Most people know that the brain moves. It’s supported inside the skull with a surrounding layer of fluid, allowing it to slightly shift in different directions, and to absorb impact without damage. A recently published study found something most people, including doctors, didn’t know: that simply tightening core muscles activates brain movement.
The study, published in April in the journal Nature, found that the brain is linked mechanically to the abdominal compartment, and that fluid flow in the brain was somehow coupled directly to body movements.
Brain movement has long been associated with brain health. It is believed that this constant movement helps to keep the brain healthy by flushing toxins and supplying nutrients. The researchers were surprised to find that movements of the abdomen create subtle mechanical forces that travel through the body and cause the brain to move inside the skull. They suggest these movements may help circulate fluids within the brain, potentially playing an important role in brain health. These findings are based on sophisticated imaging, physical modeling, and animal experiments, but more research is needed to learn what this really means.
Every time you shift your weight, or use your core muscles, tiny forces travel through your torso and spine. These forces gently move the brain inside the skull by incredibly small amounts, far too little for you to feel, but enough for scientists to measure with advanced imaging technology. The researchers believe these tiny movements help move fluid through the brain, carrying nutrients to brain tissue while helping remove waste products. In other words, normal body movement may play a role in the brain’s own “housekeeping” system.
What brain movement means for dancers
Although this research wasn’t about dancing, it has some fascinating implications for ballroom dancers.
Unlike most forms of exercise that use repetitive movements, ballroom dancing involves controlled shifts of weight combined with continuous activation of the muscles around the abdomen, hips, back, and pelvis. I’ve found that this is especially true in slower dances like the Waltz and Rumba, because of the strong use of the core to maintain balance while we shift our weight over to the other foot or control the use of legs straightening in time to the slow music. These movements require the core muscles to remain active almost continuously. Consequently, there is continuous brain movement as well.
And there’s another aspect that contributes even more to the use of core muscles. Ballroom dancing involves shared balance. Each partner isn’t just controlling their own centre of gravity. They’re also responding to and impacting the subtle movements of another person. As the couple moves through the figures, both dancers continually make adjustments through their feet, legs, hips, torso, and core to keep the partnership balanced and moving smoothly.
This constant communication between partners requires muscle activation essential for healthy movement. The use of the core muscles impacts:
Balance and stability
Body awareness (known as proprioception)
Leg control
Posture control
Coordination
Precise weight transfer
These same qualities become even more important as we age because they help reduce the risk of falls, helping people remain active and independent.
The new study suggests there may be an additional benefit beyond the normal ones mentioned above. Since gentle movements of the abdomen appear to create mechanical forces that move the brain, activities that combine continuous core engagement with smooth whole-body movement, like ballroom dancing, may naturally provide repeated stimulation of this system.
While the researchers didn’t study dancers directly, it’s reasonable to think that the graceful, rhythmic movements found in all dances, and particularly the slower ones like the Waltz and Rumba, produce the kinds of coordinated body motions described in the research. Whether this leads to measurable improvements in brain movement and fluid circulation or brain health isn’t known yet, but any impact is a good thing.
This research becomes even more encouraging when combined with what scientists already know. Previous human studies have shown that ballroom dancing improves balance, coordination, cognitive function, reaction time, and confidence in older adults. One study found a staggering reduction in Alzheimer’s and dementia among people who ballroom danced vs those who performed other activities. Ballroom dancing is special because it combines physical exercise with music, memory, social interaction, and constant decision-making.
If future research confirms that controlled body movement also supports the brain’s natural fluid circulation, ballroom dancing could represent an even more complete “whole-brain” activity than previously recognized.
For dancers, this is great news. Every slow Waltz rise and fall, every carefully controlled Rumba weight change, and every moment spent maintaining balance with your partner may be doing far more than creating beautiful movement. Those motions could be exercising not only your muscles and joints but also supporting healthy function within the brain itself. So if you haven’t yet started, there’s no time like now to get yourself into a dance studio!
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