Dance Movement Therapy in UK Education

Dance Movement Therapy in the UK: A Field Emerging from Dance Education

“…The result of these influences is an alternative intervention to health and special education with clear emphasis on the therapeutic use of movement and dance but with an eclectic -and thus variable -theoretical framework. According to Karkou and Sanderson (2000), there seems to be little difference in the fundamental frameworks of those working in an educational context and in other environments. It is evident that DMT practitioners, by bringing together theories from a number of different fields, are allowing their own practice to evolve in a very flexible way.…”

“…Such children may or may not have a 'statement' of a special educational need. The government policy in the UK which supports the integration and inclusion of children with special needs in mainstream schools, along with more recent changes in education which have placed pressure upon both teachers and pupils to achieve specific learning targets are, as Karkou and Sanderson (2000) argue, likely to make the need to include DMT in all types of schools more urgent. In this way, the work of teachers would be complemented by giving specialized attention to children's difficulties in a way which cannot be done without appropriate training, and furthermore within the school context, perhaps working in consultation with the PE and dance teacher.…”

Developing emotional literacy through individual Dance Movement Therapy: a pilot study

“…For example, the child who dances alone can be part of the group in a circle, and the closed child can play with opening and closing a piece of cloth before reflecting on the symbolic significance of this action. Karkou and Sanderson (2000) suggest DMT is particularly suitable for children with emotional and communication difficulties, though they note the absence of a clearly identified theoretical or practice model for this, and identify the need for research. There are a few peer-reviewed publications describing DMT with children (e.g.…”

Aspects of Theory and Practice in Dance Movement Psychotherapy in the UK: Similarities and Differences from Music Therapy

“…In the Middle Ages the same ideas were adopted by Christianity and further highlighted in the Renaissance era by Descartes' dualism. Looking at recent times, Sanderson (1996Sanderson ( , 2000 and Meekums (2000) argue that negative connotations of dance can also be linked with the perception of dance as a primarily female and thus frivolous activity. It is possible that the growth of feminism and feminist studies, input from social and humanistic psychology (e.g.…”