Click on Seminar number for full description

 

Seminars A1-A8; Friday 9:45 am - 11:45 am

A1. “Ways of Seeing” Sharing & Presence through an International Webinar Training with Suzi Tortora, Candy Beers, Irina Biryukova, Lea Comte, Jennifer Ellyson, Chia-Chun Hu, Jennifer Huevels, Fabriana dos Reis Marchiori, Elizabeth Rutten-Ng, Tamara Sernac, Jacquelyn Wan and Jennifer Whitley

A2. Getting to the Heart of the Matter: The Dance of Connection in Dementia Care with Donna Newman-Bluestein

A3. Making Therapy Work: A Dynamic Model for Moving through Trauma and Other Difficult Experiences with Ryan Kennedy and Casey Burnett

A4. Intergenerational Dance/Movement Therapy Groups Build a Sense of Community with Kimberlee Bow

A5. Observing the Impulse: Using Mindfulness to Nurture Self-Connection and Transform Movement Expression with Annabelle Coote

A6. Bridging the Chasm: Using Movement to Facilitate Connectedness for Adolescents Who Suffer from Eating Disorders with Kristen Mennona

A7. Dancing for the Earth: Creating a Healing Community with the Web of Life with Ariana Candell

A8. Understanding and Working with Black American Clients: Moving Beyond Survival Mechanisms in the Movement Repertoire with Lysa Monique Jenkins Hayden

SEMINARS B1 – B8; Friday 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

B1. “But does it work?” Systematic Reviews of Dance/Movement Therapy Effectiveness with Sherry W. Goodill, Joke Bradt, Robyn Flaum Cruz, Sabine Koch, Bonnie Meekums

B2. “Talk To the Hand": Empowering Youth through Nonverbal Communication with Charne Furcron, Alexia Jones and Laurie Jones

 

B3. Making Connections and Building Community through the Dance of Relationships with Nancy Beardall and Priscilla Harmel

B4. Oppression Research Performed: Turning Data into Dance and Dance into Social Justice with Christine Caldwell and Owen Karcher

B5. Moving into Community Partnership with Jenny Baxley Lee

B6. Connections: Dancing Our Roots, Healing In Our Times with Nada Khodlova and Elissaveta Iordanova

B7. Digital Body and Therapy: Teaching, Learning and Practicing Dance Therapy in the 21st Century with Tracie Yorke

B8. Dance/Movement Therapy in the UK: Selected Results from a European Study in Arts Therapies with Vicky Karkou and Ania Zubala

SEMINARS C1 – C8; Saturday 8:00 am – 10:00 am

C1. Integrating Pediatric DMT within the Medical Team– Dréa’s Dream 10 years later with Suzi Tortora, Catherine Enero, Karen Popkin, Susan Rizzo, Therese Weisbrot, and Jennifer Whitley

 

C2. Connection to Prevention: Dance/Movement Therapy and its Relationship to Health Promotion, Wellness and Prevention with Shannon Lengerich

 

C3.  Sensory Integration Movement Activities for the Challenged Child with Kimberly Dye

 

C4. Dancing with Care: What Healthcare Professionals Want Us to Know about Keeping Participants Safe with Jenny Baxley Lee and Lauren Arce

 

C5. Connecting with Others in Different Cultures: Understanding DMT Practice in China with Zvika Frank and Simone Kleinlooh

 

C6. Creative Dance as Bridge from Self to Community with Yael Schweitzer

 

C7. Coming Full Circle: Introduction to Gestalt Therapy and its Applications to Dance/Movement Therapy with Ryan Kennedy

 

C8. The Power and Passion of Flamenco in Dance/Movement Therapy with Ana Miranda

 

SEMINARS D1 – D8; Saturday 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

D1. Profiles Panel of Dance/Movement Therapists with Linni Deihl, Moderator; Johanna Climenko, Susan Kierr, Sabine Koch, and Gloria Simcha Ruben

D2. Dancing within the System: How do I Role with the Team? with Jessica Young and Kris Larsen

D3. Dance/Movement Therapists and Schools in Collaboration A Multi-Cultural, Embodied Approach to Violence Prevention with Rena Kornblum

D4. Vocal Sound: A Resonant Venue for Exploring Relationship in Dance/Movement Therapy with Anne Rust-D’Eye

D5. "A Living Kinesis": Connecting the Essence of Blanche Evan's Functional Technique to 21st Century DMT with Anne Krantz and Iris Rifkin-Gainer

