Adapted Dance, Dance Therapy, and Relaxation

1. Adapted Dance, Dance Therapy, and Relaxation Chapter 16

2. Introduction • Rhythmic movement can be taught to a wide variety of participants • Major goal is to understand and appreciate the body and capacity for movement

3. Distinction Between Adapted Dance and Dance Therapy • Dance Therapy - dance/movement conducted by persons registered as dance therapists • Others can not ethically describe their work as dance therapy

4. Adapted Dance • Rhythmic movement instruction/experiences modified for individuals with disabilities • Focuses on individuals who need assistance in order to participate in dance in a variety of settings - especially for those who have difficulty in general dance settings

5. Dance Therapy • ADTA definition • “the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process which furthers the emotional and physical integration of the individual” • Specific treatment modality used in mental illness and emotional and behavioral problems

6. Similarities of Adapted Dance and Dance Therapy • Both the dance educator and the dance therapist rely heavily on the medium of creative dance to accomplish objectives • Each can be both educational and therapeutic

7. Adapted Dance in the Curriculum • Integral part of physical education • Utilize different teaching styles • Variety of outcomes possible • Appreciation and acceptance of body • Creative thinking and moving • Motor skills and fitness • Self-concept • Perceptual-motor training

8. Movement Elements • Space - shape, level, size, path, focus • Time or rhythm - beat, accent, pattern, phrasing • Force, effort, or weight • heavy light strong weak • Flow • free bound fluent inhibited

9. Rhythm Elements • Rhythmic structure has four aspects • Pulse beat • Accent • Rhythmic patterns • Musical phrasing

10. Rhythm Skills • Persons with disabilities may have difficulty with rhythm • Determine child’s natural rhythm and then encourage him/her to make up own accompaniment • Finally work on confirming to externally imposed rhythm

11. Teaching Dance and Rhythm • Break down progression to ensure success • Utilize taps on shoes or rhythmic instruments as reinforcers • Begin without accompaniment and progress to dance with repeated movements • Dancing and making a dance • Different drummer

12. Wheelchair Dance and Wheelchair Dance Sport • Various forms at various levels • Wheelchair professional dance companies • Integration of individuals with and without disabilities • Wheelchair dance sport

13. Activities for All • Therapeutic use of rhythmic and expressive movements • Develop a sense of personal worth • Indirectly work with emotional tensions through movement

14. Objectives and Related Activities • Target three areas for mental health problems • Increasing body awareness • Improving relationships and making friends • Expressing feelings • Variety of activities to help people become aware of their bodies and how their muscles work

15. Expressing Ideas Through Movement • Encourage ideas to emerge • Emphasis on verbalization of abstract ideas and/or focus on body movement expression • Variety of activities

16. Expressing Feeling Through Movement • Focus on feelings directly at a conscious level • Experiment with different ways feelings can be expressed through movement • Variety of activities

17. Adapting Materials and Props • Nylon fabrics - safe, reduce tension, relax tight muscles • Soft fabrics - spatial structuring, release tension, provide needed containment • Yarn balls - safe release of aggression • Stretchy fabrics - soothing and protective properties, nondirected dramatic play

18. Dance Therapy Principles • Keep things simple, do not impose the action from the outside • Allow time for things to happen • Provide enriching experiences without judging • Provide individuals with ‘relationship space’

19. Therapeutic Tools • Rhythm -enables individual to use body action in safe ways • Touch -reinforces the individual’s growing ability to distinguish between him/herself and others • Verbalization - geared to the meaning of muscular action, rather than the feeling-tone behind the action

20. Therapeutic Tools • Space - extension and reflection of body image • People - group work and lessening dependence on the therapist is the ultimate goal

21. Teaching Relaxation • Approaches to teaching anxiety and stress control • Imagery to facilitate quiet time • Deep body awareness • Jacobson techniques • Yoga • Tai chi

22. Imagery to Facilitate Quiet Time • Appropriate for all ages • Utilize poems and short stories for children • Develop lists of favorite quiet things and slow activities • Move from fast to slow to motionless • Utilize poems or instrumental music for older children or adults

23. Deep Body Awareness • Students increase kinesthetic sensitivity and then work on consciously controlling it • Progresses from other directed to self-directed • Use of self-suggestion, breathing exercises, and meditation

24. Jacobson Techniques • System of progressive conscious neuromuscular relaxation • Emphasis placed on making a selected muscle group as tense as possible, then letting go so that the muscle group completely relaxes • Extremely difficult for some people • Requires special training to teach

25. Yoga • System of physical, mental, and spiritual development • System of exercises built on held positions or postures and breath control • Useful with children and adults with attention disorders • Types of exercises - asanas and pranayanas

26. Tai Chi • Slowing down activity that also promotes balance • Series of learned patterns of movements called forms that exercise every part of the body • Characterized by extreme slowness, a concentrated awareness of what one is doing, and absolute continuity of movement from one form to another