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A therapeutic experience

by Ambika Kameshwar

A large group sits in a circle. One of them taps the ground with her hands. A second person joins in and then the third .... Soon, what started as the sound of pitter patter soft rain turns into a raging storm. A sharp clap, a loud thud and the blowing o f a fierce wind are all thrown in by the participants to create the "Storm Effect".

Some in the group get on their feet and start moving, reacting to the sounds through dance and movement. The strong wind weaves its way through the trees which rock and fall, the seas rise high and the animals seek shelter.

After a peak period of intense activity, the rain sounds grow lighter, the movements become softer and the wind becomes a breeze. There is music in the air and peace all around ....

That is a creative movement session in progress. That is dance and self expression, the exploration of movement and sound, and the discovery of fury, joy and peace.

Indeed, dance can never be anything apart from being simply and always, special experience. Dance and movement provide an outlet for inner feelings. When one is alive, one naturally moves - reacting through movement to external stimuli and internal feeli ngs - expressing it by/through one's own body. Gesture and body expression then, become the most important means of sharing an experience. Dance is thus a 'language' which uses the mind and body to relate experiences of any kind - from the sorrowful to t he joyous - to those who observe or in fact share in the experience.

How is dance therapeutic?

* The mind and body must function in harmony. If the mind is giving an instruction and the body is unable to carry it out, or if the body is capable of the movement but there is a barrier in the mind, then there will be disruptions in movement expression . A conflict between the mind and body results, therefore, in a hindered movement pattern.

* Body positions and gestures relate to emotional states. For example, when one is angry, automatically the muscular response is tension, and, is relaxation when one is at ease and peaceful. Again, if the person is inhibited in anyway or, if the emotions of a person are repressed, the movements of the person become rigid and incomplete.

The direct relationship between the mind and the body therefore indicates that if there is a psychological change, there will be a movement change and also, that through movement change it will be possible to bring about a psychological change. Dance therapy provides the structure for developing body sense and brings out further individual responses related to emotion and memory. When this happens, in case a feeling has been blocked or disguised in the individual, it finds scope for release. Also, cognition and intellectual awareness are necessary for any kind of change. Dance movement therapy uses the body and its movement as tools that work towards that awareness of the self. Dance is important due to its accuracy as a communicative force.

Thus, we have body posture as reflection of thought. Dance therapy uses this interwoven relationship between the body and its emotions. Even strong emotions like sorrow, joy and anger can be visualised through body movements. While these are natural resp onses to external stimuli, in the reverse process, it is also possible to bring about and experience the feelings by working with the bodily manifestations of the emotions. This happens because there is a natural memory in the subconscious of the movemen t related to the feeling. For example, anger and its expression can be brought about by opening the eyes wide, clenching the teeth, holding the nostrils wide open, tensing one's body, holding hands tightened into fists and breathing very deep at a fast r ate.

S.Thanthoni

By structuring the dance/movement experience and understanding the connections between the movement, muscular impulses and emotions, the dance therapist can help the individual comprehend and work out blocked feelings or structure the emotions - those of which are overwhelming.

In brief, the basic premise underlying dance therapy is that the body and mind are inseparable. Body movements reflect the inner and emotional state of a person. Dance therapy aims at achieving a tranquil mind while working through the body. Unity betwee n body, mind and spirit is executed to sense a feeling of wholeness. The tools of psycho and physiotherapy therefore are combined in dance therapy.

When individuals come together for group therapy sessions, group awareness and social skills are developed along with self awareness. The interaction brings about communication and understanding.

While all this seems theoretically acceptable - it is in fact - practically brilliant. I have had the unique opportunity of working with dance as a form of therapy for about 15 years. When working with dance and special needs, the focus would be on achie ving specific objectives relevant to the different developmental needs of the special populations. Some of the 'goals' of the planned dance therapy sessions would include: Building up -

(a) An awareness of one's own movement potential
(b) Special awareness
(c) Relationships
(d) Improvisation
(e) Concept awareness (levels, direc- tions, colours, shapes etc.)
(f) Willingness to take risks - problem solving capacity
(g) Overcoming inhibitions
(h) Expressing emotions.

It would be no mean statement to say that hundreds of children with different disabilities, including cerebral palsy, Down's syndrome, mental retardation, emotional problems, physical handicaps, orthopaedic handicaps and the like have benefited and grown greatly because of experience gained from dance therapy sessions.

While the focus in these sessions would be specially achieving relevant goals, and while the sessions would also be accordingly structured and planned, it is important to keep in mind that as the tool itself is a creative art form, it allows for complete freedom and self expression. The 'clients' attending the sessions shed inhibitions quickly, exploring, experiencing, expressing and enjoying throughout. This results in holistic development taking place naturally and spontaneously. An easy transference to real life of the skills learnt in the sessions becomes possible.

Dance therapy has now slowly come to be recognised as a vital tool used for rehabilitating people with disabilities. In 1989, I started RASA - Ramana Sunritya Aalaya - the temple of good dance, with the full awareness of the fact that alone, I could do l ittle. RASA has now generated a team of skilled dance therapists reaching out to several hundreds of children with different disabilities.

The aim is to use dance to help individuals experiment with themselves, develop new capabilities, create options, exercise choice and feel empowered to achieve their full potential.

This press release was published on 16 Oct 2004 . For more information, please contact by e-mail: :bhasha@online.fr