[Adta] Nigel - What about Dance Therapy?

[skdmt2]

Thanks Lora
This is a terrific message & I know only one of several you've posted. I
hope it inspires others who are reading our listserve to also write a
message on the So You Think You Can Dance website.

I keep checking to see if our messages are growing in numbers- We could use
many many more.......................

Susan Kleinman, MA, ADTR, NCC

-----Original Message-----
From: adta-bounces at adta.org [mailto:adta-bounces at adta.org] On Behalf Of
writelora at hotmail.com
Sent: Sunday, August 05, 2007 4:00 PM
To: adta at adta.org
Subject: [Adta] Nigel - What about Dance Therapy?


This message is from So You Think You Can Dance.  It was forwarded to you by
DMTDANCER.

You can view it in the context of the entire discussion by going to:
http://forums.fox.com/foxsytycd/messages/?msg=.

 

=======================Forwarded Message=======================

I feel moved to try to catch the attention of the the judges or the
producers.

 Last week I was shocked when Nigel shared with the audience the possible
careers for dancers (besides performing) and there was no mention of
Dance/Movement Therapy. This is a field that exists 
internationally and has been an accredited career choice for dancers for
over 40 years.  

Last week the comment was made that audiences were compelled to watch this
show because "dance was joy."  Essentially, that is how I found my way to
this field - as a dancer, when I danced I knew the 
greatest peace, the greatest joy, the greatest aliveness I had ever known.
When I danced - on stage, in my bedroom, on the street - it was my way of
healing myself. (It still is.)  

When I was looking for masters level programs to study choreography, I
serendipitously discovered a program in "Dance/Movement Therapy."  I had no
idea what that was, never heard of the term before, 
but instinctually it made complete sense.  It made sense because dancing had
been my own therapy for years.
 
So now, I'm a  registered dance /movement therapist with the American Dance
Therapy Association.  I have worked with teens with eating disorders, the
elderly with Alzheimer's Disease, the chronically 
mentally ill and artists who simply want to reflect and deepen their own
self-awareness. Every day I help bring the joy of movement and dance to the
patients in my groups and give them a creative, 
body-based outlet to express their emotions, to integrate mind and body, to
heal.

This is an amazing field, a respected field and a growing field. It is a
disservice to dancers everywhere to exclude it from mention as a career
opportunity.  We are out here and out here strong.

If anyone wants to know more about the field, feel free to respond back to
me. I'll do my best to answer your questions or direct you to someone who
can.

Keep dancing!


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