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Dance as Our Source in Dance/Movement Therapy Education and Practice

Article  in  American Journal of Dance Therapy · June 2007

DOI: 10.1007/s10465-006-9025-0

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 Dance as Our Source in Dance/
Movement Therapy Education and
Practice

Patricia P. Capello

The 12th International Panel of the American Dance Therapy

Association has investigated the cultural foundations of dance that
are the source of dance/movement therapy education and practice.
This article addresses how the diversity of ethnic dance styles may
have therapeutic implications and what social or psychological
functions these dance forms fulfill in their unique cultures. This
article also provides both historic and present-day illustrations of the
impact of cultural forms on therapy. Similarities were apparent in the
use of traditional folkdances, particularly those in circle formations
and the cross-cultural experience of simple, repetitive communal
movements that are at the foundation of dance/movement therapy
sessions worldwide. Diversity was demonstrated in the description of
the origins (both from nature and human sources) of each culture’s
unique dance and in the distinctive, descriptive stories that ‘‘tell the
tale’’ of every folk form.

KEY WORDS: Cultural foundations; dance; international panel; diversity;

education; therapeutic implications; NDEO (National Dance Educator
Organization); training; culture; France; Germany; Greece; Czech Republic;
Japan; Korea; Finland; Taiwan; Argentina; India; dance/movement therapy

American Journal of Dance Therapy

Vol. 29, No. 1, Spring/Summer 2007 Ó 2007 American Dance
DOI: 10.1007/s10465-006-9025-0 37 Therapy Association
38 Patricia P. Capello

Introduction

T he task of the 12th International Panel at the American Dance

Therapy Association’s 2006 annual conference in Long Beach, Cal-
ifornia, was to investigate the cultural foundations of dance that are the
source of dance/movement therapy education and practice. Guided by
intriguing questions posed by panel founder and chair, Dr. Miriam
Roskin Berger, presenters focused on how the diversity of ethnic dance
styles may have therapeutic implications and what social or psycholog-
ical functions these dance forms fulfill in their unique cultures. The
following is an encapsulated version of each presenter’s comments and a
brief description of sample movement experiences in which the audience
participated and that served to illustrate the impact of traditional dance
forms on dance/movement therapy training and practice.

The Panel Overview

Representing France, Dr. Jocelyne Vaysse described how dance/move-

ment therapy practices have been influenced by a variety of dance styles.
The dances of the Middle Ages’ religious processions, along with the
Italian and French court dances of the Renaissance, engendered codified
classical steps that are at the origin of European and French academic
dance. These dance forms became both an inspiration and a source for
current practices in dance/movement therapy.
Vayesse highlighted the work of Rose Gaetner, a pioneer in French
dance/movement therapy. During the post-war years, Gaetner began to
work with autistic children in pediatric psychiatry, and later with psy-
chotic adults, leaning upon her practice of classical dance and her
knowledge of psychomotor development. Relying on what she called
‘‘imitation,’’ Gaetner used her own dancing body as a model, starting
with steps to classical music. She based her work mainly on the psy-
chological theories of Wallon and Ajuriaguerra.
As with other presenters, Vayesse expressed the value of folk and
social dances, saying that both the folk dances of France’s varied regions
(Savoy, Brittany, Provence), and its own social dances, have specific steps
and gestures that can serve as kinaesthetic models in dance/movement
therapy. She spoke of how these familiar dances support the therapeutic
process, because they are sometimes known, or partly known, by the
patients, awakening in them personal images and/or emotions from the
past which are useful in dance/movement therapy sessions. These dances
can also be a source of collective memory, tying together generations and
giving meaning to the movement, and serve as the objective of groups,
 Dance as Our Source 39

