When you think of a five-minute energiser session at a conference, you might picture Tony Robbins leading a group yell (“We’ve got this – let’s go!”) or a collective stomp-countdown from 10 to 1, ending in a fist-pumping cheer.
But what if, instead, the room moved through a gentle ballet port de bras, arms sweeping with elegance to the sound of the 19th century classic composer Ludwig Minkus?
That’s exactly what I led last Thursday at a conference for StackAdapt. I’d already spoken in the morning session about the relationship between movement and how it can help people break away from set patterns of thinking, so when I returned to the platform to open the afternoon session, the audience knew what to expect. But rather than revving everyone up with S Club 7 and the re-imagining of a school disco, I invited them to channel their inner Rudolf Nureyev and try some ballet instead.
When I stepped down from the stage, the entire room was glowing.
Why Ballet?
I chose ballet deliberately for two reasons. First, I wanted the audience to experience something they may not have experienced before. And second, I wanted the audience to experience the energy which comes from focusing on a simple set of slow continuous arm movements.
The room was full of professionals (mainly men). They stood up, raised their arms, moved in synchrony, and breathed with the music. For many, it was something they’d never done before.
The emotional impact was palpable: a calming reset. It helped soften the mental overload from earlier sessions, clear space for fresh thinking, and bring people gently into the present. The energy in the room became focused, open, and collaborative.
The Psychology of Ballet
We get stuck in set patterns of thinking, whether those habitual patterns are about ourselves, our role within a team or about how our organisation should or could function.
Research has shown that when we move our body differently (whether that’s by walking or dancing) it can change the way we think about real world problems.
Ballet, and dance in general, is a wonderful tool to help people think differently because it offers a huge range of different ways to move, from simple arm movements to complex whole body combinations.
When I introduced ballet into the StackAdapt event, my hope was that some of the audience might reflect and change the way they think.
“If I can change the way I think about ballet (from something that “other” people do either in a studio or on stage while wearing tights or a tutu, to something that I can do in five minutes in business attire) perhaps I can also change the way I think about XYZ”.
Change
Change is difficult, and breaking away from habitual patterns of thinking is even more so. Next time you want to make a change to your cognitive flexibility, perhaps you might start by moving your body in a new and unexpected way.
Dr Peter Lovatt
16th June 2025
