Introductions / What is Dance Movement Therapy?

 

 Unit: What is Dance Movement Therapy?

Theme: Trauma and the symbology of movement

 

I

 

Introduction

Learning requires an environment where everyone feels included so that everyone's own experiences count. Therefore, introducing ourselves and learning each other's names becomes a necessary step in creating a safe learning environment.  Dance/Movement therapy is an alternative therapy which requires clients, in a group therapy scenario, to know each other's names. This class will mimic the therapeutic environment by having students role-play, sometimes as therapists, sometimes as clients.

 

II

 

Learning Objectives 

 

• Understand the meaning of dance movement therapy (DMT)
  
• Explain the differences between dance movement therapy and therapeutic dance
  
• Gain an awareness of the importance of DMT
  
• Experience the creation of a symbolic movement
  
• Reflect on the importance of the symbology of movement in therapy
  

III

Main Lesson

 

 1

a) Introduce yourself to the group by saying your name, where you come from, your major, if you have any physical training [dance, martial arts, sports, yoga, etc], your expectations about the course.

b) Write a brief introduction of yourself in which you summarize who you are for those who are not present. Post your introduction on  Discussion Board.   

c) Discuss the definition of Dance/Movement Therapy. Go to page 4 of Meekums' book. Click on the link below.

 Dance  Movement Therapy by Bonnie Meekums 

 

Question 1

 

2 

Movement Exploration

Directions

Levels

Symbolic Movement

3

Articulate a group definition of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) 

 

 d) Discuss the differences between dance movement therapy and therapeutic dance. Go to page 4 of Meekums' book. Click on the link below.

 Dance  Movement Therapy by Bonnie Meekums

Question 3

 

Explain in writing, as a group, the differences between Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) and therapeutic dance.

4

Trauma

(1:12 - 5-50)

 

Question 4

What is trauma according to Dr. Huberman?

 

5

The Healing Whisper: A Dance with the Inner Self

By Kim Milants

 

Question 5

What is trauma according to Milants? (Paragraph 16)

IV

A Note to Remember

 

Dance Movement Therapy is the psycho-therapeutic use of dance and movement to help the client realize the underlying issues that cause certain social, emotional and psychological dysfunctional behaviors.  However, not all dance or movement is automatically a form of therapy even we know that dance and  creative movement are therapeutic.

 

V

Case Study

 

An Introduction to Dance/Movement Therapy

Nana Koch, Ed.D., ADTR, NCC (National Certified Counselor), CMA (Certffied Movement Analyst) is currently an Associate Professor in the Department of Health, Physical Education and Movement Science at Long Island University in New York. She was formerly Coordinator of the Hunter College Dance/Movement Therapy Masters Program (before it closed in 1996). She is a former Chair of the Credentials Committee of ADTA and has been a long standing member of the ADTA Approval Committee. Nana Koch has also had several articles published in ADTA journals. She teaches the work of Liljan Espenak in courses presented in New York and in Japan and Costa Rica (1). 

In one of her quotes, which appears in this video as well as in the American Dance Therapy Association's website, Koch says: "The spark of life started with a movement! Dance therapists use these sparks to help ignite feelings in those whose light has dimmed (2)."

Koch defines dance therapy as "the therapeutic use of movement that furthers the emotional, cognitive, the physical and social integration of the individual (3)." A group therapy session, for instance, has three parts: warm up, development and closure. The warmup starts in a circle; it is the orientation part; it uses music; it ignites movement and connection. The development is about exploration and taking risks, allowing the conscious mind, the unconscious mind and the symbolic to come through as it allows a deeper inner connection. Closure is "saying goodbye;" it is an ending. a separation that allows us to make sense of what was  experienced during the session. A gesture or a short statement about what the client felt, or even holding hands brings closure to the session. Koch adds that "dance therapy is the choreography of emotions in service of the client."

 Source:

1.  https://dtaa.org.au/nana-koch/

2. https://www.adta.org/movement-reflections-and-bookmarks

3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhoEjbvIEw8

 

 

Questions

1. After watching the video above, explain in your own words, what is DMT according to Nana Koch?

 

2. What are the goals of dance therapists in general?

 

3.  What are the three parts of a group therapy session?

 

 

VI

 

ACTIVITY

1. Create a gesture and then find the meaning behind it, according to the concept of "symbology of movement." Organize a movement phrase using the gestures of all the members in your group.

 

2. Make a circle and put in practice the 3 parts of a group therapy session.

VII

Journaling

Write a reflection based on your experience in class today. Post your reflection on Discussion Board.

VIII

Glossary

Symbolic movement: Movement is symbolic and can represent unconscious feelings, thoughts, and experiences in an individual. In order to take dance to a therapeutic level, improvisation and experimentation of movement has to be examined thoroughly. (1)

Dance Movement Therapy: Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT), also referred to as Movement Therapy, is the use of movement to consummate the integration of emotional, cognitive, physical, and social achievement in individuals. Dance/Movement Therapy is based on the idea that motion and emotion are interconnected. The body and mind are interconnected, directly impacting each other every single moment of your life. Through movement, an individual’s personality is expressed through motion and emotion, enforcing communication on a non-verbal expressional level within oneself that is therapeutic for the mind and body.(1)

Therapeutic dance: dance experienced as a holistic approach to healing, based on the empirically supported assertion that mind, body, and spirit are inseparable and interconnected.(2)

Trauma: an emotional response to a terrible event like an accident, rape, or natural disaster. Immediately after the event, shock and denial are typical.(3)

IX

Sources

1. Phillips, Brittany (2016). Dance Movement Therapy. https://mirrornews.hfcc.edu/news/2016/11-28/dance-movement-therapy

2.    What is Dance/Movement Therapy? https://adta.memberclicks.net/what-is-dancemovement-therapy

3. Trauma.  https://www.apa.org/topics/trauma

4. Milants, Kim (2024) Th Healing Whisper: A Dance with the Inner Self. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/healing-whisper-dance-inner-self-kim-milants-pfcce?trk=article-ssr-frontend-pulse_more-articles_related-content-card

X

Students' Work

 

Make Up Work

 

 

 

Aidan Cantillo

Makeup Questions

 

1. Dance movement therapy is about people’s ability to express themselves by being grounded to their senses, and utilizing these senses to allow their movement to convey their emotions. Having this connection between their senses and their emotions is a very important part of DMT.

2. Unlike DMT, theraputic dance tends to be more structured and guided, with movements usually being instructed. The rigidity of the instructed movements limit the ability of the dancer to express their creativity, as well as hinders the connection with conscious and subconscious mind. The difference is that all dance is therapeutic whereas DMT is more direct as it targets the underlying issues that affect the client subconsciously.

3. According to Koch, Dance movement therapy is a way of using dance to promote the connection between mind and body, which helps participants use movement to form a deeper understanding of themselves. 

4. The goals of Dance Movement therapists are to help guide and encourage participants to deepen their connections with their emotions, become more self aware through their movements and actions, improve their emotional and social skills through movement, as well as help heal trauma and enhance their creativity.

5. The three parts of the group are the warm up, session development, and closing.