D6. Dance/Movement Rituals to Create Connections and Integration of Personal and Cultural Identity in Latino/a Communities with Rosa Granadillo-Schwentker

D7. Dance/Movement Therapy as Radical Approach to Community Building: Creating Emotional Connections through a Hiroshima Memorial with Tomoyo Kawano

D8. Examining DMT through Post and Neo Modern Lenses to Achieve Cultural Competence with Lysa Monique Jenkins-Hayden

SEMINARS E1 – E8; Saturday 1:30 pm – 3:30 pm

 

E1. Emerging Cross-Cultural Consciousness: American DMTs Teaching in China with Christina Devereaux, Ted Ehrhardt, Tina Erfer, Julie Miller, and Joan Wittig

E2. The LivingDance™ Concept of Shape: Fostering Identity, Confidence, and Healthy Relationships with Danielle Fraenkel and Jeffrey Mehr

E3. How Participatory Action Research Empowers Communities: Bring Your Questions & Projects with Meg H. Chang

E4. Hearing with the Body: Strengths in Movement Patterns of Deaf Children with Valerie Blanc

E5. Empowering the Self, Individual, and Community: Culturally Sensitive Approaches to Survivors of Natural Disaster with Junko Aaraki and Sayaka Kawase

E6. Dance Activism: Expressive Steps toward Dignity, Empowerment and Social Change with Bonnie Bernstein

E7. Playfully Embodying Privilege and Oppression: Relating Theater of the Oppressed and Dance/Movement Therapy with Amy Capomacchio and Erika Barrington

E8. Therapeutic or Therapy? A Case Study on Community Dance for Teens with Special Needs with Laura Downey and Susan Imus

SEMINARS F1 – F6; Sunday, 8:30 am – 10:30 am

F1. Healing Elements in Afro-Cuban Dance with Diane Duggan

F2. Community Connections Now and Beyond - Nonorthodox Dance and Movement for Orthodox Hasidic Women with Elissaveta Iordanova

F3. Second Chances in the Three-Year-Old: KMP, Prevention, and Cross Cultural Applications with Susan Loman and Janet Kestenberg Amighi

F4. Embodied Exploration of Ethnic Identify: “Me, Us, and Them…Living Somewhere in Between” with Minjung Shim

F5. Dance/Movement Therapy and Reichian Mind/Body Therapy as Complementary Treatment Forms with Johanna Climenko and Corinna Brown

F6. Morris Heights Rising: Engaging a Bronx Community with Creative Arts Therapies with Elizabeth Bretz, Angie Giordano-Adams, and Jennifer Byxbee

 

SEMINARS A1 – A8; Friday 9:45 am – 11:45 am

 

A1. “Ways of Seeing” Sharing & Presence through an International Webinar Training with Suzi Tortora, Candy Beers, Irina Biryukova, Lea Comte, Jennifer Ellyson, Chia-Chun Hu, Jennifer Huevels, Fabriana dos Reis Marchiori, Elizabeth Rutten-Ng, Tamara Sernac, Jacquelyn Wan and Jennifer Whitley

Designed as a resource for working with young children and families, the network goes international as the panel presents their experience of a webinar-based training for DMT’s using the “Ways of Seeing” DMT program. Discussion includes dancing together across 12 locations and 8 countries, and sharing cases through video-analysis in small and large study groups. Cultural diversity and the commonalities of emotional needs across cultural boundaries is elucidated. Through small group explorations and video, participants have the opportunity to experience international cases. Experience the excitement and possibilities of building an international network of DMTs dancing together from home! Back to top

A2. Getting to the Heart of the Matter: The Dance of Connection in Dementia Care with Donna Newman-Bluestein

Building a sense of connection is vital in caring for people with dementia (PWD). This connection goes beyond that of the PWD to self or the relationship between PWD and therapist to a connection between therapist and immediate community so the community can provide the cohesive containment that PWD can no longer provide for themselves. Beyond the immediate community, 21st century technology and social media provide the means to create national, global and cross-cultural communities where we can access and contribute to the latest conversations, nonpharmaceutical interventions, thinking, research, and legislation to truly affect the lives of PWD. Back to top

A3. Making Therapy Work: A Dynamic Model for Moving through Trauma and Other Difficult Experiences with Ryan Kennedy and Casey Burnett

In this workshop, participants learn a means for working with the distorted sense of self and reality many clients face that have experienced trauma. We are using an integration of Herman’s Trauma Recovery Model with Grant and Shapiro’s Four Quadrant Model of understanding how past experiences can be confused with present situations. These models help make sense of how clients get stuck in “wasted pain,” why well-meaning interventions aren’t effective, and how understanding the root of wasted pain provides a tool for transforming wasted pain into “moveable pain.” Participants then have a chance to engage the models through experiential practice. Back to top

