Dance Therapy: Mind and Body Connection

When I was asked the question: “What is Dance Therapy?” I had no idea how I was going to respond. The first time I heard about Dance Therapy I really did not know how to interpret the concept. Was it more along the line of technical dancing or no? If so, how is it therapeutic at the same time? I never would have guessed the journey I was about to take in discovering the meaning behind Dance therapy.

Marian Chace is known as the leading lady in the field of dance and movement therapy. The way she developed her concepts and methods towards her work is still used in groups today. Chace worked with patients who had disorders ranging from schizophrenia to bipolar personalities. With these problems, it was very difficult for them to communicate using their words. Marian developed a trusting relationship with her patients that made them more comfortable with being somewhat vulnerable with her. She gave them new means of communication through the use of their bodies. They moved in ways that they never knew was possible, while still having a therapeutic session. Ideas and feelings developed in the mind can be expressed not only through the verbal communication, but also through the body. Getting more comfortable with your body and recognizing the possibilities you have can help with your self esteem and confidence.

Four major classifications in which Chace used in her therapy sessions:
1. Body Action: Being able to recognize the body parts, stress levels and breathing patterns that may cause a patient to block out certain feelings and emotions without ever realizing it. These physical actions are seen as clues to finding the emotional feelings of a patient.
2. Symbolism: Through symbolism, a dance therapist and their patient can form a new type of interaction. If the patient is performing one movement, and suddenly holds back, the therapist recognizes this and is then able to suggest another image for the patient to follow. By doing this the therapist also begins to gain their patients trust.

3. Therapeutic Movement Relationship: This refers to the method of reenactment. The therapist may reenact their patients movements; not necessarily as a mirror(exact movement) but they may switch it up from time to time by making it broader, smaller, faster or slower. This gives off the feeling of acceptance. The patient can take risks with their movements and know they will have no judgment from the therapist because they are right there moving along with them.
4. Rhythmic Group Activity: “Rhythm permeates every aspect of human life” (Chace 80) Everyday life is revolved around rhythm. Chace looked at rhythm as being a key tool for communication through the body and as a perfect way to connect people because of the fact that it is used by everyone.

FLIK VS. MVILLE MEN'S SOCCER TEAM

An assignment in y Writing for the media class was to write a web-based feature story. I thought the topic of my story was pretty funny and thought it would be fun to put parts of it in a blog. The main problem in this situation is the battle between the Men's soccer team and the dining service at Manhattanville College.

On Thursday, September 25, 2008, the athletes on the Manhattanville College men’s soccer team were prepared to have a normal practice. This mindset changed when they arrived to the locker room and found a very unhappy coach.

For years now the dining service, FLIK Independent Schools by Chartwells, has had a problem with the cleanliness of the students of Manhattanville College. There have been many complaints from faculty and staff members referring to the way the tables are left in the dining hall. Many students leave their dirty dishes on the tables instead of bringing them to the trash conveyor belt. The problem is not only the dishes being left, but the combination of specks of food, spilt drinks and crumbled up napkins left on the tables. Tony Manucci, one of the managers of FLIK, had this to say about the mess:

Leaving this mess is not only disrespectful to my staff, but also to other students here at the college. Why should the students have to clean up after other people in order to sit down and eat? It is just common sense to clean up your own mess. My staff should not have to act like parents cleaning up after their children.

While many of the students here on campus can be looked at as less than tidy, there seems to be one group, or rather team, that stands out: men’s soccer. If you did not notice this characteristic about these athletes, FLIK made it clear. Posted on the television screens in the cafeteria every five minutes was a nice ad singling out the messy actions of the team. The ad read as the following:

“CLEAN UP YOUR TABLES MEN’S SOCCER!!!!!!!!!!!!”

This statement was accompanied with an animated picture of a soccer ball.
When asked about his feelings towards the ad Sebastian Chica, a sophomore on the team, replied with this statement:

At first it was pretty funny to see the ad up there about me and the guys. The majority of students here leave all their dishes on the table. It’s not like we are the only team that does it. I don’t know why we are the only ones being called out.

The television ad was used as warning to the team, but when there was no change in behavior, another measure was taken.

An anonymous tip was sent out to coach Didier Orellana about his team and their messy habits. When checking his e-mail, he came across one that included a picture of his soccer team’s messy tables with a passage telling him this was an everyday act of the team. Coach Didier had this to say about his team:

I am embarrassed and disappointed in them. The fact that this is even an issue blows my mind.

The team usually has practice everyday from 3p.m. to 5p.m., but on Thursday, September 25, 2008, it was somewhat different. As a punishment, the team was forced to go into the dining hall during their practice time, and clean all the tables and also wash the dishes. The team felt this punishment unnecessary for something that the rest of the campus does also. Jerry Tellier, captain and goalie of the team shared his feelings on this matter:

I am just curious as to who sent the e-mail. When I look around the dining hall I see all the tables the other teams sit at piled with trash on them, yet we are the only team cleaning the tables up. Granted, we did leave our dishes but FLIK needs to penalize the other teams for leaving theirs.

If you’re a student at Manhattanville College you know that all the sports teams sit together during meals at the longest tables. The long tables are designated to the baseball team, hockey, basketball and soccer. When walking into the dining hall now, you will see one less long table. The staff of FLIK have dissembled the usual men’s soccer table into four separate tables. Many have seen this decision as a bit extreme, but the workers of FLIK and Mr. Manucci see it as an action that needed to take place.

This separation of the tables has not broken the team’s spirits though. They choose their tables wisely now, looking for ones that are right next to one another and continue to eat as one team.