What Is Dance-Movement Therapy?
Definition
Dance movement therapy is the therapeutic use of movement to further the emotional, cognitive, physical and social integration of the individual, based on the empirically supported premise that the body, mind and spirit are interconnected.
History
Dance has been fundamental to human life and culture since the time of our earliest ancestors; a form of self-expression, communication and celebration of life and community. However, by the turn of the 20th century, the potential for dance to promote healthy growth and change was also recognised. This recognition came with the development of more expressive and improvisational forms of dance popular at that time, as well as the acceptance of the integral relationship between mind and body.
Perspectives on the Profession of Dance/Movement Therapy: Past, Present, and Future
Article by Robyn Cruz, Ph.D., ADTR, President of the American Dance Therapy Association
(from The Bright Side website)
Philosophy
Dance-movement therapy emerged as a profession in the US in the 1960s. By the 1970s it had reached Australia, and is now an established vocation, combining the creative process and the study of human movement into a holistic approach that draws upon the elements inherent in dance. Programs are designed to meet specific goals and bring about therapeutic change.
Australian practitioners
Dance-movement therapists are drawn from backgrounds in dance, education or the health sciences including, for example, teaching, physiotherapy and psychology. Practitioners are required to undergo extensive dance-movement therapy training together with supervised clinical practice. They may be employed specifically as dance-movement therapists, or integrate dance-movement therapy within the broader context of their work.
Dance-movement therapists
- appreciate the therapeutic value of aesthetic and artistic experience of dance
- understand the interrelationship of the physical, emotional, and cognitive dimensions of human behaviour
- use their skills in movement observation and analysis to assess individuals, develop and evaluate therapeutic programs
- recognise body movement as the basis of human interaction and communication
- are trained in counselling skills and group facilitation
- design and implement programs for diverse client groups.
The dance-movement therapy profession in Australia consists of an ever-growing number of practitioners working in clinical, educational and community settings with individuals or groups of all ages including:
- special schools
- rehabilitation centres
- hospitals
- aged care facilities
- prisons
- psychiatric clinics
- community health centres
- private practice
Research and writing about dance-movement therapy
Information about dance-movement therapy in Australia is available
- in our Collections series
- in our bi-annual journal 'Moving On', which is available by subscription and back copies of single issues
Articles about dance-movement therapy in Australia
Dance therapy in diverse societies: the Australian experience
International panel, American Dance Therapy Association Conference, October 2008
Kim Dunphy, Vice President, Dance Movement Therapy Association of Australia
Dance-movement therapy in Australia, one page flyer describing DMT in Australia, DTAA 2008
Making our mark: an introduction to dance therapy in Australia, article by dmt Dr Heather Hill, first published in 2007 on artshub.com.au and presented here by kind permission of artshub.
The development of dance therapy practice in Victoria: the status quo and the future,
presentation by dmt Andrew Morrish at AADE Conference, Adelaide, 1989, available by kind permission of the author.
Other dance movement therapy references
List of dance movement therapy references (download)
The website of the American Dance Therapy Association has an extremely comprehensive list of dance movement therapy references. www.adta.org
Moving Towards Wholeness, Joan Chodorow's keynote presentation at the 2000 DTAA conference
Dance-movement therapy in the news
Bayswater Buzz newsletter (page 9) reports on dance therapy program for children with autism led by Heather Hill
More information
Australian dmt Heather Hill introduces dance-movement therapy to students at Mukogawa Women's University, Japan
More information (in Japanese)