Movement and Dance - Introduction

Movement is innate to all human beings. Whether fully able or physically disabled, one moves. Walking to the store, blinking one’s eyes, reaching for a loved one’s hand; these are all movements. Movement is the foundation of dance which is an art form that encompasses many different styles and is in every culture here on earth. It is recreational, sacred, emotional. Dance is many different things to different people. Dance is using the body to express something or nothing. It is usually seen as entertainment, to be performed in venues such as theatres, concert halls and even someone’s back garden. Dance is an art form that links us all despite our differences.
Dance is a form of expression that has been around for ages. In the Old Testament, it is recorded that King David danced out of his clothes in celebration and praise to God.

Dance is also seen as an healing art. Throughout the ages and cultures, dance has been used in rituals as a sacred form to bring about emotional and even physical healing.  Examples such as dances in Haitian voodoo used dancing to the beating of drums as a means for spiritual enlightenment. Dance was and still is fundamental to Far Eastern cultures in their spiritual and religious lives. They were trained to learn specific gestures, movements that correlated with stories that were apart of their culture. The western world also saw dance as instrumental in living; the Greeks saw all art as a way to please their gods. After the Middle Ages, dance was banned by the Roman Catholic Church and was no longer seen as a religious experience. The relationship between body and spirit seemed to no longer be recognized. The ones who initially saw dance as a means of healing, ones like witch doctors and shamans, recognized the relationship of  mind-body-spirit. Now in modern times, dance is used in a psychotherapeutic setting as Dance Movement Therapy.

Defining Dance Movement Therapy

As stated before, dance movement therapy is “a relational process in which client/s and therapist engage in an empathic creative process using body movement and dance to assist integration of emotional, cognitive, physical, social and spiritual aspects of self.” (ADMP 2013)

It is a fairly young profession compared to the life span of the planet. It has been growing in the United States for over forty years and in the UK, the pioneers of the profession started developing their practice during the late 1960s-1970s.
The practice of dance movement therapy is not limited to these two countries but is practiced in over thirty-three countries such as Australia, Spain and Israel to name a few. The histories and methods used will focus on the United Kingdom and United States due to most published research and writings originate from both these places. Also their histories are similar and tend to intertwine. Despite the fact the profession is practiced in nations that have cultural differences, dance movement therapists have core values and beliefs which are:

-The human being is a body mind unity and dance/movement is its manifestation.

-Gesture, posture and movement express the person and allow for self knowledge and psychotherapeutical change.

-Acknowledgement of the therapeutical effects of the creative process.

-Dance and movement are utilized as a way to the unconscious and as a facilitator of different aspects of health and well being.

-There is a differentiation between the work done with an artist or dance teacher and that by a therapist. For them, dance is at the service of promoting health and change.

-Dance therapists establish contact, plan treatment and evaluate it in terms of integrated 

knowledge of movement, dance and psychotherapy. 

These six statements set the basis for the dance movement therapist's practice and professional development.

A TEDTalk by Natalia Duong on Dance as Therapy.

Natalia Duong is a performance artist.

Creativity is of great importance to dance movement therapists because they are interested in the creative process of the individual asking for help, who likely is not involved in any creative arts profession. Originality and spontaneity are themes that dance movement therapists encourage when working with patients and clients. The profession works primarily with the nonverbal; the danced expression of the client with the therapist's movement and verbal input. The work of art made in a session is not seen as something to expose to public. Dance movement therapy does not look at the movements made as performance to be shared. It does not require nor demand any formal or technical training in dance for the client to be able to benefit from this type of therapy.
Improvisation plays heavily in the field of dance movement therapy and is the basis for a lot of the methods used to aid clients. It encourages the participants/mover to detach from typical reactions so that new psychophysical forms may emerge and be explored.
Dance movement therapy strives to enable the individual to try out new possibilities, delve in to paths of who they might be. It promotes discovering new meanings and experiences of self. The sessions are spaces that contain a therapeutic relationship where the patient can embark on a journey of introspection and integration. The basic emotional, kinesthetic and symbolic aspects of movement are what is key in dance movement therapy. Not the aesthetic or technique looked for in traditional dance settings.
Kinesthetic Empathy is also a concept that is prevalent in dance movement therapy. It is a form of knowledge, of contact and shared construction that may take many forms. Movement explorations are designed by capturing themes or issues displayed by the patient’s body language - stance, gesture, posture, attitude and speech.
Dance movement therapists must have gone through his/her own therapy, supervision and continuous training in the ares of psychology. They must be able to dance, be knowledgable of movement techniques and to continue developing professionally through research on the field of dance and psychology.

How does one become a dance movement therapist?

One cannot simply read thousands upon thousands of pages of research into the field to call one's self a dance movement therapist. In order to be officially recognized, one must undertake a course of study, usually at the postgraduate level, to become a licensed dance movement therapist. There are institutions that offer undergraduate programs in the field but one must still obtain a master's degree in order to become licensed as clinical internships are required.