A4. Intergenerational Dance/Movement Therapy Groups Build a Sense of Community with Kimberlee Bow

This presentation explores the ways in which intergenerational dance/movement therapy groups can foster a Sense of Community. We will cover the benefits of intergenerational programs, what helps build a successful program, how to evaluate the program, how intergenerational programs build a Sense of Community, and focus on how the inclusion of dance/movement therapy enhances the effectiveness of intergenerational groups. Finally, we will develop a mock program together. Back to top

A5. Observing the Impulse: Using Mindfulness to Nurture Self-Connection and Transform Movement Expression with Annabelle Coote

This seminar will focus on using mindfulness to observe subtle underlying movement impulses and recognize them as a source of wisdom and guidance in order to decrease emotional reactivity, rework habitual patterns and develop new and more effective ways of following through on movement instincts. It will explore ways to nurture creative action that is grounded in connection to self and facilitates greater engagement with other people and the environment. Drawing on concepts from trauma theory, interpersonal neurobiology, somatic experiencing and sensorimotor psychotherapy, this seminar will be experientially based, with exploration of clinical applications and opportunity for discussion. Back to top

A6. Bridging the Chasm: Using Movement to Facilitate Connectedness for Adolescents Who Suffer from Eating Disorders with Kristen Mennona

Negative body image distortions are powerful forces in the social and emotional development of adolescents with eating disorders. These negative self-evaluations influence body posture, movement choices and connectedness to self and others. Cultural expectations regarding ideal body image and themes of 'isolation and connection' will be explored through dance/movement therapy interventions. Participants will integrate concepts from Acceptance Commitment Therapy, the Maudsley Method and Kathryn Zerbe's approach to understanding body image distortions. Participants will engage in self-exploration of these concepts through group choreography and discussion. Movement considerations for clients at various stages of illness with their eating disorder will be taught. Back to top

A7. Dancing for the Earth: Creating a Healing Community with the Web of Life with Ariana Candell

The field of Ecotherapy can enrich dance/movement therapy through its principle that a truly healing community extends beyond the human world into the natural world and the interconnected web of life. Information will be presented outlining the field of Ecotherapy with evidence based studies and clinical examples from the speaker’s Ecosomatic work. Dyadic and community experiential exercises will demonstrate the combination of Ecotherapy and DMT. Active integration of the material will be encouraged through dialogue and creation of new interventions for the participant’s communities and clinical populations. Back to top

A8. Understanding and Working with Black American Clients: Moving Beyond Survival Mechanisms in the Movement Repertoire with Lysa Monique Jenkins Hayden

Research has shown, given oppression experiences, black clients might enter therapy with healthy distrust and non-disclosing behaviors which can be counterproductive in the therapeutic process. The body is always communicating whether or not one verbally discloses, however non-verbal communications can also be fraught with cultural misunderstandings. These paradoxes are problematic but not insurmountable. Explore how to get beyond the client’s survival habits and the clinician’s cultural bias to expanded repertories, for both, which builds strong alliance. Back to top

 

SEMINARS B1 – B8; Friday 2:00 pm – 4:00 pm

B1. “But does it work?” Systematic Reviews of Dance/Movement Therapy Effectiveness with Sherry W. Goodill, Joke Bradt, Robyn Flaum Cruz, Sabine Koch, Bonnie Meekums

Have you ever been asked for evidence that dance/movement therapy is effective? Systematic review (SR) is a research method that synthesizes findings from several studies to derive answers to this question, and a powerful tool for advancing DMT programming. Four panelists, all accomplished researchers, have each conducted a systematic review of DMT. They will present and discuss their process and findings. Topics include the merits and shortcomings of different types of SR, the use of meta-analysis, the Cochrane Collaboration, what one can learn from SR, integrating mixed methods in SR, and how practitioners can use and communicate results from meta-analyses. Back to top

B2. “Talk To the Hand": Empowering Youth through Nonverbal Communication with Charne Furcron, Alexia Jones and Laurie Jones

Today America’s impoverished youth are sometimes faced with the challenges of being raised in single parent households and within distressed communities. When at-risk youth are given opportunities to problem solve, work constructively with others, learn and apply social intelligence, increase tolerance of differences and take responsibility, they develop into productive adults. “Talk to the Hand” presents award winning techniques, utilized by Moving in the Spirit, a nationally recognized, youth development program which supports at-risk youth to enhance their ability to examine maladaptive communication patterns. Through dance and other nonverbal communication forms, youth are given tools to empower and express

themselves. Back to top

 

