Research Paper: Dance Movement Therapy

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Research Paper
Dance Movement Therapy

Student:
Krishma Dimple Mistry
ID- 823 007 901

For:
Shelly Kavanagh
COUN 120

Date:
March 6th 2014

Research Paper: Dance Movement Therapy

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Dance Movement Therapy, is a place of where you can express you feeling by dancing and moving
around. Panayiotopoulos (2011), explains that Dance and therapy are closely related. The cases of the Egyptian
dance Zar and the Italian tarantella are example of the relationship between dance and therapy in the previous
era. However now the awareness shows that dance and therapy and dance therapy is a discipline products of the
twentieth century (pg.91). They are two types of dance therapy models that were used by two dance therapists.
The first one, Dance/Movement Therapy, it was first develop during 1940s in America. The sound model,
Expression Primitive was develop in France 1984. There are so many ways that we can explain what Dance,
Therapy, and Movement. Dance, to move the feet and body rhythmically, in time to music, to perform, to skip
or leap, in joy and also to move or cause to move in a light rhythmic way (Dictionary, n.a, pg.1). Therapy
shows different ways to define what it means here is one way, Therapy, the treatment of disease or disorders,
as by some medical, rehablitling, or curative process (Dictionary, n.a, pg.1). Also for movement there are
different ways to explain what it means, Movement, in music a self-contained division of a long work; each
movement usually has its own tempo. A long undivided compositions is said to be in one movement
(Dictionary, n.a, pg.1). Dance Movement Therapy shows that we can turn dance into therapy, learn how it all
started, who started it but also know why Dance Movement Therapy is used with the clients. First to be covered,
is the history of Dance Movement Therapy history of technique, pioneers; key players in the development of
technique and progression of the technique; where and when it is today. Second to be covered, application; how
would we use this technique with the client and what the therapeutic value of using the technique. Third to be
covered, rationale; why we would use this approach with the client to provide clear rationale. Last, my personal
view and opinion on my feelings with this technique.

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Dance Movement Therapy goes back in the days, it all started when the pioneers invented dance
movement therapy. They first every dance therapy movement was in America in the 1940s. There are two types
of waves; the first wave and second wave. Introduction into the history of Dance Movement Therapy had a long
history in Britain, where it all started, but yet there was no formal training courses until 1980s when it
developed. The first one was at the Laban Centre in London. The registration of practitioners began in 1996.
There was a huge gap between knowing both of those people who contributed into British Dance Movement
Therapy. There were different types of pioneers that help invent Dance Movement Therapy;
Leah Baratal was born in Berlin. When she became an adult, she used to travel the world to what was
then Palestine, then to London, where she started to train in dance and then met Moshe Feidenkrais. After Leah
started to know everything about Moshe and learned dance from him. Then in Israel, Leah met Noa Eshkol,
who has not been widespread as that of Laban. Leah found that due to an emphasis on circularity; it ability to
describe gravity, and the centering the joints. Leah then started to provide some unique dance. Leah has spent
most of her time working with dancers, actors, other artists and students. Then in 1950s she began to work with
immigrants and youth work. She was trained to study psychosyntheis psychotherapy. Then in the early days she
started to teach at the University. Later, she found a way to imagery into movement, and has developed a way of
working with Greek mythology (Meekums, 2007, pg. 13).
Lynn Crane was the second pioneer of Dance Movement Therapy; Crane was born in Britain. When
Crane started to dance she was going into ballet around nine years of age, but then she dropped out. When she
became older, riding her bike became like dancing to her in Sanata Monica, California. When Crane was in high
school is discovered creative modern dance, and when she felt a sense of coming home as in mind, body and
soul coming together. She made movements interpretation of picture postcards, and found it is inspiring. In
1973, Crane continued her dance studies. She got her first taste of dance therapy in Los Angeles studio around
the late 1960s or early 1970s. Crane also did a two week workshop with the Swiss- born American of the Dance
Movement Therapy pioneer. Then she later stayed in Switzerland, is attended Trudi Scoops clinical at the

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psychiatric hospital. Crane experienced a few dance movement therapists living in Britain and was able to
supervision it. Later, Crane ran Moving from Within courses in Belsize Park, using movement, dance,
drawing and discussion (Meekums, 2007, pg. 15-17).
Sarah Holden, she was also born in Britain, Holden enjoyed dance in her childhood while she took ballet. As
a young art student in London, she sees Ballet Rembert performing and that when she got inspired. In 1970s,
Holden started to take modern technique lessons at The Place in London. Many of her classes was taught by
British pioneers such as; Jane Dudley, Siobhan Davies, Robert North and Richard Alston. Then she later
explored different types of dance technique such as; Tai Chi Chuan and Alexander technique. While teaching at
a creative art department she began looking in her income, she would run weekly dance sessions at psychiatric
hospital. Then Holden started The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals at the hospital. Holden felt
that she capacity to develop a therapy by using movement and dance was handicapped by her position in the
hospital. Then later, Holden became full-time in the clinical, where Holden was a group analyst. Holden was
one of the first five people to obtain registration in the UK when it came available in 1996. Holden was the
second chair of ADMT UK, for drawing up the Code of Professional Practice (Meekums, 2007, pg.18-20).
Fran Lavendel was born in Montreal, Canada she also danced ballet in his childhood. Then in her adolescence
she learned modern and jazz dance. As a professional she managed to synthesize in Dance Movement Therapy,
Body-Mind Centering. Having studied psychology, child development and anthropology in her first degree.
Then she offered dance at the Douglas Psychiatric Hospital in Montreal. Then Fran started to learn the wisdom
of Zen Buddhism, as in Zen Mind. Then later, Fran started to learn some Indian dancing. Fran started to work
with autistic children, from 1977-1978 with Lynn Crane. Then she began teaching, movement and deepening
her own study of Laban Movement Analysis. During those time she started Body-Mind Centering and
Authentic Movement (Meekums, 2007, pg. 21-23)

