Dance Therapy

The idea of dance as a therapeutic tool may seem strange in a world accustomed to dance as a performing art, done by professionals for the entertainment of a paying audience. But throughout the world, primitive cultures have used dance, or ritualized body movements, in religious ceremonies, for healing, celebration and commemoration of important events. This ancient understanding of dance as a healing tool has been rediscovered in recent years and is now a well-established creative therapy.

The way that a person moves tells the skilled observer a great deal about the way that person feels. How she walks across the room, the way she sits, the gestures she habitually uses all reveal her inner self.

Dance therapy rests on the belief that because the connection between outward movement and inner feeling is so strong, changing the way a person moves can also change the way she feels.

It is not simply for emotional release that dance therapy can be used, however. It is also concerned with very practical and concrete matters like physical coordination, and the development of balance, rhythm and concentration. People with various handicaps often lack spatial skills. They may have difficulty locating themselves in relation to objects around them. Up, down, in, on and through can be difficult concepts for them to grasp. The right side and the left, the upper and lower halves of the body may move in disjointed ways, as if unconnected to each other. People with visual handicaps may actually feel great fear when in an open space.

Dance therapy, by focusing first on simple, repetitive movements, gradually building up to more challenging complicated sequences, addresses these difficulties directly and helps persons to resolve them through the pleasurable movement of their own bodies. Like other therapists, dance therapists assess their persons’ movements to determine their strengths and weaknesses. Based on this evaluation, an individual programme is created for each person, some of which may involve group work.