“To dance is to be out of yourself. Larger, more beautiful, more powerful. This is power, it is glory on earth, and it is yours for the taking.”
-Agnes de Mille
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There are two ways to experience any creative pursuits. First, to do it practically. Second, experiencing the process/outcome through the senses. If the process/outcome has the respective creative pursuit’s essence, one can experience it as if one is doing it.
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Suppose you have danced earlier/are presently a practitioner or have been to a dance show. In that case, you might have experienced something very different from the regular exercises that are practised. As a dancer, your mind and body align with the rhythm and bring about immense joy. At that moment, the dancer does not think,’ how do I look’?.
If the dance has the essence of the form, one who is witnessing it also merges with the joy that the dance is exuberating, providing an experience beyond one’s physical self. It is similar to when one smiles. Smiling takes many muscle movements, and if that smile comes out of joy, the one who comes in contact also swings in joy. Imagine! Smiling can make one’s whole body dance, so body movements in line with a certain rhythm do to us!.
Dance masters with knowledge in psychology observed that people who came in for the session later left with a positive outcome. Based on this observation, this therapy was developed and now is practised almost everywhere across the globe.
Dance Movement Therapy?
The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) defines dance/movement therapy as the psychotherapeutic use of movement to promote emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration.
Dance is not about the body, but the body is a means to experience dance. The benefits of dancing are multiple. Even if once it is practised, one can become grateful for the presence of one’s body because one’s physical self is like a tool to experience it.
Let us look at how this therapy helps in different aspects of one’s being.
a. Emotional aspect
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It has been found that every movement is associated with emotions. To understand this practically happening in one’s daily life, we can observe our posture when feeling burdened by something. During this phase, our shoulders hunch forward, and we carry our body as if we are dragging an object around. Dance movements work on similar lines, the difference being that we are not aware of how those movements alter our emotions. So, depending on the individual’s emotional state, respective movements are emphasized during each session to work on one’s emotional intelligence.
b. Social aspect
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Dance connects each one of us. When someone is smiling out of joy, which brings about a smile in us, we realize that joy exists within us. Similarly, the uncomfortable phases and feelings pass through each of us, and this realization instantly connects each one of us, bringing about an improvement in our social interactions. This therapy helps in self-acceptance, and when we start accepting ourselves, we start to accept people in every form around us.
c. Cognition
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There are multiple ways to learn something, and which way is productive for one is subjective. It is similar to how some of us understand something better through reading while other through visuals. In dance therapy, one’s mind and body come in line with a rhythm to express anything. This reflects in our cognitive functioning, and eventually, changes are seen. Specifically for people who have difficulty communicating, this particular art form is a privilege to gather and integrate expression foundations.
d. Physical aspect
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Dance is also a form of exercise and can be practised to heal many ailments throughout one’s body. From minor ailments to major ailments, varying levels of movement helps one to recover. The healing process is quicker in this therapy because of the organic experience of joy while practising it. And we have already been told multiple times to be happy so that it has a positive effect on our body.
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Dance is one of the many ways to help in accepting oneself and eventually finding your rhythm. So, let us pen down to attend a dance session or try in our weekend bucket to-do list by ourselves. If you have not come up with any to-do weekend bucket lists yet, make sure to start with this art form. The festival season has come, and what better way to get motivated!