B3. Making Connections and Building Community through the Dance of Relationships with Nancy Beardall and Priscilla Harmel

Dance therapists’ relational competencies require improvised movement responses with a sense of being open, present, listening, observant and attuned. How can these relational competencies be applied in bringing together diverse individuals to greater understanding and connectedness. The presenters will share their process and case studies with children and adults. Experiential activities will be explored, what do the dances of connection and disconnection look like, what are the movement qualities of these dances, what might these dances lead to? How can we use these movement experiences to more fully understand our differences leading to more diverse, connected and supportive communities? Back to top

B4. Oppression Research Performed: Turning Data into Dance and Dance into Social Justice with Christine Caldwell and Owen Karcher

This presentation will demonstrate the process of turning qualitative interviews into dance performances, with the intent of surfacing the social justice issues surrounding gender identity and the oppression that occurs when gender is experienced in non-normative ways. Presenters will walk the participants through a research project they conducted, from interview to performance, discussing both the research issues and the gender issues imbedded in the project. A video of the resulting performance will be shown, and participants encouraged to engage in their own arts-based, social justice-centered projects. Back to top

B5. Moving into Community Partnership with Jenny Baxley Lee

Moving into Community Partnership is a workshop designed to evaluate the dance of partnering with allied organizations within your community. The lens of dance/movement therapy can lend an exceptionally useful and unique set of tools and resources in mapping out how we, as mental health professionals, can move into and out of professional collaborations. Forms of partnership to be considered include funding partners, program partners, and professional networks, among others. This workshop will engage learners through didactic, experiential, multidisciplinary and audiovisual methods to fully explore the idea of moving into healthy and effective professional relationships. Back to top

 

B6. Connections: Dancing Our Roots, Healing In Our Times with Nada Khodlova and Elissaveta Iordanova

This seminar engages in the issue of connections through traditional ritual dance forms. Through embodying the practice the session provides connection to the roots of the healing practices. The seminar not only stresses the importance of learning other cultures’ dance healing forms but also the importance of knowing our roots as DMT’s and as a individuals in a ‘melting pot’ society. Inherent in the traditional dance forms is the foundation of contemporary dance therapy principles. It provides a perspective on dance evolvement throughout time and practice and examines the origins of the processes we are using in dance therapy today. Back to top

B7. Digital Body and Therapy: Teaching, Learning and Practicing Dance Therapy in the 21st Century with Tracie Yorke

Going beyond e-learning, social media and electronic mail, this presentation is designed to encourage substantive dialogue about the use of emerging technologies in dance therapeutic practice and provide participants with an opportunity to experience examples of computer-mediated dance therapy. Participants will explore developments in the fields of physical computing, computer vision and gestural technology and their impact on ideas of the body, digital/physical interaction and computer-mediated therapeutic paradigms. Next, participants will see examples of these new technologies in action and experience some tools for themselves. Last, participants will be exposed to some highly accessible software and hardware resources they can access to begin exploring new technologies in their own teaching, learning and professional practice. Back to top

B8. Dance/Movement Therapy in the UK: Selected Results from a European Study in Arts Therapies with Vicky Karkou and Ania Zubala

This paper will present some first results from a European survey of arts therapists (i.e., dance/movement, music, drama, and art therapy) that aimed to create a comprehensive map of the field. Although the current study collected data from all arts therapists and from a number of countries in Europe, in this paper findings from the British dance movement psychotherapists will be primarily focused upon. Some first comparisons will also be made with findings from: (i) dance movement therapists participating in an earlier survey (ii) other arts therapists in the UK and (iii) other dance movement therapists across Europe. Back to top

 

SEMINARS C1 – C8; Saturday 8:00 am – 10:00 am

 

C1. Integrating Pediatric DMT within the Medical Team– Dréa’s Dream 10 years later with Suzi Tortora, Catherine Enero, Karen Popkin, Susan Rizzo, Therese Weisbrot, and Jennifer Whitley

Dréa’s Dream DMT has flourished through the support of The Andréa Rizzo Foundation and the warmth, strength and guidance of the medical team and administrative staff at MSKCC, one of the world’s leading cancer centers. Learn how this program grew from three to thirty hours a week. Through discussions and experientials with members of the team learn the core elements that build a strong DMT program as part of a multidisciplinary pediatric medical program. Back to top