which permit the beginning of the feeling of ‘‘belonging’’ and re-enforcing

a socio-cultural identity.
In contrast to this typical French dance style, Vayesse explained, the
introduction of movement styles influenced by jazz, and the ‘‘primitive
dance’’ of the African-American dancer/choreographer/anthropologist
Katherine Dunham, began to have an effect on dance/movement therapy.
She cited as an example a former member of Dunham’s company,
the Haitian-born dancer, Herns Duplan, who developed an emphasis on
the anthropological and universal sources of the dancing body. During the
1970s Duplan brought L’Expression Primitive (Primitive Expression) to
France. He defined this dance style as an anthropological enterprise that
leads the individual to a search within the self, and then, through the
group, for his or her own genesis. She reminded us that it is important to
understand the word ‘‘primitive’’ as not meaning ‘‘naı̈ve’’ or ‘‘crude,’’ but,
rather, of having the original meaning as that of ‘‘first,’’ or ‘‘initiator,’’ and
added that Duplan felt L’Expression Primitive was not only a matter of
learning traditional dances but also a method of approaching the essence
of the individual through universal and ancestral gestures.
Following Duplan and Dunham, Vayesse reports that, in the 1980s,
the psychologist France Schott-Billmann adopted the term ‘‘Expression
Primitive’’ to develop her own personal technique. Referring to move-
ments that are universally human, Schott-Billmann spoke of ‘‘rites
without any myths,’’ suggesting that corporal symbolization gains sense
only in the subject’s personal history. Additionally, the inspired work of
Laura Sheleen, a Swedish-American dancer, links ritual movements
coming from mythological stories and theatre, and working together with
masks to move the ‘‘individual Self ’’ through a collective human
expression.
Not unlike in the US and other European countries, the modern dance
forms created by Martha Graham’s lyric expression, Isadora Duncan’s
free dance, and those of Wigman and Laban influenced French dance/
movement therapists. Vayesse concluded that the aims are similar:
bringing repressed psychic objects to consciousness, repairing the deficit
of links between movement and emotion, and fostering a consistent body
image and a more effective self.
In her second appearance on the panel representing Greece, Theodora
Thatcher was able to tell the story of a summer celebration and its
impact on both the cultural expression of her people and how some of its
elements reflect the basic concepts of dance/movement therapy. The
Panigyri is a fiesta that usually follows a religious ceremony involving
the name day of a particular saint. Each village on every island has a
church or monastery dedicated to a patron saint, whose name day pro-
vides the opportunity for celebration. During the summer months, par-
ticularly in August when the harvest is abundant, there are many such
40 Patricia P. Capello

festivals. The panigyri incorporates many of the old customs, and today
the women cook elaborate meals for the whole community, where there is
plenty of free wine for all, and, of course, dancing!
The literal translation of the word panigyri is ‘‘everyone participates.’’
So, everyone participates in the eating, the drinking, and the dancing.
The ideal that everyone participates (despite their level of ability or
disability) is certainly a basic dance/movement therapy belief. The main
focus of the panigyria is the dancing that goes on until the early morning
hours, but, it’s within the particular form – the traditional dances with
their small local step variations – that the people display personal
expression, alleviation of tension, and exhibition of skill. Being in the
here-and-now, moving with synchrony to a common rhythm while sup-
porting the feeling of belonging, are fundamental dance/movement
therapy concepts. The dance is performed in a circle, usually tightly
closed with hands holding each other’s shoulders. The local musicians
provide the strong and repetitive rhythms that allow the participants to
connect with the group and with the surrounding natural environment.
The repetition allows the very young, the tourists and strangers, along
with the other Greeks, to learn and to be able to fall in step and follow the
dance. This can be compared to the dance/movement therapist guiding
the session using repetition and simple patterns for the members to
identify and reproduce, leading to a sense of success and satisfaction.
Frequent jumps provide for much laughter and merriment, and break
the repetition in unexpected ways. The pervasive enthusiasm and zeal
allows for transcendence on both an individual and a group level. The
dance then becomes the vehicle for promoting group cohesion, attesting
cultural values, and confirming local identities.
Thatcher concluded by relating a verbal exchange with an ‘‘old, white-
haired woman’’ who told her while dancing: ‘‘These tourists – let them
see who we are – they can also learn from us!’’ Thatcher sees this elder’s
comment as an example of how letting the tourists participate in the
islanders’ cultural institution permits the Greeks to feel confident in
their own sense of belonging and less threatened by the tremendous
impact of the tourists. With the influx of tourism, which increases every
summer, the Greek people need to maintain their local and national
identities. For Thatcher, celebrating the name days of the saints through
the panigryia allows them to do what intra-psychically is essential for
them to do: affirm their ‘‘Greekness’’ while, at the same time, promote
their sense of local identity, similar to the way in which dance/movement
therapy brings people together beyond individual differences in a format
known to all, yet recognizable as uniquely their own. Finally, as she
led members of the audience in a tightly held circle dance to lively,
traditional music, we all had the opportunity to witness and experience a
joyful panigryia.
 Dance as Our Source 41