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Jeannette Mac Donald, she was a working classical dancer, achieving performer. She danced for the
Royal Ballet from 1963-65, then she went to Europe to perform. She began movement classes at a local
education authority. Then Donald became full time at the Occupational Therapy Aid. Donald started to learn
psychology, where she was able to post herself into the dance therapist. She obtain letters from the Royal Ballet
and the Royal Academy of Dance. Then much later she started to work on her dance therapy in Britain. In 1982
Donald heard that Association for Dance Movement Therapy. Donald set up her first Creative Therapy Unit
using all four major creative arts therapies such as; Dance Movement Therapy, dramatherpay, music therapy,
and art therapy (Meekums, 2007, pg.23-26).
Marie Ware, was a physical movement education. She studied in physiology, drama, and Laban
Movement. Ware founded that Dance Voice was an umbrella organisation that became in 1988. She also taught
people with learning disabilities Dance Movement Therapy (Meekums, 2007, pg. 38-39). Kedzie Penfield, she
was an American that trained under dance therapy. She set up her first Scottish NHS dance therapy post in 1975
in an adult psychiatric. She was the first people to write about Dance Movement Therapy (Meekums, 2007, pg.
36-37).
Bonnie Meekums, went to Southampton University to read physiology and biochemistry, with
psychology and also continued in theatre. Then later his first contact was with the spiritualism in 1971. Where
he grateful for this experiences, which opened him up to link to his body, mind and spirit. Then at the aged 18,
he started to take yoga and meditation that helped him relax. Meekums was employed as resident movement
therapist and healer from 1976 to 1978. Then later, he began creating his own style of work. He would begin
the session in a circle with a short check in, develop a different theme which allows the group to hold the space
while one or more dancers move within the circle. Then she later opened collective in London working with
normal neurotics that help him release his work. She was the first woman to create Dance Movement Therapy
for mother-child (Meekums, 2007, pg.26-32).

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Helen Payne, she was a very outgoing person she did a lot of sports and dances. Payne started to work as
a Modern Educational Dance. Then in 1970 to 1973, as a social therapist at the Haperbury Hospital she worked
with children and adults who had learning disabilities. When Payne was in London, England she connected with
growth or humanistic therapy movement. Then Payne discover drama and movement therapy in 1976 but later
on she did not like it. Thats when she started to do her research in movement therapy (Meekums,2007, pg.3235). Moving into the first waves and late pioneers;
First Wave included Chole Gardne, Walli Meier, Betty Meredith Jones, Denise Puttock, Veronica
Sherborne, and Audrey Wethered. The differences between them is that there degree was which use of dance
movement has moved realm of psychotherapy. The late pioneers of 1977 was Penelope Best, who was the first
Polish Dance Movement Therapy. Laurence Higgins, Gabrielle Paker, Jasmine Pasch, Carole Shaw, Wolfgang
Stange, and Monika Steiner-Celebi.
Therefore, the history behind Dance/movement therapy shows that it goes way back into the 1940s.
Dance Movement Therapy goes back in the days, it all started when the pioneers invented dance movement
therapy. There were two types of waves; first wave and second wave. Introduction into the history of Dance
Movement Therapy, has long history in Britain, where it all started but yet there was no formal training courses
until 1980s when it developed. The first one was at the Laban Centre in London. The registration of
practitioners began in 1996. There was a huge gap between knowing both of those people who contributed into
British Dance Movement Therapy. They were many different types of key pioneers back in the days that made
dance movement therapy happen.