C2. Connection to Prevention: Dance/Movement Therapy and its Relationship to Health Promotion, Wellness and Prevention with Shannon Lengerich

The area of health promotion and wellness has gained a great deal of momentum over the past few years. This workshop explores the application of dance/movement therapy to the area of health promotion, wellness and prevention. Salient terms will be defined. In addition, direct application of DMT principles and techniques that can be utilized as an approach to health promotion and wellness will be explored and discussed. Positioning dance/movement therapists to contribute to this field will be strategized. Ultimately, participants will understand how to “connect” these two areas of practice. Back to top

C3. Sensory Integration Movement Activities for the Challenged Child with Kimberly Dye 

The props presented today have won major awards for their multi-purpose use in movement education and therapy. This workshop will demonstrate their use in both individual and group work and give you ideas for using them with children that have sensory processing difficulties. Back to top

C4. Dancing with Care: What Healthcare Professionals Want Us to Know about Keeping Participants Safe with Jenny Baxley Lee and Lauren Arce

Dancing with Care: What Healthcare Professionals Want Us to Know about Keeping Participants Safe will promote ways of keeping participants safe when introducing dance in a clinical or community care setting. In the spirit of true collaboration, one dance/movement therapist will listen to and share one nurse's perspective regarding participant safety using dance/movement in the care environment. Through Dancing with Care, attendees will develop an understanding of patient safety principles specific to dance and movement and effective partnership with healthcare professionals. Back to top

C5. Connecting with Others in Different Cultures: Understanding DMT Practice in China with Zvika Frank and Simone Kleinlooh

Due to the influence of globalization and fast economic growth in China there is a growing need to understand the values and practices that shape Dance Movement Therapy in China. Connecting of East and West healing approaches, values, beliefs, communities and art forms is necessary to create respectful divers relationships in DMT and is of great value for the worldwide advocacy of DMT. Two professional dance movement therapists present nearly 7 years of DMT pioneer work in China, through lecture, film and photo material. Back to top

C6. Creative Dance as Bridge from Self to Community with Yael Schweitzer

This workshop presents Barbara Mettler’s pioneering work of bringing people together through dance improvisation and will explore the application of this approach with clients. Barbara’s all inclusive approach - Creative Dance - invites exploration of the tension between self-expression and group demands, finding creative solutions to navigate between the two. The study of “Creative Pause” – an alert/mindful stillness in between movement impulses - will be introduced and explored through a progression of individual, dyadic and whole group dance experiences. The workshop includes introduction, experiential segment and discussion with examples from the presenter’s experience of synthesizing DMT & Creative Dance. Back to top

C7. Coming Full Circle: Introduction to Gestalt Therapy and its Applications to Dance/Movement Therapy with Ryan Kennedy

Gestalt Therapy is a somatically-oriented, experiential therapy that is deeply rooted in the Humanistic tradition. Developed by Fritz and Laura Perls, Gestalt Therapy draws wisdom from many traditions including psychoanalysis, Jungian psychology, existential philosophy, Zen Buddhism, and theater improvisation. This session provides an overview of the theoretical framework of Gestalt Therapy and offers an opportunity to explore and practice some of the techniques associated with this modality including using the Cycle of Experience, identifying polarities, and naming disruptions in making contact. Participants have the opportunity to explore these concepts experientially and brainstorm ways to integrate them into dance/movement therapy sessions. Back to top

C8. The Power and Passion of Flamenco in Dance/Movement Therapy with Ana Miranda

Flamenco dance is a powerful system for exploring emotions, grounding and/or integrating individuals and instilling a sense of connection to others. The movement dynamics, rhythms and efforts inherent in the art form can be an addition to the dance therapy toolbox in working with children on the autism spectrum, individuals with mental illness or other disabilities and the general public seeking personal growth. The perspective of a Hispanic dance therapist working in Miami will be presented in addition to the work of colleagues in Seville, Spain as a means to increase cultural sensitivity within the dance/movement therapy community. Back to top

SEMINARS D1 – D8; Saturday 10:30 am – 12:30 pm

D1. Profiles Panel of Dance/Movement Therapists with Linni Deihl, Moderator; Johanna Climenko, Susan Kierr, Sabine Koch, and Gloria Simcha Ruben

A living history of the field of dance/movement therapy given by our panel of dance therapists, who have lived, danced and practiced dance/movement therapy for many decades. We live in different states, we practice in different ways, but we all have significantly contributed to the body of knowledge in our field. Let’s capture these stories while we still can! The panelists will present theories and concepts from our pioneer dance therapists, integrated and implemented with our own resources in our work in private practice, in psychiatric hospitals, in dance therapy education, in research and publishing, and in our ADTA organization. We present people whose lives and work has been grounded in dance/movement therapy. Most of us have been educators in the field and it is our promise to influence, inspire, and share our love for our chosen profession. Back to Top

