I could write an infinite number of blog posts with this very title and each one quite possibly could include video or movement description unlike any of the posts before it. That said, there is a video currently circulating the social media sphere that has beautiful footage of dance/movement therapy.
It is worth every moment of the seven minutes it takes to watch it and I have linked it below for your viewing convenience.
As a preface, I must remind you of some basic truths of dance/movement therapy:
Neither the dance/movement therapist nor the client knows ahead of time what will transpire in the impending session. Even within a structured format, the experience is unpredictable. Guided by the present moment, the process is unique to the persons involved, their needs and the treatment goals.
Dance/movement therapy is an improvised process – both 1:1 and in a group setting. It begins “where the client is at.” Ten dance/movement therapy sessions with the same person might start differently each time and may “look” different each time. Dance/movement therapists respond to the movement and words (yes, dance/movement therapy involves talking too!) that emerge in the PRESENT MOMENT. The present moment is beautiful, mysterious, surprising… It can be extremely powerful and it is worth every bit of attention it is given.
I must also underscore that dance/movement therapy is NOT a dance “class.” This is a distinction that is growing ever more important to convey as more and more people worldwide declare dance or Zumba®, for example, as their “therapy.” Dance is ABSOLUTELY therapeutic and inherently healing. But “dance/movement therapy” is a clinical practice, facilitated by trained mental health clinicians with masters or doctoral degrees. It is essential that this distinction be understood and observed. (Please see An Invitation to Those Making the World A Better Place Through Dance for further clarification on that distinction.)
Below is wonderful footage of dance/movement therapy being introduced into cities in Colombia to counter the trauma of violence and conflict and to facilitate empathy and connection. The movement is interspersed with brief interviews with the facilitators and students learning the methods. (It is in Spanish but has English subtitles. Even so, movement is a universal language and the dancing speaks volumes regardless of your native language.)So, as I declare “YES! This is what dance/movement therapy looks like!” I simultaneously ask that you remember that other dance/movement therapy sessions do NOT look like this. (In fact, if you’d like to compare and contrast two very different videos, please see my previous post to view dance/movement therapy with hospitalized children.)
As you watch this video, perhaps questions will arise for you:
What is happening?
How does that process evolve?
How is it not a “class”? It looks like a class… (I intend to dedicate an entire post to answering this particular question so stay tuned…)
I would genuinely love to answer your questions. Please don’t hesitate to ask them in the comments section. If YOU have that question, somebody else likely does too. 🙂 Ask away.
TO WATCH VIDEO, PLEASE CLICK THIS LINK:
Dance/Movement Therapy as a tool for achieving peaceful coexistence and reconciliation in 5 vulnerable cities in Colombia
Look forward to going through the rest of your posts 🙂
Thank you so much for your interest, Olivia! I’m long overdue to write another one. Working an a university lecturer, dance/movement therapist and Zumba instructor keeps me very busy! Hope to write again soon. Cheers!
Hi Lora,
I have commented previously about wanting to pursue education and training in Dance Movement Therapy. I took your advice and attended the ADTA conference in Brooklyn this past year. What a wonderful experience! While there I met Danielle Fraenkel, and through that connection applied and was accepted to the Alternate Route program through KInections. Why I am commenting now is to ask what may seem like an odd question:
I currently work as a counselor and play therapist in an agency setting and in a private practice associateship. Both of my places of employment are very excited about what I’m learning about dance therapy. The agency for which I am employed wants me to facilitate a group using dance as part of the therapeutic process. While I feel comfortable using dance much as I use art, drama and poetry in my current therapeutic practice (as a technique rather than the main focus of therapy)- and integrating it as part of therapy in that way, I want to be sure I am not violating the ADTA code of ethics in leading a group that incorporates dance in this manner. To be clear, I have already told my supervisor that this group could not be labeled as a dance or movement therapy group. What are your thoughts?