One cannot think about the influence of dance on dance/movement

therapy training and practice in Germany without considering both the
history of the country and also the history of dance in the last century.
Presenter Susanne Bender postulated that the development of dance/
movement therapy might have taken a significantly different path if it
were not for the devastating effects of the Nazi regime and World War II.
Some of the main pioneers in dance/movement therapy and those who
laid the foundation for its development were either Germans, worked in
Germany, or were from German speaking countries. Included on her
formidable list are Liljan Espenak, Elaine Siegel, Trudi Schoop, Judith
Kestenberg, Rudolf Laban, and Irmgard Bartenieff. Influenced by
German dancer, Mary Wigman, these early pioneers freed movers from
the more controlled ballet technique and developed Ausdruckstanz, or
expressive dance.
Ascona, Switzerland, was the center for alternative concepts of living
and working in the first part of the 20th century. With its holistic
approach toward life, pacifism, anarchy, theosophy, anthropology, psy-
choanalysis, eastern philosophy and modern dance, Ascona laid the
groundwork for rebelling against the patriarchal and militaristic culture
of the time. Before and after World War I, it hosted pacifists, immigrants,
and refugees, welcoming many famous visitors, including authors, phi-
losophers, artists, and dancers such as Isadora Duncan, Laban, and
Wigman. When the Nazi regime and the subsequent war scattered these
people all over the world, many immigrated to the US.
Around 1940, it was Pina Bausch in West Germany who became the
main representative of dance as an expression of internal processes.
Bausch says: ‘‘I am not interested in how people move, but what moves
people.’’ Bender describes how Bausch effected her own dance/movement
therapy training, as well as that of others: the development of her cho-
reography is reminiscent of the dance/movement therapy process, in that
she asks her dancers questions about different topics and situations
which are intuitively relevant, and encourages them to move in response.
From these improvisations she chooses the material that she believes
represents something totally new and unseen, and then integrates this
into the developing piece.
Since the 1950s, social dance has been particularly associated with
rock and roll and, later disco dance, and included ballroom dance schools,
with their traditional dances of waltz, foxtrot, samba, rumba, cha-cha,
etc. With the reunification of both German countries, the dance scene
also reunited. The philosophy of the Ausdruckstanz has returned, and
projects focusing on dance as an integral part of learning in educational
settings, as well as Germany’s long tradition of circle dances, have
influenced dance/movement therapy training and practice. Using circle
dances from all over Europe that represent various themes, dance/
42 Patricia P. Capello