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They are different ways that you can use Dance Movement Therapy with clients. Dance Movement
Therapy work with different kind of people such as; learning disabilities, adults, children, and youth. The
therapeutic use for dance movement therapy would be emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration.
Panagiotopoulou (2001) explains that Dance/ movement therapy is shown to facilitate the integration of
culturally determined, contrasting behaviors and coping strategies allowing the client to thereby engage more
adequately with the host environment. This integration, sought through the process of merging and
differentiating, is first attained at a movement-felt level, enabling clients to expand their own body-self, to
experiences polarities, contrasts and resolutions within the body through structured movement experiences (pg.
105).
There are many ways that you can use this with the clients one way; the human body is the basic dance
therapy tool. The human body is a text and the deepest meaning of its reading lies in the interrelation of body
and the context in which it moves. It says that the human behaviors are learned in society, but it also adds that
behavior are learned not only conceptually or through educational (Panagiotopoulou, 2001, pg.105). Referring
back to the pioneers they said that dance movement therapy can be used with the clients to help them improve
their sense of body-image and self-esteem. The creative part of dance therapy it helps you provide the clients
with an increase in communication skills and lays the groundwork for more relationships. They say that the
therapist will observe and interact with the client to help him/her gain a deeper sense of self-awareness through
the movement, motion and realization of body (n.a, 2013, para.2).
Dance therapy has continued to evolve through the basic core. This method of therapy has often applied
in groups setting and is widely used in nursing facilities, such as; day cares, mental health rehabilitation,
educational and other promote health and wellbeing. It says that there are four different types of dance therapy
like the principle such as; Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Evaluation.

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The therapeutic value of using this technique are that it allows the person to broad transformations in
emotional, physical and behavioral states. When every the client has a troubled past or is experiencing
something that they cannot get over. The dances help people express they are feeling through movement. If
there are feeling emotional, they will put slow songs to help express feeling so there can let it out.
They are so many types of movement therapy such as; Marked dance project is so exposed the art of
dance to all individuals. This is a modern based mixed abilities dance that includes dancers with or without
disabilities. This types of dance help people express what they are feeling and also to tell the story of what
happen to them. Dance Movement Therapy offer creative treatment to help people share they emotions to tap
into the creative self. It can reach people in ways by sitting down it cannot. Bringing in objects, it brings the
group much more together and to help they tell the story and how are they feeling. Every movement is
connected to emotions or a memory, with your movement it will spark your memory or your sense, and that is
dance therapy. This will help them feel emotional, physical, and cognitive. Laban movement analysis (LMA) is
known as an effort-shape the value of this is to help children express what they think and to tell the story into
dance. Authentic Movement is a dance, movement and depth psychology. The mover waits and listens for an
impulse to move and then follows or move to them self. These movement response to emotions, a dream, a
thought, pain, joy, or whatever you are experiencing. 5 rhythms movement, is to help people to express personal
growth, awareness, expression and community.
Therefore, there are different types of Dance Movement Therapy, you do not need to have just one to
express your feeling but you can have many to express what you need to. Knowing the four principles of dance
movement is good to know such as; Preparation, Incubation, Illumination and Evaluation. The dance movement
therapy would be emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration.

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They are different ways that profession can use dance movement therapy around a client, dance
important to use for the future and the children because profession has to think about why children love moving
around. Profession would use this approach to children because it is a great way for them to express themselves
and when youre young you do not want to talk or to sit down. When youre young, children like to move
around a lot, and young children even youth as be active during this age. By dance movement therapy
profession can help them tell the story by making dance, moving around or using they hands to tell even five
steps movement to tell how it started or how you think.
First I would ask if they client is okay with dancing and if they feel comfortable doing it in front of me
because I do not not want the child to feel that they have to do it, they have a choice to do it or not. I would
want to sit down with them and talk out what happened with them or why they came in today. I would want to
know the full story so I can find a way for them to express themselves.
Second, I think that this would help the child to move around and express what they think. I would give
them a prop to start out with to see if it will help them tell the story and I would let them pick the music to what
they want to dance to. I know back then pioneers used dance movement therapy a lot because it helps the child
to express what they want, and it helped them relaxed.
It would help the child to have a clear mind, and it understand they body to express what they think. The
body-mind will help the child to have a clear mind and then to start off with a dance move to express what
happened and to that the music will help them with the dance. It would help the children to fight for their right,
and it know that they have someone with them.

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Therefore, I think dance movement therapy will help a child express what they think and by use
helping them by making a dance for them dance to and then have a gap to let them dance. The mind
body will help them clear they mind to think what happed and then dance to what they express.
I think that dance movement treatment will be a good thing for children to express what
happened to them, but I know we can talk about it in dance and from that the children can tell us what
they felt and why they think that way. I always wanted to know how to dance movement therapy, and I
want to know my feeling towards this will help me understand my own problem so I can help people
solve theres.
Dance Movement Therapy, is a place of where you can express you feeling by dancing and
moving around. Panayiotopoulos (2011), explains Dance and therapy are closely related. The cases of
the Egyptian dance Zar and the Italian tarantella are example of the relationship between dance and
treatment in the previous era. However now the awareness shows that dance and therapy and dance
therapy is a disciplined product of the twentieth century (pg.91).
I think that dance movement therapy would be a great way for anyone in the world. It would
make children think that the can expresses them, have fun and make new friends help them with the
feelings and problems. After searching everything about dance movement therapy, made me think that I
should join to help children.

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References

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Arts in Psychotherapy 35.2 (2008): 99-106. Print.

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http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/movement

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