Dance therapy

Dance therapy (also called dance or movement therapy) is the use of choreographed or improvised movement as a way of treating social, emotional, cognitive, and physical problems. Throughout the ages, people of many cultures have used dance to express powerful emotions, tell stories, treat illness, celebrate important events, and maintain communal bonds. Dance therapy employs this power of movement for therapy and uses it for health, and well-being.

Dance as therapy came into existence as a combination of modern dance and psychiatry. It was pioneered by Marian Chase (1896—1970), who studied dance in New York City before establishing her own studio in Washington, DC, in the 1930s. Because Chase's dance classes provided unique opportunities for self-expression, communication, and group interaction, psychiatrists in Washington began sending patients to her.

By the mid-1940s Chase was giving lectures and demonstrations, and other professional dancers soon followed her lead, using dance to help people with emotional, mental, and physical problems. It was not until 1966, that dance therapy gained professional recognition, when the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) was founded. Today the ADTA has nearly 1,200 members in 46 states and 20 countries around the world.

Dance therapists believe that mental and emotional problems are of ten held in the body in the form of muscle tension. Conversely, they believe that the state of the body can affect attitude and feelings, both positively and negatively.

Dance movements help healing in several ways. Moving as a group brings people out of isolation, creates powerful social and emotional bonds, and generates the good feelings that come from being with others. Moving rhythmically eases muscular rigidity, diminishes anxiety and increases energy. Moving spontaneously helps people learn to recognize and trust their impulses. Moving creatively helps self-expression and opens up new ways of thinking and doing.

On a physical level, dance therapy provides the benefits of exercise improved health, coordination, and muscle tone. On an emotional level, it helps people feel more joyful and confident, and allows them to explore such issues as anger, frustration, and loss that may be too difficult to explore verbally. On a mental level, dance therapy seeks to enhance cognitive skills, motivation, and memory.

Your dance therapy experience will depend on your ailment whether you work with a dance therapist in private practice or in tin context of a treatment team, and whether you are the only patient or part of a group. Different dance therapists have different styles. You need absolutely no previous dance training to benefit from dance therapy.

For the first consultation you will meet with the dance therapist in a dаnсе studio. You should wear comfortable clothing for this and all other sessions. First, the therapist will talk with you about your needs and your reasons for wanting treatment. Next, the therapist may ask you to walk around the studio in order to analyze your body shape, posture, and movements: Is your body erect or caved in? Finally, the dance therapist will discuss your treatment goals with you, and the two of you might arrive at an agreement regarding the duration and nature of the therapy. You should review your goals with the therapist periodically to see if you are meeting them.