The origins of Dance/Movement Therapy have often been credited to the modern dance movement. While in many ways that is true, it is worth stepping back further in time to understand the role of dance in culture before diving into Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT).
Dance can mean and symbolize different things to different cultures. What is true for one culture may not be true for another. In many cultures, dance is part of everyday life and used in religious rites, ceremonies, rites of passage, thanking the gods, celebrating, or engaging spirits, to name a few. Let’s use Ancient Egypt and Greece as two examples (Peng, 2024).
Ancient Egypt (Kemet)
Dances represented a sacred form of expression emphasizing ritualistic movements and symbolism for the purpose of worship in Nile Valley culture. These dances conveyed Kemetic traditions and stories through the body and the use of music. These traditions and stories were integral components of Kemetic culture and society, reflecting their beliefs, values, and daily way of life.
Ancient Greece
Dance in ancient Greece focused on the grace and harmony of the human body. Deeply connected with music, sports competitions, and social gatherings, the emphasis was on body coordination and aesthetics, which bestowed a cultural and educational significance.
West African Dance
Now, let’s look at African dance, particularly in West Africa, and continue to explore the role of dance in culture (Odefunso et al., 2022).
Dance in West Africa tells a story and is used to narrate history, transfer emotions, celebrate rites of passage, and unite communities. One major characteristic of West African dance is its polycentric nature, meaning that different parts of a dancer’s body move differently to the rhythms in the music. As a fundamental component of West African social legacy, there are four major types:
Ritual Dance - Dances used as part of religious rituals.
Ceremonial Dance - Dances that are used to mark occasions such as childbirth or marriage.
Griotic Dances - Dances that are performed to tell a story.
Communal Dance - Dances in which people come together in small groups within communities and perform them to build a sense of togetherness.
Dance and culture are intertwined. Dance serves as a means of communication, expression, and connection with self and others and invites people to explore history and values. It is a special and sacred space, and it is even a healing space.
The African conceptualization of illness and health integrates social, spiritual, physical, and mental realms. All of these realms can be impacted by trauma. Traditional African dance also has a ritualistic and spiritual healing element that aims to address a range of ailments. The foundational belief that supports this is how community, mind and body have to be integrated into a ritual system to help facilitate healing in addition to helping to transform and heal both the individual and the community. Rituals that involve dance have a vital role in lessening and treating symptoms of psychological distress and lessening psychological trauma impacts (Monteiro & Wall, 2011).
For generations, people have understood the value of dance and movement. It has been a part of their being and has honored their history and traditions. This is why it is worth going beyond the modern dance movement to the roots and origins of why humans have danced. Our birthright is to dance and move as individuals and communities to connect and heal.
“To dance is human and humanity universally expresses itself in dance [through its ability to] interweave with other aspects of human life, such as communication and learning, belief systems, social relations and political dynamics, loving and fighting, urbanization and change.” (Hanna, 1987, p.3)
What’s Next?
Dance and move, of course! Explore what dance and movement mean to you, your culture, and your community. Feel free to research different kinds of cultural dance to learn more. What roles have dance served in the cultures you explored? How has dance helped with healing? Have fun!
Until next time!
Practical Tips and Suggestions
Take some time to begin to listen to your body. Spend a few moments in quiet or even moving meditation and connect with it. Begin to build trust with your body.
Evaluate how you define dance and movement. This will serve you as we continue with this series of posts.
Additional Resources
References
Hanna, J. (1987). To dance is human: A theory of nonverbal communication. The University of Chicago Press.
Monteiro, N. M., & Wall, D. J. (2011). African dance as healing modality throughout the diaspora: The use of ritual and movement to work through trauma. Journal of Pan African Studies, 4(6), 234-252.
Odefunso, A. E., Bravo, E. G., & Chen, Y. V. (2022). Traditional African dances preservation using deep learning techniques. Proceedings of the ACM on Computer Graphics and Interactive Techniques, 5(4), 1-11.
Peng, X. (2024). Historical development and cross-cultural influence of dance creation: Evolution of body language. Herança, 7(1), 88-99.
Comments