Positioning Dance Within Health Care Systems. Reflections From Dance Well And Tools for Dialogical Art-Based Collaborations

In the past decade, the integration of artistic practices into healthcare has gained increasing recognition. Dance, music, theatre, and visual arts are widely acknowledged for their positive effects on physical, cognitive, and emotional well-being. Despite growing interest in what has come to be known as "cultural welfare", the structural and institutional challenges of embedding artistic practices within healthcare systems remain complex. While policy discussions increasingly advocate for holistic, patient-centred care, the practical implementation of such approaches is often impeded by bureaucratic, epistemological, and professional tensions. These tensions are particularly noticeable when research delves deeper into the relationship between dance and health. Here, artistic practices are often expected to conform to biomedical standards of evidence and accountability, which can compromise the creative, relational, and process-oriented aspects of artistic practice. This chapter draws on research conducted within the Dance Well European Project, which examines how dance practices are adapted and contextualised across various institutional and cultural settings. Through ethnographically inspired qualitative research, we have explored the diverse strategies used by partner organisations to integrate Dance Well, the stakeholders involved in its promotion, and how organisational needs shape its value.