Two pillars of Yampa Valley wellness have partnered to provide an active approach to community mental health.

Those approaches include body movement, music, and releasing emotion through a combination of both. 

Steamboat Dance Theatre — in partnership with Reaching Everyone Preventing Suicide, Community Fit, and the Boulder Ballet — is hosting “Dance Vitality: Movement For Healthy Minds,” a series exploring mental health and its connection with dance.

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The event will occur Friday and Saturday in Steamboat Springs.

“Dance and movement may not have always been perceived as an outlet for mental health practices; however, dance offers a dynamic canvas for expressing and exploring new viewpoints and approaches to mental health,” said REPS Executive Director Mindy Marriott. “Individuals can externalize internal struggles, emotions and experiences that may be difficult to articulate verbally.”

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SDT Executive Director Lori Biagi experienced, at a personal level, the transformative power that dance can have in life. 

“In 2017, I lost a baby in my second trimester,” Biagi said. “Dance helped me find peace and let go of blame and other emotions that surrounded that experience. We all have hard life experiences, and dance helps us heal when we cannot find our words.” 

Marriott and Biagi explained that the SDT and REPS collaboration was a unique and powerful partnership that fused the transformative nature of dance movement with mental health advocacy. 

“By joining forces, SDT and REPS created a multifaceted approach to mental wellness, intertwining artistic expression with mental health awareness and support,” Marriott said. 

Biagi explained that the focus of “Dance Vitality” is to expose the community to a proactive tool in the pursuit of a healthy mind and body, while also providing the community with a mental health resource.

“Dance allows a person to get out of the mind and into the body, thereby acting as a form of therapy, lowering cortisol and aiding in nervous system regulation,” Biagi said. “I have used dance to find joy when life is hard, to help me find balance and remain grounded.” 

Biagi went on to explain that part of the momentum behind the program lies in honoring Gina Toothaker, who passed away in 2022. Toothaker was a vital part of the Steamboat and SDT communities, and was also a proponent of mental health through dance. 

“Dance Vitality” starts on Friday, with the first live stream of the Boulder Ballet’s “Mindfield” at the Bud Werner Library Hall at 6:30 p.m. Following that, there will be a question and answer session focusing on the science of movement and the relationship between facets of dance, emotion and physical wellbeing.

“Mindfield” was recently awarded the “What’s Your Peace” award by Mental Health Colorado. This honor is bestowed on artistic works that improve the lives of individuals throughout the state of Colorado. 

On Saturday, Boulder Ballet’s Ben Needham-Wood and Sadie Brown will lead adult and youth movement classes at Steamboat Fit (385 Anglers Drive) from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Needham-Wood has worked with the Boulder Ballet since 2022 as their Artistic Director. As a three-time Emmy award choreographer, Needham-Wood is a firm believer in the power of dance and its impact on the mind and body. 

“One component that makes dance different from other athletics, or general exercise, is that the practice of learning dance sequences and practicing routines engages more cognitive functions of the brain,” Needham-Wood said. “This is not to say that other athletics don’t have that same property, but it’s heightened in structured dance.”

According to Biagi, Needham-Wood’s work is a testament to his dedication to helping individuals discover and mend themselves through dance.

Needham-Wood is joined by the Boulder Ballet’s Artistic Consultant Sadie Brown. Brown has worked with organizations around the world to further the art of dance, and has been a member of the Grand Rapids Ballet and Aspen Santa Fe Ballet as well. 

“These postures and movements trigger a more spiritual response that influences a theory known as the eight dimensions of wellness,” Needham-Wood said.

Both events are free to the public, though registration in advance is recommended. More information can be found at SteamboatDanceTheatre.org or by calling 970-846-5833.