Collaborative knowledge sharing for mind and body: Celebrating the role of arts in health

This chapter reflects upon the role of Arts and Health within the Irish World Academy. It presents three case studies drawn from a range of disciplines. The studies relate to the fields of Irish Traditional Dance, Contemporary Dance and Music Therapy. The first case study is focused on set dancing for Parkinson’s disease and is an example of collaboration between arts practitioners, academics, health care professionals, and the community. The second relates to integrated dance, an artistic practice that aims to promote health. Finally, the third music therapy case is an example of a practice that is both clinical and artistic while also highlighting how artistic practices can be used to engage service user voices in research. These case studies merely scratch the surface in exemplifying the potential role and possibilities of arts in healthcare. We advocate for an increase in interdisciplinary projects, where clinicians, service users, and artists collaborate, as these are key to success designing and delivering arts and health programmes.