Dance Yourself Happy
Let Biodanza Light Up Your Life
By Claire Pierce and Priya Mahtani
A book for anyone who feels the pull toward connection, aliveness, and joy, and wants a real, embodied way back to all three.
The Book
About the Book
We live more connected than ever, and lonelier than ever. Dance Yourself Happy is a guide back to the body, back to each other, and back to life itself, through Biodanza, the movement and music based practice that has quietly transformed lives across more than 70 countries for over five decades.
Drawing on nearly three decades of therapeutic practice, real case studies from around the world, and current research on connection and the nervous system, Claire Pierce and Priya Mahtani show how something as simple as moving to music with others can restore what modern life so often takes away.
The Practice
What Is Biodanza
Biodanza was developed by Rolando Toro Araneda as a system that uses movement, music, and shared human connection to restore vitality and heal disconnection. It is not performance, and it does not require any dance background or experience. It is a practice of coming home to the body, and through the body, to each other.
For You
Who This Book Is For
This book is for anyone who has felt disconnected in a hyper-connected world. For the person carrying stress they can’t quite name. For therapists, coaches, and wellness practitioners curious about embodied approaches. And for anyone who has ever wondered if the way back to feeling alive runs through the body, not around it.
You don’t need to have danced before. You just need to be curious.
Why This Book
Why This Book, Why Now
Grounded in real stories.
Case studies and interviews from Biodanza communities across the world, alongside Claire’s own three decade journey as a therapist and facilitator.
Backed by science.
Research on the nervous system, connection, and wellbeing sits alongside lived experience, not instead of it.
Built for real life.
No prior dance experience needed. This is a practice for the person on the street, not a theoretical text for specialists.
What's Inside
Inside the Book
- The life and legacy of Rolando Toro, and how his vision continues to spread
- What current research reveals about connection, the nervous system, and wellbeing
- Real stories from Biodanza communities in South Africa, the UK, the US, Israel, and beyond
- Practical reflections on rebuilding meaning, creativity, and community in everyday life
Praise
The Authors
Meet the Authors
Claire Pierce is a Psychosynthesis counsellor, therapist, and Biodanza facilitator with almost three decades of experience helping people heal, grow, and reconnect. Priya Mahtani is a writer and facilitator exploring human connection and flourishing through storytelling and community.
Book Claire or Priya to Speak
Dance Yourself Happy is coming soon. In the meantime, Claire and Priya are available for talks, podcasts, and workshops on Biodanza, connection, and wellbeing.