movement therapists are offering clients an opportunity to explore dance

as a meditative, spiritual, or sacred experience. Bender reports that the
globalization represented in the different dance styles in use today
influences German dance/movement therapy. While most dance/move-
ment therapists refer consciously (or even unconsciously) to the roots of
Ausdruckstanz as a means of expressing one’s inner feelings, some take
their experiences of oriental and belly dance into their therapy sessions,
while others may integrate aspects from social dance, contact improvi-
sation, tango, or African dance. Finally, Bender was pleased to announce
the establishment of a university level dance/movement therapy program
scheduled to begin in Dresden in the fall of 2007.
In her first appearance on the panel, Lucie Bednarova describes the
Czech Republic as a small country that lies in the very center of Europe.
While most of the Czech dance forms were influenced by the dance styles
of other European countries such as France and Germany, the historical
styles had their origins in the lower social classes of farmers and work-
men. According to Bednarova, three different forms of Czech dance
influence dance/movement therapy. Nursery rhymes and short dances
are passed down from generation to generation and known by nearly
every child. They are taught to young children not only by their parents,
but also in a majority of pre-schools. Bednarova describes a colleague’s
experience using these nursery rhymes with her psychotic clients and
how, through these simple movements, they were able to return to vivid
and joyful moments from their childhoods. A second dance form is
introduced at the age of 16 when Czech teens enter secondary school and
are approaching adulthood. At this time, the classical forms of polka,
waltz, and samba are taught as pair dances. Maturing girls and boys
learn not only to dance in these courses, but are given the opportunity to
learn specific behaviors necessary for both societal expectations and
appropriate contact with the opposite sex. The third group of dance forms
includes the local practice of folk dances and traditions from the villages
and towns. The basic unit of Czech and Moravian folk dance forms is the
male/female pairing of the dancers in circles or facing rows. Bednarova
believes that this structure mirrors the typical essential functioning of
human society, giving the dancers an opportunity to learn to cope with
situations they may encounter in their everyday lives. From a movement
perspective, the emphasis lies on step variations containing a range of
movement qualities that alternate from a light, slow quality of jumping
steps to a strong stomping motion.
Bednarova gave an example of how a Czech folk dance called the
Beseda might be utilized in a dance/movement therapy session. The
Beseda is a collection of seven folk dances created in the 19th century at
the time of the national revival and movement for independence. It
became the symbol of national roots and is still danced today. Bednarova
 Dance as Our Source 43

went on to explain her view that this dance form offers young people the
chance to experience the clear distribution of male and female roles while
helping them express the different traditional tasks ritualized in the
Beseda as well as explore the concept of distance and closeness while
belonging to a group. Songs expressing a range of emotions accompany
the dances.
In conclusion, Bednarova stated that other dance styles have found
their way to the Czech Republic: belly dance, African dance, Jewish
dance, and samba; and dance/movement therapists can make use of all of
these, along with the traditional national dance forms. Finally,
Bednarova led members of the audience in a traditional circle dance that
featured holding hands and swinging arms. To the delight of the par-
ticipants and spectators, the quick and lively movements to traditional
music progressed with steps in and out of the circle with hands held on
the hips.
To acknowledge this year’s collaborative conference with the National
Dance Educator Organization (NDEO), Dr. Julie A. Kerr-Berry was an
invited Panel discussant whose expertise is in the area of world dance. As
a founding member of the NDEO, Kerr-Berry also serves as Co-Editor-in-
Chief of its official journal, the Journal of Dance Education. She focused
her remarks on the links between ‘‘first cultures’’ and the roots of dance/
movement therapy. Drawing on her knowledge of world dance, she stated
that the common denominator is their use of ritual. Further, she stated
that American society is circling back on itself, to its roots of ritual from
where it came. She described her first-hand experience of this when she
encountered people from cultures other than her own, whose ‘‘movement
diet’’ was rich in ritual and used as a mediating force.
Kerr-Berry then went on to say that she sees specific ‘‘signposts’’ in
American society that indicate her country’s reinvestigation of ritual. For
example, she cited the Native American Renaissance that has been
happening for the past two decades or the use of ritual at the yearly 9/11
memorials. She then referenced the 2005 documentary film RIZE which
focused on the power of movement, played out through danced-rituals,
such as ‘‘clowning’’ and ‘‘crumping,’’ which functioned to mediate, to
interrupt, and to sustain a young marginalized, urban, black population
through creative alternatives.
Kerr-Berry discussed how her pedagogy for teaching both world dance
and dance history courses is founded on the dancing body as a ‘‘barom-
eter’’ of social and cultural realities. Her primary purpose in these
courses is to broaden student understanding of dance, challenge their
previous definitions of dance, and encourage lively discourse about how
dance in the US and abroad is a product of cultural fusion that brought
together different groups of people; and this ‘‘dance’’ has been going on
since we took our first steps as human beings.
44 Patricia P. Capello