D2. Dancing within the System: How do I Role with the Team? with Jessica Young and Kris Larsen

As dance/movement therapists practicing in a wide variety of settings, we often work within a team paradigm. Multicultural perspectives, different personalities, roles – and larger systems in which they are housed – informed the nature of these teams. This workshop will draw upon movement to explore personal and interpersonal interactions within a team, including the complex nature of navigating multiple roles simultaneously. It will examine a developmental model of role competency and how one’s approach to their role(s) may vary as (s)he travels along the continuum between role novice and role expert. Back toTop

D3. Dance/Movement Therapists and Schools in Collaboration A Multi-Cultural, Embodied Approach to Violence Prevention with Rena Kornblum

Embodied learning increases productivity, emotional growth, and the sense of well-being. Participants will experience a movement-based social skills and violence prevention curriculum authored by the presenter. Empathy, anger management, modulating arousal & multi-cultural uses of proximity in clinical and prevention settings will be explored. New concepts & unpublished handouts will be available. Back to Top

D4. Vocal Sound: A Resonant Venue for Exploring Relationship in Dance/Movement Therapy with Anne Rust-D’Eye

Being “in community” means being in simultaneous relationship with oneself and with others. This workshop is an introduction to the ways that vocal sounding, when combined with body movement, brings to light implicit expectations of relationship and offers an embodied, expressive medium in which these expectations can be explored and adapted. The workshop will review the theoretical frameworks that elucidate the voice’s connection to movement; the presenter will offer insights drawn from her sound and movement–based group practice; and, experiential exercises will give participants first-hand experience of “moving with the voice,” and some new tools to bring to their clientele. Back to Top

D5. "A Living Kinesis": Connecting the Essence of Blanche Evan's Functional Technique to 21st Century DMT with Anne Krantz and Iris Rifkin-Gainer

“Living Kinesis” is Blanche Evan’s description of Functional Technique, a non-stylized dance technique that offers all people, no matter their age, background or psychophysical condition, a way of addressing rehabilitation and movement education in relation to personal structure and objectives in life. As an essential and least known aspect of her dance/movement therapy approach, this workshop will focus on the principles that guide the work through experiential exercises, film, demonstrations and application to participants’ personal dance and dance therapy as well as their work with diverse populations, and its relationship to other approaches to body work that may be employed. Back to Top

D6. Dance/Movement Rituals to Create Connections and Integration of Personal and Cultural Identity in Latino/a Communities with Rosa Granadillo-Schwentker

Building bridges using dance/movement rituals between the worlds of parents, grandparents and other relatives and family members has been a long time practice among the Latino population in the USA. This practice may help in the reconnecting and sharing of their multiple social identities while appreciating and celebrating the richness of their personal roots as Latinos/as. Participants use dance/movement rituals to create connections in the journey to access their unique diverse voice as well. Within a safe and sacred container they can delve into and express their cultural identity resulting in the building of community and validation of the self. Back to Top

D7. Dance/Movement Therapy as Radical Approach to Community Building: Creating Emotional Connections through a Hiroshima Memorial with Tomoyo Kawano

Dance/movement therapists offer a unique perspective by virtue of being trained to simultaneously pay attention and assess what is happening in the milieu and reflect this back to the group. As was demonstrated throughout the years at a Hiroshima Memorial, by listening and responding to what is being presented in the moment through dance, dance/movement therapists can play an important role for people of various backgrounds to come together emotionally. This can be done by simply taking what we do at our work place outside its general context. It is a slow, but radical movement that can humanize our world.  Back to Top

D8. Examining DMT through Post and Neo Modern Lenses to Achieve Cultural Competence with Lysa Monique Jenkins-Hayden

In modernism, the world was looked at through a specific truth. Postmodernism deconstructed modernism, acknowledging socio-political changes. Neo-modernism encourages sincere dialogue about differing ways and methods (Pate, 2013). DMT grew up in the postmodern era and sought to rebel against modern day theories of ballet and psychoanalytic approaches. This workshop will examine socio-cultural perspectives of the DMT pioneers. Using narrative theory, and post/neo-modern lenses, participants will deconstruct DMT basic assumptions, including how DMT differs from indigenous dance healing traditions. Participants will examine how the founders' socio-cultural histories and a clinician's personal identity factors influence practice with culturally-similar and different populations. Back to Top

