The Foundation of Dance/Movement Therapy
Across the ages, in cultures around the world, people have danced. In times of sorrow, tribulation, celebration and joy, dance has helped individuals and communities express themselves and connect with each other in common activities.
Dance has been at the grassroots of human experience.It has helped communities build cultural identity, prepare for war, grieve the loss of loved ones, deal with the unknown and used as medicine to heal.It has helped people pray for rain, plentiful crops and bountiful game.Dance and movement have been at the centre of the celebration of births, coming of age, death and marriages.
The patterns, styles and rhythmic movements used in these dances were either created by individual(s) who demonstrated special skills and understanding or they were created spontaneously by the whole group, rising from the circumstances and need for social cohesion. Often, the dances were inspired in trance states and were coupled with music, symbolic costumes and props. Hieroglyphics, pictographs and petrographs can show some notation of movement that can be interpreted as ‘dance’ or an orchestrated movement for a specific purpose.
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