There is an increase in the rate in which blood is pumped around the body, with between 15-20% of this blood going to the brain. This is vital because brain cells will die without the oxygen that the blood carries to them. In addition to oxygen, blood carries carbohydrates, amino acids, fats, hormones and vitamins into the brain, and carbon dioxide, ammonia, lactate and hormones away from it.

The dynamic brain is where we do our thinking, and the effective functioning of the brain relies on changes to a variety of molecular, vascular and cellular structures. For example, exercise has been shown to lead to an increase in the production of proteins, hormones and neurotransmitters, including serotonin which can make people feel happier.

“When we dance, we move – our hearts pump, our brain gets a shake-up and we feel good,” explains Lovatt. But that’s not all. “Dancing is different from standard aerobic exercises, such as pedalling away on an exercise bike or running on a treadmill. When we dance, we also stimulate those areas of the brain responsible for a range of mental activities such as spatial awareness, memory, perception, learning and interpersonal cooperation.

“It is the stimulation of this complex and intricate, interconnected network that underpins the extraordinary link between moving and super-sharp thinking.”

Dancing health benefits: all the reasons why dance is so good for our fitness and wellbeing