E1. Emerging Cross-Cultural Consciousness: American DMTs Teaching in China with Christina Devereaux, Ted Ehrhardt, Tina Erfer, Julie Miller, and Joan Wittig

This presentation will use didactic discussion and film observations to highlight American dance/movement therapy educators’ experiences of the development of a professional DMT training program in China. Bringing our western perspectives to eastern traditions, panelists will examine their own underlying assumptions and values and highlight the mutually reciprocal learning that simultaneously occurs within this cross-cultural training experience. In addition, an important emphasis will address our own cultural bias as American educators training Chinese students and how this shapes and expands their thoughts about the global development of DMT. Back to Top

E2. The LivingDance™ Concept of Shape: Fostering Identity, Confidence, and Healthy Relationships with Danielle Fraenkel and Jeffrey Mehr

The LivingDance™ concept of Shape, the somato sensory awareness of the body boundary, is a basic element of dance. It provides a kinesthetic framework for identity development, boundaries, confidence, and meaningful communication. Through direct experience, participants learn how interactions among kinesthetic sensing, touch, music, and improvisation become the matrix for finding Shape. The participants can then address core issues related to connection, trust and autonomy. Links among Shape, movement empathy, and group processes address additional clinical concerns. Neurobiology, personality theories, the Kestenberg Movement Profile, and case studies support the concept. Back to Top

E3. How Participatory Action Research Empowers Communities: Bring Your Questions & Projects with Meg H. Chang

Participatory Action Research (PAR) is a form of qualitative research that takes practice-based questions as the starting point. Concepts on which PAR is based are inclusive rather than hierarchical and engage all participants in designing and evaluating therapeutic interventions. In contrast to evidence-based-research, PAR is well-suited to creative and activist principles. Respecting and valuing the local perspectives of all members of a community are inherent in the research design. We will explore theories that support liberatory practices, find ways to dance these concepts, and apply your findings to a current or proposed research project. Back to Top

E4. Hearing with the Body: Strengths in Movement Patterns of Deaf Children with Valerie Blanc

With many years of work with deaf children and their caregivers, there have been similar movement patterns that I have observed. Further research has lead me to the connections of the sensory systems and the fundamental connections in the body. Many young children use repetitive movement patterns to center and organize their sensory systems. This is a great strength that they use to move through life. Building upon the observation of what is already present, we as Dance Movement Therapists can use this to support and build further connections. Back to Top

E5. Empowering the Self, Individual, and Community: Culturally Sensitive Approaches to Survivors of Natural Disaster with Junko Aaraki and Sayaka Kawase

The Great Eastern Japan earthquake and tsunami on 3/11/11 has had a strong impact on Japanese people. Introducing the disaster relief project these presenters had been involved in, this presentation will discuss a) how the earthquake and tsunami influenced survivors; b) how Japanese survivors responded to mental health services, c) how dance/movement therapy was introduced and received by these survivors; and d) how service providers maintained their physical and psychological well-being before, during, and after the project. With the theme of empowerment through connection, this presentation will examine culturally sensitive disaster relief interventions. Back to Top

E6. Dance Activism: Expressive Steps toward Dignity, Empowerment and Social Change with Bonnie Bernstein

This experiential and didactic workshop explores dance/movement therapy for building dignity, agency and social change. It highlights contemporary applications of the methods of pioneer dance therapist, Blanche Evan and my evolving empowerment-focused dance/movement therapy approach to healing psycho-social trauma for marginalized populations. This workshop is based on five, yearly month-long trips to Kolkata, India where I work with the organization Kolkata Sanved: Saving Lives through Dance. This inspirational program for survivors of sex trafficking and psychosocial trauma, founded and directed by Sohini Chakraborty, highlights the healing potential of dance/movement therapy in the global community.          Back to Top

E7. Playfully Embodying Privilege and Oppression: Relating Theater of the Oppressed and Dance/Movement Therapy with Amy Capomacchio and Erika Barrington

Augusto Boal, the founder of Theater of the Oppressed, began this work as a means to incite transformation from disempowerment to active agency within communities and individuals. Theater of the Oppressed works on a body level for individual and societal change, while dance/ movement therapy works on a personal level towards healing. These goals are not mutually exclusive, the strength of creative arts therapies helps to facilitate personal growth and societal change concurrently. Using Theater of the Oppressed techniques, we will embody images of the self in community and discuss relationship to dance/ movement therapy practice. Back to Top

