasing viewership, rather than helping viewers notice how they feel in their bodies. As a somatic therapist in San Francisco, I believe that anyone can dance and I appreciate how TikTok makes dance within every person’s fingertips as long as they have a phone and internet access. The nature of TikTok being accessible too many and encouraging new people to try dance may have an overall de-stigmatizing effect. However, these dance challenges may or may not encourage people to notice their bodies wisdom as much as what their bodies look like.
Dance as Performance vs. Dance as Expression
TikTok dance trends often involve learning choreographed routines: a set of steps that dancers remember and perform over and over again. The emphasis is on the performance and the viewing audience, making dance more about outward appearance and ability to learn steps than the internal body awareness or exploration of the dancer’s subjective experience. As a dance therapist I focus on how a movement feels rather than how it looks. Dance therapy focuses on emotional processing, finding the psychological meaning behind movement, and changing our movement patterns to change how we feel in our bodies. This is something that may be specific to dance therapy, however, dance gives us the chance to be in our bodies and note the experience.
TikTok dance trends may focus on dancing from the outside rather than dancing our feelings or emotions we have inside. The camera often limits HOW much we can express as well, since the dancer needs to stay in camera view at all times. Parts of the body (often the feet) are cut off and that may lead to a lack of groundedness or a dance that has less integration of the body as a whole.
The Impact on Body Image and Self-Perception
Since the dances on TikTok are meant to increase viewership and add followers, the people posting dance content may be continually critiquing their movements and their respective body appearance. There is also a great deal of comparison that happens with social media content, which can affect viewers’ body image. An article by Ben Knight, from the University of New South Wales, cited research that showed that even short exposure to unattainable body ideals via social media such as TikTok, can have a negative impact on body image (TikTok and Body Image: Idealistic Content May Be Detrimental to Mental Health, n.d.).
As part of somatic therapy San Francisco, I have seen how clients (in particular women and girls) suffer from body image issues due to cultural expectations. These body image issues may range from body dissatisfaction, or at the more extreme, eating disorders. Social media allows more opportunities for people to internalize content that may be detrimental to mental health. (Dolan, 2023).
However, TikTok dance challenges also can offer the opportunity to incorporate all kinds of dancers with varying body shapes, which may be beneficial for mental health. Per an article on PsyPost, viewing videos of larger dancers can have an effect on body satisfaction (Dolan, 2023).
Connection and Community
TikTok has built global dance communities and there is definitely something wonderful about people all over the world connecting through dance. Imagine how great it is to have people in France and Australia and Thailand doing the same dance and sharing their interpretation of it. There is a feeling of connection and community through technology that does have value. However, as a dance therapist in San Francisco who regularly conducts dance therapy workshops, I noticed how in person connection and community is still preferable for mental health. Meeting up in person helps regulate each person’s nervous system through a process called co-regulation. In addition, the shared energy and enthusiasm when people dance together is palpable and cannot be replaced by dancing together online.
A good example of the difference between virtual dance engagement and dancing in person could be seen during COVID. Many people attempted to take dance classes online while isolated and though there were benefits, much of that feeling of connection was lost when using a virtual platform. Social dances in particular suffered as the community aspect of dance and kinesthetic feedback was lost.
Last Thoughts
TikTok may have changed our cultural relationship to dance by having dance be more accessible to people globally. The fun and connection that comes from dancing with other people is definitely positive. However, TikTok content can also reinforce unrealistic body image ideals and may lead people to focus solely on the appearance of movement. The subjective experience and emotional experience of the dancer on camera often comes second to the performative aspects of dance.
However, dance therapy can help if you are looking to connect with yourself through dance in a more profound way. If you are looking to notice how movement feels and affects and wish to connect with dance as a healing practice, or are curious about dance therapy San Francisco, please contact me at lisa@lisamanca.com.
Resources:
TikTok and body image: idealistic content may be detrimental to mental health. (n.d.). UNSW Sites. https://www.unsw.edu.au/newsroom/news/2023/08/tiktok-and-body-image--idealistic-content-may-be-detrimental-to-
Dolan, E. W. (2023, September 28). Dance challenge videos on TikTok can influence women’s body image perceptions, study shows. PsyPost - Psychology News. https://www.psypost.org/dance-challenge-videos-on-tiktok-can-influence-womens-body-image-perceptions-study-shows/