Dance and Movement Therapy Workshop

Dance has existed in every culture and is used in rituals, rites and as a cathartic healing tool. Through the ages, people across various cultures have used dance to express powerful emotions, tell stories, treat illnesses and celebrate important events. All dance is structured around the nine rasas or emotions, namely, lasya (happiness), krodha (anger), bhibasta (disgust), bhaya (fear), shoka (regret), viram (courage), karuna (compassion), adbhuta (surprise) and shanta (serenity). Dancing is usually enjoyable, uplifting, and engaging, often unlike other types of exercise. It provides awareness of the body-how to stand, how to breathe, how to hold the spine, how to walk and as such enhances the sensitivity of the person. In India dance is considered to be a form of yoga because it focusses on connecting the physical energy with spiritual strength. It has been used as a healing ritual in the influence of fertility, birth, sickness, and death, since earliest human history but, the establishment of dance as a therapy and as a profession occurred in the 1950s. It is clinically effective at improving body image, self-esteem, attentiveness, and communication skills. It can also reduce stress, fear and anxiety, as well as lessen feelings of isolation, body tension, chronic pain, and depression. Structured movement in the form of dance as such, aids in enhancing the functioning of the bodys circulatory and respiratory systems too. In order to get a better understanding of this therapy, three faculty members of our School, Ms. Sukhmeen Cheema, Ms. Enakshi Rai and Mr. Sushant Raut attended a One Day Certificate Course in Dance Movement Therapy at the Institute of Mental Health Moolchand Medcity, New Delhi on 8th August 2015. This was organised by Expressions India. The workshop began with the lighting of the lamp by Dr. Jitendra Nagpal and the other trainers of the workshop. The introductory session of the workshop was taken up by Dr. Jitendra Nagpal in which he spoke about what dance therapy is and how it could help people. It was an interactive session where the participants were deeply engaged in the discussion. After ten minutes of discussion, Dr. Aastha took over the discussion and invited all the participants to come on to the stage. All the participants were asked to do simple exercises such as moving their necks up and down, left and right and then rotating them. Then the focus was shifted to the toes and other body parts such as the shoulders, chest, etc. one after the other. We were also made to do side-bends, half-sits and jumping exercises. The tempo of the music changed from slow to vigorous, depending on the exercise. Following this, we were allotted three minutes for free dance where we moved our bodies in dance rhythms at free will. After the free dance session we moved back to our seats and gave our feedback about the session. A power point presentation was shown to us before we proceeded for tea and refreshments. The presentation highlighted the history of dance and movement and mentioned that Natya Shastra has been given the status of a Veda in our country and is considered as the fifth Veda apart from the four other Vedas i.e. Rig Veda, Yajur Veda, Sam Veda and Atharv Veda. Post the break, we had a discussion on the energy centres or the various chakras present in our bodies and their locations. The trainer compared the body to water and how it gets contaminated with negative and toxic thoughts similar to still water. It has been found that people with depression show limited movements, so when we begin therapy with them, we should include open movements as they release endorphins also known as the' happy hormone'. Moreover, dancing also stimulates certain areas of the brain such as the frontal lobe, parietal lobe, temporal lobe along with the Wernickes and Brocas area. Five volunteers were then called on to the stage for another activity called mindful walking. The volunteers were asked to imagine a place and move on the stage as if they were moving to that particular place and to concentrate on the quality of each step. The volunteers were asked about the place they imagined and how they felt while walking. Some of them imagined walking on the beach while others imagined themselves walking on wet grass! Surprisingly, none of them imagined themselves walking on a hard surface such as the road. Then all the participants were called on to the stage, one last time before the distribution of certificates. The participants were asked to sit on the floor and do simple exercises while music was played in the background. The participants were then asked to close their eyes and feel the different parts of the body such as the legs, arms and the fingers. After this the stage was cleared and the participants were told to stand against the wall of the stage while the trainer demonstrated another exercise called navel radiation. In this exercise, the trainer used the navel of the body as the centre and opened his arms and legs like that of a star fish while lying down on the floor facing it. The trainer then clamped her arms and legs to come to the womb position. The participants were then divided into groups of five each so that everyone could do the exercise. Upon completion of this exercise, we all moved back to our seats and discussed the significance of this exercise. At the end of the session, certificates were distributed to the participants. The workshop was indeed enjoyable. Many skills and exercises were learnt which we wish to teach the students at School so that they develop healthy ways of venting out their emotions. Ms. Enakshi Rai.