Dancing Beyond Stress: exploring the effects of Bharatanatyam training on psychological empowerment and self-efficacy in adolescent females

Abstract

Adolescence is a crucial developmental period, with girls being more susceptible to psychosocial stressors, identity development issues, and changing self-perceptions. The therapeutic value of somatic and creative arts interventions is growing, but classical Indian dance forms are under-researched in terms of their psychological mechanisms. This empirical study aimed to examine the effect of long-term Bharatanatyam training on the psychological empowerment and self-efficacy of adolescent girls (13-17 years). A pre-test/post-test control group design (N = 120) was used to measure participants' performance at baseline and again at 16 weeks on the General Self-Efficacy Scale (GSES) and the Psychological Empowerment Scale (PES). Post-intervention results showed statistically significant increases in self-regulatory efficacy, somatic control, and perceived agency (p <.001) in the experimental group relative to the active controls. The results show that the organized correlation of Nritta (pure dance) and Abhinaya (expressive storytelling) leads to an awareness of the body, regulation of emotions, and psychological resilience. This study concludes that Bharatanatyam is a culturally based somatic movement system that contributes to the promotion of mental well-being and strength among adolescents.