In her concluding remarks, Kerr-Berry focused on her analysis of

what the dancing body tells us. These observations included the contin-
ued divide between the mind and body and a state she described as an
‘‘agitated state of passivity’’ among many young people that has detached
them from their bodies and from themselves. She postulated these
developments in the movement repertory of our youth might have links
to the two-dimensional computer world. Kerr-Berry also suggested that
American society, on the one-hand, remains detached from a ‘‘ritualized’’
dancing body, while, on the other, displays a hypersexualized dancing
body, fed by the media and played out by teenagers and young adults.
Next on the Panel, Shoichi Machida (in association with Yukari
Sakiyama) discussed how Japanese dance/movement therapy sessions
utilize both Western modern dance techniques and Japanese traditional
dances. While there are many kinds of traditional dances, each having a
special place in society, featured was the history of five Japanese dances
and their potential for use in dance/movement therapy.
Gagaku or Bugaku is a court dance enacted primarily in the Emper-
or’s palace. Imported from China and Korea, it is said to be the oldest
court dance in the world. Male members of a few special families have
inherited both the professional dances and performers’ roles in this style.
Because Gagaku or Bugaku are played and danced in the Emperor’s
ceremony, everyday people find it difficult to see. It is not very popular
and therefore the movements have not been learned. The dancers’
movements are slow and graceful. While it looks like Tai chi and appears
to be to a healthy activity, it has not been used for dance/movement
therapy simply because it is unfamiliar and somewhat obscure.
Originating in the 8th century, Noh or Shimai is a Japanese tradi-
tional musical during which the players speak, sing songs, and dance to
music while wearing masks. The dancing in Noh musicals is known as
‘‘Shimai.’’ It was originally a dance for the soldier class with its tradition
kept alive by distinctive families, with the male members becoming
professional dancers. There are about 300 performances in Noh, many of
them having themes of verbal and non-verbal communication with the
dead or with ghosts. A few dance/movement therapists use Shimai in
their sessions in Japan, believing that the dance forms of Noh are useful
in introducing patients to dance.
Nihonbuyoh or modern Japanese dance began in the 16th century and
further developed in the 18th century. Becoming very popular, ordinary
middle class people are studying it as a hobby. There are both male and
female professional and amateur dancers. This dance form is also
accessible to the elderly, as indicated by Han Takehara, one of the most
famous female professional dancers in this field, who was still dancing at
age 85. According to Machida, many aspects of the choreography of
Nihonbuyoh can be used in dance/movement therapy.
 Dance as Our Source 45

Bon Festival Dance occurs in July when the Japanese have a tradition
of organizing a festival for worshiping ancestors. It is characterized by
people dancing individually, but as part of a group, and without creating
pairs. The individuals and the group can communicate within the culture
of a shared sense of community. This kind of dance, which is performed
by people of various ages, enhances a sense of belonging and a spirit of
unity among the dancers. It also creates a basis of mutual cooperation.
There are no professional Bon dancers: every dancer is an amateur such
as an ordinary farmer or everyday citizen. The Bon Festival dance has
specific choreography and dance forms, but it is easy to imitate and
perform. Many dance/movement therapists use Bon Festival Dance in
their sessions. In fact, most mental health hospitals in Japan regularly
hold Bon Festival Dance gatherings as part of the therapeutic experience.
Lastly, Butoh is a relatively new dance that was born in the 20th
century from the influence of modern dances but based on Japanese
culture. Butoh dancers often use themes of everyday life and can express
the varied movements of sensuality, ‘‘broken’’ shapes, and those that
symbolize the dead, the disturbed, the handicapped, or the elderly.
Because these dance performances are unusual and differ from the
popular perception or ideal of beauty, Butoh captivates the soul of the
more sophisticated audience. While an unusual dance form, the training
techniques of Butoh appear to be very useful for dance/movement
therapy training and practice.
Panelist Dr. Boon Soon Ryu of Korea began her discussion of the
universality of dance by describing Moon Dance (gang gang sul le) as a
symbolic movement expressing tradition, custom, religion, and faith in
accordance with the cycle of the universe and nature. Honoring and
learning from seasonal changes and the waxing and waning of the moon
is a living principle for Koreans. In the Moon Dance, the circular shape of
the moon is a fundamental figure and, like the shape of the sun, repre-
sents all of nature. These symbols depict abundance, growth, and vital-
ity. They can also refer to ideas of unity and solidarity in nature, the
universe and the life cycle. Moon Dance, a famous Korean group dance
that was enjoyed by Koreans in ancient times, features the singing of an
‘‘occult song.’’ This chanting, or sung prayer, played a role in creating an
atmosphere and inspired certain actions and use of the imagination. The
dance incorporated the divine, artistry, and entertainment.
Holding a special meaning for women, Moon Dance became an object
of prayer and ritual in which the dancers place a bowl of water in front of
themselves and pray to the moon, hoping to absorb its energy. The
movement of the dance expresses desire for fertility, reproduction, and
birth, and another task of this dance for is to resolve conflict and combine
emotional with physical energy.
46 Patricia P. Capello

