Dance Movement Therapy Classes & Workshops in Pune, India

Research is now telling us that a free approach to body movement is essential to mental and emotional health. Creative dance gives everyone an opportunity to discover their own forms of movement expression, according to their physical and psychological needs.

For more than millennia, ancient and indigenous societies have used Dance to heal and promote a sense of community. Victory, fertility, productivity and health were directly connected to the community’s ritual songs and dances. Throughout history people have expressed themselves through moving together to a common rhythm. They danced at the most important times of their lives. Feelings and emotions were shared through common participation in movement. Today, Dance Movement Therapy uses these and other aspects of dance to treat, assess and prevent various disorders and for holistic wellbeing.

Research investigating the efficacy of dance movement therapy has focused on case studies and outcome studies examining, psychologic, performance and motor related variables. Subjects have included all ages, from infants to adults. These studies have reported positive psychological outcomes in a wide variety of phenomena. These outcomes include reduced anxiety, changes in self concept or body image, significant decrease in depression, improved relatedness and social interaction, heightened levels of attention and improved cognitive processes. Dance movement therapy also positively affects physical sequelae. This additional effect is especially important when emotional distress exacerbates conditions such as traumatic brain injury and heart disease. Hyphothesis generating research suggests a relationship between the moments during appointments when a practitioner and a patient move in synchrony and the information the patient recalls later. It also leads to treatment goals include awareness, expression, insight, interpersonal communication etc. Patients achieve these objectives by working with natural elements of dance and movement. Because the fundamental elements of movements are available to everyone, patients do not need training or talent to benefit from Dance Movement Therapy. The greater the repertoire (variety of movement not skill) the better the person is, to feel, to explore, to express.

Dance movement therapists’ work with children and adults in psychiatric, rehabilitative, correctional, community, educational, hospice and private practice settings. Patients come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Patients come from all socioeconomic backgrounds. Assessments usually require between two and four 30 to 60 min sessions, depending on the patient’s age and diagnosis.

Typically dance movement therapists work in large offices, dance studios, gymnasiums etc. Chairs are kept for patients who cannot sit on the floor. Both group and individual sessions consist of three parts: first is warmup, second is development and third is closure. Warmups that are set to music may include simple rhythmic steps, attention to individual body parts, or developmentally based movement parameters, relaxation exercises, breath work, and dances with the patient, or witnessing the patient, moving among these leadership roles. A patient’s in depth work occurs during the development phase. The dance movement therapist and patient work as a team to seek creative ways to embody emerging themes and integrate motion and emotion. Closure acknowledges the individual’s process both non verbally and verbally and ensures that that the patient is oriented to the present.

Movement Empathy, sometimes called Kinesthetic identification or attunement has become a cornerstone of dance movement therapy. It works on the premise that the mind and body are inseparable, that a change in one effects a change in the other. The body is seen as an instrument of expression and a catalyst for change. Dance movement therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process that furthers the emotional, social, cognitive and physical integration of the individual. Patients in private practice also seek dance movement therapy services for developmental concerns, such as empty nest syndrome, serious illness, relationship problems and personal growth. Treatment for the later concern may include building confidence, breaking creative blocks, addressing a weight preoccupation (non eating disorder) and alleviating performance anxiety.

It acknowledges the following principles:

1. Dance communicates.
2. Elements of dance and movement relate to culture, personality, mental status and the healing processes.
3. It draws from the transformative processes and many levels of kinesthetic expression inherent in dance.
4. Movement empathy generates and supports the therapeutic alliance.

Dance movement therapy is highly effective in the treatment of anxiety and for patients with psychiatric disorder such as schizophrenia. More specifically rhythm and movement, grounded in basic biological functions such as breath and pulse, has the power to organize individuals and groups and alter affect.

Dance movement therapy can include the following groups and more:

1. Victims of physical and sexual abuse, men and women who have eating disorders, people who are struggling with serious illnesses such as asthama, cancer, aids, heart disease etc.
2. Children and adults who express their problems somatically, example, self destructive behaviours, excessive involvement with real or feared bodily injuries, significant weight loss or weight gain, insomnia, promiscuity, poor hygiene and other reasons.
3. Children and adults with communication disorders, autistic disorder, learning disabilities and other disorders first diagnosed in infancy, childhood and adolescence.
4. Children who are suffering from separation anxiety or have reactive attachment disorder.
5. People with Alzheimer’s disease. Healthy older adults also respond positively to awakening the body, activating muscles and joints and reducing body tension. The dance movement therapy session gives older adults the chance to reminisce and to preserve or reclaim their bodies.

It is through these holistic and therapeutic interventions that we reach out to several other organizations. This is not an institute to train people for this course, I only work as a facilitator. For any inquiries regarding personalized & group sessions/workshops please write at hellothere@mrunalpawar.com or fill out the form here.