E8. Therapeutic or Therapy? A Case Study on Community Dance for Teens with Special Needs with Laura Downey and Susan Imus

Dance/movement therapists are well prepared to work outside of clinical settings and engage in community work because of their history, skill sets and knowledge. However, the distinction between therapeutic work and therapy is unclear though critical for offering safe and ethical community services. Setting, population and intervention are not adequate indicators for determining whether a dance class is therapeutic or therapy. Conclusions include the importance for clear scope of practice guidelines in maintaining ethical practice regardless of whether the practitioner is in a clinical setting facilitating therapy or in a community setting engaging in therapeutic work. Back to Top

SEMINARS F1 – F6; Sunday, 8:30 am – 10:30 am

F1. Healing Elements in Afro-Cuban Dance with Diane Duggan

This presentation will examine selected Afro-Cuban dances of the Yoruba (orisha) and Congo (palo) traditions in order to identify and analyze characteristics conducive to mental health, including movement dynamics, symbolism linked to enactment of archetypes, rhythm, with special reference to the clave, and body usage. The dances will be analyzed using movement experientials, verbal description, observation of videotapes of the dances performed by expert practitioners, and interviews conducted in Cuba. Effort/shape and Claire Schmais’ healing processes in group dance therapy will provide a frame of reference, and the presenter’s use of the dances in dance therapy practice will be discussed. Back to Top

F2. Community Connections Now and Beyond - Nonorthodox Dance and Movement for Orthodox Hasidic Women with Elissaveta Iordanova

The media and movement presentation engages in the issue of “nontraditional” communities and DMT practices, presenting Orthodox Hasidic Women in exploration of holistic movement for wellness. The presenter's experience will be shared in developing private group practice and applying physical and emotional therapy goals among Orthodox Hasidic Women. The presentation provides valuable processes tips for future DMT directions, stresses on the importance of learning about other cultures and communities and expanding Dance Movement Therapy. It provides a perspective on dance evolvement and examines the origins of the communal dance traditions which can be used in “nonorthodox” dance therapy today.         Back to Top

F3. Second Chances in the Three-Year-Old: KMP, Prevention, and Cross Cultural Applications with Susan Loman and Janet Kestenberg Amighi

The KMP approach offers a framework for working with phases of development and supporting children as they progress into future developmental phases. In this workshop we will explore specific issues facing the three year old and chances for re-choreographing earlier developmental challenges. We will discuss issues arising from this phase, such as regression, dissatisfaction and opportunities for clinical intervention. Through the examination of films of three-year-old children from both a community setting in a Western culture and from Bali, we will discuss congruence with and differences in these populations. Participants will have an opportunity to experience this vital transitional phase. Back to Top

F4. Embodied Exploration of Ethnic Identify: “Me, Us, and Them…Living Somewhere in Between” with Minjung Shim

It is predicted that by 2050, 54% of the U.S. population will be minorities (immigrants), and one in five Americans will be foreign-born. One of the most critical factors that affect the psychological well-being of immigrant population is ethnic identity. They experience bipolar marginality between cultures that often causes a sense of isolation, tension, vulnerability and identity crises. In this workshop, participants will learn the potential of DMT in addressing ethnic identity-related issues, and explore how one may utilize the creative process of dance/movement as a tool through which one can experience his/her cultural self and foster ethnic identity. Back to Top

F5. Dance/Movement Therapy and Reichian Mind/Body Therapy as Complementary Treatment Forms with Johanna Climenko and Corinna Brown

DMT and Reichian character analytic therapy are both treatment forms premised in the unity of psyche, soma and spirit. Each works toward integration through the continuity of physical, emotional, creative and spiritual energy. With their common conceptual base, these therapies broach change from opposite ends of the treatment spectrum. DMT works with the aesthetic elements of dance/movement in a creative process of unfoldment. In Reichian therapy, there is a more linear analytic approach to working with character as it manifests in the body and psychological attitudes. This combination creates a potent dual-modality that effects change efficiently and profoundly. Back to Top

F6. Morris Heights Rising: Engaging a Bronx Community with Creative Arts Therapies with Elizabeth Bretz, Angie Giordano-Adams, and Jennifer Byxbee

A video presentation and discussion panel describing how a small group of dance/movement and art therapists brought creative art therapies to a medical model clinic grounded in traditional psychotherapy. The panel will explain how they engaged other clinicians in creative arts therapies and then developed programs on micro and macro levels to inspire and mobilize a Bronx community where domestic violence and sexual trauma is prevalent. Back to Top