Today, in the education and practice of dance/movement therapists,

utilizing the Moon Dance circle form fosters community awareness, a
sense of belonging, and expression of emotion through letting go, playing,
and chanting. Creative and spontaneous activities are done in this
symbolic realm, so that the members can communicate and ‘‘see’’ them-
selves more clearly. The dancers hold hands and circle to the left, then
right, and then left again, to symbolize the rotation of life forms in the
ebb and flow of spiritual death and rebirth. Dance/movement therapy
clients are able to creatively express the inner conflicts and desires of
man by repeating simple rhythms and sound.
With the assistance of her international students, Ryu demonstrated
the Moon Dance. The dancers formed a circle, and then skipped to the
right with hands swirling over their heads. At times, a dancer would
perform a solo in the center and then the group formed a line and created
a puzzle-like formation of intertwining dancers. Gradually the action
slowed, and the line carefully unraveled and moved to a conclusion of
fast, skipping, snake-like actions that came together in a finale with the
arms of the dancers high above their heads.
According to Riita Parvia, the origins of Finland’s own dance appear
to be unknown, so its traditions, forms, and concepts are borrowed from
the dances of other countries: folkdances from European folk forms and
social dance styles imported from Italy about the time of the Middle Ages.
Traveling dance teachers, many of them women, taught social dance to
the gentry of the cities.
In the beginning of the 1800s, the dance master institution became
the foundation of the Institute of Gymnastics at the University of
Helsinki. Here, women’s gymnastics developed into a scientifically based
form of women’s gym. Women emancipated themselves by throwing
away their corsets and high-heeled shoes, and created musical, dance-
like gym styles that developed into ‘‘free dance.’’ This movement had
psychological, educational, and socio-political aims. In the 1900s free
dance progressed with an emphasis on artistic sources. Other countries
offered their influences, as well: German movement affected free dance,
and ballet was brought from Russia by dancers fleeing the revolution.
Social dances were taught to educate people in good carriage, proper
conduct, and dignity. Through dancing, emotions were disciplined and
refined. Social dance courses often ended with grand balls at which both
children and adults participated. Dance grew in popularity, and dance
societies were established. The social dance movement became a com-
munity movement. Folk dances were constructed for national purposes,
to help establish an identity of the people and to create symbols of the
new nation. Similar to reports from other countries, modern dance forms
from the US began to appear in the 1960s, and post-modern practices and
 Dance as Our Source 47

