Dance program helps veterans find balance beyond the battlefield

Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Davis (Rtd) and Lieutenant Colonel Don Quinn aren’t who you would typically consider the ‘traditional ballet type’. Firm handshakes, neatly pressed shirts and shoes so well polished you can see your reflection – the two have an unmistakeable air of seasoned soldiers. 

But over 8 weeks, Bruce and Don embarked on a new mission, replacing the battlefield with the ballet studio thanks to ‘Dance for Veterans’, an RSL Queensland Peer-Led Program run by Queensland Ballet.  

(L-R) Lieutenant Colonel Don Quinn, Dr Rick Maher and Lieutenant Colonel Bruce Davis (Rtd).

Movement is medicine 

Between them, Bruce and Don have served for more than 82 years and experienced the ups and downs of life in uniform. Deployments overseas, and at home, have left scars – some harder to see than others.  

Facing a medical transition out of the Army, and retirement after many years in service respectively, Don and Bruce found a lifeline in the Dance for Veterans program.  

Bruce was encouraged to take up the program by his daughter Kath, a former professional ballet dancer, now an Education Manager with Queensland Ballet. 

Despite the support of his family, he was still apprehensive about trying something so different.  

“My first thought was: soldiers don't do that!” Bruce laughs.  

“Now I’ve turned around 180 degrees. I’m not the most ‘natural’ dancer, but the atmosphere was so great that I finished every session on a high. I couldn’t wait to come back! 

“It’s given me a real inner joy and radically broadened my horizons.” 

Don was equally surprised at how quickly his perspective changed.  

His GP suggested he give the Dance for Veterans program a try as part of ongoing treatment for PTSD.   

“I recall saying to her, ‘Doc, I'm an Infantry Lieutenant Colonel. Infantry Lieutenant Colonels don't do ballet. And I’m not putting on tights!’” 

However, after a positive experience with another of RSL Queensland’s Peer-Led Programs, Waves of Wellness, in 2025, he took a leap of faith.  

“I decided to have a go and try something outside my comfort zone. Knowing that elite athletes in the AFL and rugby include ballet in their training made me reassess things,” he says.   

“The magnificent team at Queensland Ballet was so welcoming from the moment I arrived for my first session, and I’ve been smiling from ear to ear ever since. 

“It’s not only helped my strength and flexibility but also helped relieve stress and sharpen my cognitive function.” 

The mind-body connection 

Dr. Rick Maher, who’s also a veteran, first piloted the Dance for Veterans program in 2023 (as part of his PhD with QUT and in collaboration with Queensland Ballet), says he has seen Bruce and Don undergo an impressive transformation since they first stepped foot in the studio.  

“At the end of the program, Bruce was nailing balanced movement in a way that he wouldn’t have been able to do on the first day. There was a seismic shift in his body's ability to respond to what the brain says the body should do,” Dr. Maher remembers. 

“From day one, Don was as enthusiastic as anything. I’ve never seen him without a smile on his face.” 

Dr. Maher said the program was designed to address the deep connection between mind and body and support overall wellbeing.  

“When your physical body starts to regulate, your neurological function regulates too. This translates to good mood, better sleep, improved personal life, and it can even help you better regulate your body’s processes,” Dr. Maher says.  

“You might walk into the studio with anxiety, or a depressive outlook, but the minute you start dancing you have to focus on things like balance, rhythm and breathing. All those negative thoughts have to disappear. Your entire focus has to be on what your body is doing.  

“In that moment, you have created a short circuit that stops those anxious or intrusive thoughts. You effectively hit the reset button. I like to describe it as mindfulness by stealth.” 

Healing through mateship 

Bruce and Don say mateship and camaraderie play a central role in the success of the program – just like it did throughout their Defence careers.   

“The beauty of the program is that it’s an accepting space where you can have a laugh. It doesn't matter whether you stuff something up or you're a bit of a goose – you're all doing it together," Don says.  

“There are no preconceived ideas. No one asks, ‘What service were you? What rank were you? Where did you deploy?’ That's all parked. It's all about a bunch of humans that are trying something different and having a bit of fun – and that's it in big capital letters – ‘HAVING FUN.’" 

The post session coffee also gives participants a chance to connect and build important bonds, no matter what kind of injury or illness they're struggling with.  

“Some participants have said to me, ‘I couldn't get out of bed this morning. I didn't want to come to Dance for Veterans. I didn't want to do anything today, but I showed up because I didn't want to let down my mates,’” Dr. Maher says.

Just keep dancing   

Veterans who have experienced the program report positive effects on their mental, physical and social wellbeing, with a number opting to continue dance after the program ends alongside their fellow veteran dancers.  

“That's their new platoon. That's their new troop. And you actually see that they galvanise around this identity as veteran dancers,” Dr. Maher says.  

Reflecting on his time in the Dance for Veterans program, Bruce says it had been a life-affecting experience that was hard to fault.  

“The cross-section of veterans in my group shows that no matter what your health concern is, physical or mental, the team will find a way for you to get involved and benefit from the exercises. Any veteran, with any issue, can enjoy and benefit from this program,” he adds. 

“The only downside is that now when I go to see the ballet, the only things I watch are the dancers' hands and feet!" 

Ashgrove Bardon RSL Sub Branch member Don shared similar sentiments and revealed the experience had even made him consider a break from his beloved Brisbane Broncos. 

“For me, it's about creating a positive mindset. Coming to the end of a 35-year career, you can struggle with purpose and identity, because all I've known since I was 19 years old was the Army. This gives you a different perspective outside of the military box,” he shares.  

“Right after my first session, I said to my daughters, ‘Hey girls, instead of getting season tickets to the Reds or the Broncos, how about I get season tickets to the Queensland Ballet?’”