This was not always so as there had to be a starting point for this middle aged profession.
In the United States of America, the people who are most recognized as the pioneers of the field are

Marian Chace

Blanche Evan

Liljan Espenak

Mary Whitehouse

Trudi Schoop 

Alma Hawkins

In the United Kingdom, the people recognized as the pioneers are

Helen Payne (major pioneer)

Leah Bartal

Lynne Crane 

Sarah Holden, 

Fran Lavendel,

Jeannette Mac Donald,

Bonnie Meekums, 

Kedzie Penfield  

Marie Ware 

History of Dance Movement in the USA and the UK

As stated, the field of Dance Movement Therapy is one that is practiced throughout the world. The pioneers of the practice hail from both the United States of America and the United Kingdom. This means that the practice of dance movement therapy today has been heavily influenced by the practices and methods of these individuals hailing from these nations.
The methods and practices in both countries are similar and some differ due to the influences of the people at the foundation of DMT in both countries.

United States of America

The roots of DMT in the USA can be traced back to modern dance in the early 1900's.
Marian Chace, who is seen as the major pioneering dance therapist in the States, used to be one of Denishawn's (Ted Shawn and Ruth St. Denis) disciples. She was instrumental in establishing the governing body for dance movement therapy in the USA, the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), along with others.
She worked heavily with hospitalized patients who either could not or did not want to communicate verbally. (pg 24 Dance Movement Therapy a healing art)

Around the same time as the modern dance emergence, Mary Wigman developed and steered a style that centered around having strong, direct communication with the audience. John Martin, a movement critic and author of The Modern Dance said about Wigman,
"the result.. is the appearance of entirely authentic movements which are as closely allied to the emotional experience as an instinctive recoil is to an experience of fear." (pp 56-60)
The image of Mary Wigman's style as authentic movement was picked up on by Mary Whitehouse and became a huge driving force of dance therapy especially on the west coast of the United States. Her teachings have been a profound influence on many of the major contemporary leaders in the field. She wrote in an article that "..I turned into a dance therapist without realizing it, simply because no such thing existed when I started." (pg 51 1979)
Mary Whitehouse's work was not only by her study of dance at the Mary Wigman School in Germany but also influenced by Jungian philopshy.

United Kingdom

Unlike the in depth history of dance movement therapy in the United States, The history of the profession in the United Kingdom is not as heavily recorded. In response to this lack of historical evidence, Bonnie Meekums, who is a pioneer of the field in the UK, set out to right this wrong and record from a first person perspective. It is her research that the writer draws from to inform the readers.

Dance Movement Therapy has a history that precedes the forming of the Association of Dance Movement Therapy (ADMT), the governing body for the practice in the UK. The ADMT was formed in 1982 and formal training courses were introduced not long after. Formal registration as a practitioner began as late as 1996. There was an influx of American influenced practices around the time of 1978 but those that are classed as inherently British started before then.

Table showing the British pioneers and their influences.

(Meekums)

Methods Used - Laban Movement Analysis & Kestenberg Movement Profiling

In this section, the writer/researcher will look at how the works and research of Laban have influenced the field of dance movement therapy and how it is utilized today.

Rudolf von Laban or Rudolf Laban was born in Bratislava, Hungary. He is widely recognized as one of the most important movement theorists of all time. As a dancer, choreographer and philosopher, Laban is seen as one of the founders of modern dance in Europe. His work has developed into various methods used today in the world of dance. Workings such as Labanotation and Laban Movement Analysis have provided the base for different methods used in dance movement therapy and are themselves used as well. Labanotation or Kinetography Laban, is the system Rudolf Laban developed to notate movement in a form of shorthand. This was done to make recording movement easier. It's aim is to provide a language that can be learned, utilized and dictated by choreographers and dancers alike.

Laban Movement Analysis

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Laban Movement Analysis is a type of Laban Movement study that is a language used for visualizing, interpreting, documenting, and describing all aspects of human movement. Labanotation can and is used in Laban Movement Analysis. The concept and term effort/shape is used heavily in the field of dance movement therapy. It originates from Laban's work where he uses "effort" and the shape is from Warren Lamb's expanding of Laban's work. Warren Lamb was a protege of Rudolf Laban. Those dance therapists who do not use Lamb's system of shape, use only the term effort. Those who use the full theoretical framework of Laban's use the term of Laban Movement Analysis, or LMA or Labanalysis.

Effort

It describes the dynamics of movement in four factors of motion which are

Space

Weight

Time

Flow

These terms are not isolated but rather depend heavily upon on another. When a therapist uses effort, the characteristics of movement are discussed often in relation to attributes of personality.

Shape

The idea of shape is that whenever an individual makes a change in one the dynamics of effort, a shape change that corresponds occurs. Three types of shape changes are observed in LMA. These are

Directional Movement

Shape Flow

Shaping Movement

Laban Movement Analysis and its workings are the fundamental aspect of dance therapy in the United Kingdom. In the United States of America, Laban Movement Analysis is not exclusive in the field. It is used alongside with other methods such as the Kestenberg Movement Profiling. Laban Movement Analysis gave way to the Kestenberg Movement Profiling which is also used in Dance Movement Therapy.