ethnic dance is now imported from the European continent to enrich the
dance scene.
According to Parvia, most dance/movement therapy students seem to
have trained in post-modern dance forms that give ample freedom for
moving, experimentation, and expression. She feels, however, that there
continues to be something missing: a center to work from, a source of
strength, varying use of energy, or, perhaps, a deeper commitment to
dance and a fuller understanding of the possibilities of dance in therapy.
She feels that it is the task of the dance/movement therapy educator first
to cope with the fundamental ideas of the students, and then to widen
and deepen their understanding of the concepts of dance/movement
therapy. As an educator, she looks for the subtleties in the students’
movements and strives to provide the student with a firm work base
within her or his own self, knowing and then using her or his creative
resources. In this way, Parvia believes, the student of dance/movement
therapy can learn to handle what she refers to as multi-level therapeutic
processes and transformations.
In her report from Taiwan, Tsung Chin Lee asked many intriguing
questions, such as: Is dance the source or the limitation for dance/
movement therapy? She feels that even the word ‘‘dance’’ is interpreted
individually, based on a person’s fantasy of the meaning of dance; and
she shared that, in her experience as a practicing dance/movement
therapist, she often encounters people who expect her to teach them how
to dance, or those who expect her to have a ‘‘perfect body.’’ Years of
practice have led her to understand how to respond to these miscon-
ceptions. Working with the principle that dance/movement therapy
promotes self-awareness, she helps her clients remove or clarify any
fantasies they may have about dance, and she leads them back to focus
on their own body through the use of verbal cues and questions to initiate
movement explorations.
Tsung Chin Lee attempts to get beyond the biological indicators, to
the ‘‘felt-sense,’’ and, through this process of movement exercises guided
by verbal questioning, she observes, the therapist is examining the client
on both a body and cognitive level, assisting him or her in removing the
constraints of a narrow focus about dance, and offering a broader view.
At this point, the dance and movement expression could be enhanced and
developed into a therapeutic experience.
Explaining Taiwanese culture, Lee emphasized that, even though it is
a small island, the Taiwanese have more than 70 channels on TV. People
in Taiwan learn quickly through the TV programs and are tremendously
affected by celebrities. Many celebrities convey various styles of body
expression, such as belly dance, ballroom dance, etc. She reported that,
in Hollywood movies such as Shall We Dance, the movie stars wear
48 Patricia P. Capello

delicate costumes that reveal their beautiful bodies, and these images
generate various fantasies about dance.
The traditional culture in Taiwan is also portrayed on television.
According to Lee, the public sees the powerful steps of the Eight Will
(Chinese ancient god), the modest postures of the fairies and the Tradi-
tional Chinese Dragon & Lion Dance during the Chinese New Year, and
these forms of physical expression are familiar to Taiwanese people and
embody their movement abilities. Consequently, Lee makes use of these
ancient dance forms such as the Dragon Dance to elicit the flow of the
group, or the strong steps of the Eight Will when there is a compression
of emotions in the group. To demonstrate her point, members of
the audience became dancers who formed the shape of a dragon, with the
arms curving right and left while doing small quick running around the
circle. The dance ended with the dancers doing a diagonal reach from
heel to fingertips. The personification of the ‘‘dragon’’ was further
enhanced by the dancers shaking and wiggling their hips to create the
moving tail.
Lee believes that, with the training in dance therapy, therapists can
read/decode the meaning and the information of body movement from the
mass system of body expressions, allowing us to absorb non-verbal lan-
guage as a resource that can apply to different people and guide the
client to integrate body and mind. She has respect and appreciation for
all types of dance and performance, but, as a dance/movement therapist,
she believes it is more important to learn the movement qualities
appropriate for the skill level of the client, and the basis of the psycho-
logical needs of the client’s culture, than it is to be accomplished in the
technical skill of dance, itself. Lee acknowledged that, in the past, dance
therapy in Taiwan was opened by western modern dance but that she
has found that the body in Taiwan has its own unique mien.
In her description of an on-going dance/movement therapy group with
hospitalized psychiatric patients in Argentina, Maralia Reca included
some basic treatment goals of relaxation, communication, reality testing,
and expression of emotions. She proposed the use of folk rhythms in the
sessions to address the characteristic poor body image issues of slumped
posture and limp limbs with limited sense of the feeling of weight, and
poor use of space when moving. As other panelists have contended, using
culturally familiar folk music and the simple formations of the dance, a
healthy collective memory is promoted, allowing patients to rebuild a
sense of mastery and empowerment. The organizing effect of beginning
and ending a dance together as a group increases their patients’ rela-
tionship to reality and their environment.
Reca continued by saying that the basic formations required by the
dance (lines, circles, couples) have helped patients move with clear
directions in the space, sharing steps and, thus, contributing to a better
 Dance as Our Source 49

understanding of boundaries. She considers a remarkable recovery of

self-expression, communication, and recognition to be a result of the
safety and liberation of moving together without the need for contact. A
form called zapateo was utilized to practice ways to embody weight,
leading to a clearer sensation of feeling stabilized and grounded. Reca
further remarked that these rhythmic dances have helped patients gain
control over their impulsivity and a tendency to be compulsive. In
observing the joy and self-awareness experienced throughout the ses-
sions, Reca suggests that traditional forms work best with psychotic
patients, while more innovative pieces of folk music are better suited to
the less traumatized or neurotic client in dance/movement therapy.
Concluding her presentation, Reca and her talented counterpart,
Shoichi Machida (our panelist from Japan), performed a piece that fea-
tured classic, couple-partnering movements to traditional folk rhythms.
Beginning across the room from each other, they danced a lively triplet
towards one another and then back, passing shoulder-to-shoulder in a
figure eight pattern. As the female partner coyly held her skirt and kept
the strong rhythm by stamping her heels, the male partner tossed a scarf
over her head, and they finished with a flourish!
I presented a brief statement from Sohini Chakaborty, a pioneering
dance/movement therapist from India, who was unable to appear on this
year’s Panel. Chakaborty describes India as a large country with many
different cultures, languages, and art, with dance intricately linked with
the social and religious life of its people. The diverse dance forms of India
are a result of the combination of local expression and the intermingling
of regional cultures originating in the pre-historic period. An incoming
migrant population from Southeast Asia and Persia has introduced a
foreign element of dance, further enriching the Indian dance vocabulary.
Three elements that seem essential in the education and practice of
dance/movement therapy in India can be identified: one is a yogic ele-
ment, with its beginning creative exercises of looking at one’s internal
rhythm, and integrating mind and body, leading to increased concen-
tration and an improved sense of control. Secondary sources come from
several classical forms that help to develop dance/movement therapy
fundamentals. Kathakali dance uses various facial muscles along with
movements of the eyes and eyebrows to energize the face; Kathak dance
foot steps are successfully used to release energy and discharge frus-
tration and anger. The soft and graceful elements of Manipuri dance
movements increase one’s focus on self-identity and realizing inner calm.
Bharatnatyam dance concentrates on the isolation of different parts of
the body with simultaneous hand movements. The third element that
Chakraborty acknowledges is the extensive variety of the simple folk
forms which can be hypnotic in nature and encourage solidarity and
building of relationships, with participants holding hands and moving to
 50 Patricia P. Capello

simple rhythms. She emphasizes that all these movement styles allow an
individual to express, communicate, feel confident, enhance her or his
body language, and inspire self-dignity, thereby overcoming the negative
feelings of trauma and aggression.
The final comments made on this year’s Panel were from Dr. Meg
Chang (United States) who, in the absence of Maria-Lusie Obrem, the
scheduled presenter, acted as the ADTA Discussant. Chang summed up
by citing the influence of culture on dance. Since dance/movement
therapy explicitly focuses on the psychological significance of the dance
to the dancer, one must look beyond the simple form of the dance, which
it seeks to give a voice to embodied knowledge, making it imperative that
movement and dance are understood within their cultural context.
Realizing that what we see in a dance is shaped and conditioned both by
our own home culture and that of the dancer’s, we cannot assume that
movements will mean the same thing in another culture.

Conclusion

Spanning the globe to investigate how diversity in ethnic dance styles

has therapeutic implications for the education and practice of dance/
movement therapists, the 12th International Panel reached its goal by
providing both historic and present-day illustrations of the impact of
cultural forms on therapy. Similarities were apparent in the use of
traditional folk dances, particularly those in circle formations and the
cross-cultural experience of simple, repetitive communal movements
that are at the foundation of dance/movement therapy sessions world-
wide. Diversity was demonstrated in the description of the origins (both
from nature and human sources) of each culture’s unique dance and in
the distinctive, descriptive stories that ‘‘tell the tale’’ of every folk form.
The audience experienced the enriching opportunity to listen to a
variety of international music and learn classic dance forms to deepen
the experience and strengthen our collective understanding of the
influence of cultural dance, as it is embodied in dance/movement therapy
principles and processes. This historical review and return to our roots
of dance as the inherent source of our essential work reinforce our
commitment to dance/movement therapy and is a useful guide to the
future.

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