Kestenberg Movement Profiling

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Dr. Judith Kestenberg, a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist, developed the Kesternberg Movement Profile through concepts borrowed from the work of Laban and Lamb. Kestenberg expanded on Laban Movement Analysis by integrating the concepts of it with psychoanalytical theory.

The Kestenberg Movement Profile is a "complex series of graphs which chart several aspects of a child's movement repertoire using primarily the Effort/Shape movement descriptive vocabulary."
The use of the KMP in dance therapy provides dance therapists with terminology with which to interpret and define movement happenings during therapy while placing it in a developmental context.

The Kestenberg Movement Profile is popular with some, not all, dance movement therapists. The writer has not seen much findings about it outside of the context of dance therapy in the USA. It is also a method that is used mostly with children so the audience field is limited.

Methods Used - Authentic Movement & Body-Mind Centering

In this section, the writer/researcher will be looking at two methods used in the area of dance movement therapy. They are Authentic Movement and Body-Mind Centering. 

Authentic Movement

Authentic Movement is a practice that is deeply rooted in the principles and philosophy of Carl Jung's active imagination. It is a practice that involves the body and the relation to the unconscious. It is defined as "simple form of self-directed movement." The breakdown of the practice is that it usually done with the eyes closed and a witness present. It can be seen as improvisation but it much more than that, as the mover takes cues from "inner responses" that dictate spontaneous gestures and movements. The witness is present to take note of the mover's movements not with an intent to judge but to track self awareness. It is essentially the marriage of active imagination and modern dance improvisation.

Authentic Movement Workshop

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As stated previously in the history of dance therapy, one of the pioneers in the USA, Mary Whitehouse is a leader in the use of Authentic Movement. Joan Chodorow and Janet Adler are also leaders in the field of Authentic Movement. Helen Payne, one of the major pioneers in dance movement therapy in the UK, also uses Authentic Movement heavily in her practice. The term field is used for Authentic Movement as it can be practiced outside of the context of dance movement therapy. There are sole practitioners of it and certification is available if interested in the practice alone.

Authentic Movement practitioners see it 

-as a meditative, spiritual practice that integrates body and mind for increased access to consciousness.

-as part of psychotherapy process, for enhanced sense of self and and well-being; often bringing -unconscious thoughts to awareness.

-as artistic support, to connect with creativity and creative process, unblocking and opening to new ideas.

-as community outreach and development in community long circles, that address and solve community-wide problems.

Body-Mind Centering

Body-Mind Centering is a method developed by Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Cohen is certified in Laban Movement Analysis and in the use of the Kestenberg Movement Profile. She holds a degree in occupational therapy and has extensive training in the fields of modern dance and yoga. Body-Mind Centering as defined by the official website as "an integrated and embodied approach to movement, the body and consciousness... it is an experiential study based on the embodiment and application of anatomical, physiological, psychophysical  and developmental principles, utilizing movement, touch, voice and mind." 

Body-Mind Centering Exercise 

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There are many programs that fall under Body-Mind Centering and like Authentic Movement, it can be practiced outside of the realm of dance movement therapy. One can become certified through the various programs and courses offered. Body-Mind Centering is a method that is taught in universities around the United Kingdom that offer a program in dance movement therapy. One such institution for example is Edge Hill University.

Open Up and Dig Deep - Practical Sessions

For this portfolio, the writer chose to research methods applied in dance movement therapy and to take inspiration from those to facilitate workshops. These workshops would be aimed at students at the undergraduate level who are undertaking a degree in Dance. The purpose for this was for the participants to view dance/movement in a different manner than they were used to. The researcher wanted the workshops to motivate the participants to open up emotionally and to gain a sense of community. In the book Expressive Arts Therapies, it states that
"the therapist may choose to work on a one to one bias is to elicit "authentic" movement or in groups to encourage socialization. She (most dance/movement therapists are women) may prefer to use music to prompt movement response and stimulate emotion (as did Marian Chace), or she may prefer silence to encourage authentic expression. "(Pg 171)
The researcher decided to work in groups as the aim was for socialization (sense of community) and to work in silence for the reason of encouraging real expression and not one dictated by music.

In dance movement therapy, one of the results is catharsis or emotional release.
Activity of the body can help an individual to "let go" of a suppressed emotion which is a goal of the workshops. Many dance movement therapists agree that physical release can lead to an individual being more open and receptive to therapy, or growth, or self awareness. (Pg 174)
In dance movement therapy sessions, communication tends to occur on the subconscious level.
Movements help showcase feelings that aren't distinguished or recognized, feelings that have yet to be communicated verbally. Expressive Arts Therapies says "the movements of the body, therefore, bring to the surface the repressed emotions, the instinctual demands and the unfinished business that we have tried to bury. The symbolic acting out inherent in improvised "authentic" body movements facilitates the emergence of hidden impulses, memories and emotions." (Pg 175)
Opportunity to communicate what one feels physiologically is important and is deemed important by most dance movement therapists.  In the workshop sessions, the researcher wants to see how the participants move and respond to the activities.

Due to the researcher not being trained in the various methods that have mentioned, the researcher's aim is to not assess the participants' mental state or capacity.