Modern popular dance the world over now centers solidly on sexual attraction. Even the slow numbers which thirty years ago were used to try and induce an element of romance are gone. Everything about popular dance is earthier and more direct. This, however, is only one aspect of dance and life.
More than ever we need to re-connect with our inner silent self which requires expression through movement and not through words. Many cultures have already lost the concept of dance being vital to all the great events of life whether personal, spiritual, mundane or cosmic. Dance needs to be re-introduced into peoples' lives as a therapeutic, self-revelatory and self-harmonizing activity. Peoples innermost Being must initiate and sustain the manner in which the dance manifests itself physically.
My primary interest has been working as a Dance and Movement Therapist with children experiencing multiple-physical disability, severe learning difficulties and often challenging behaviour. There is no doubt that over a period of time dance and movement therapy led to a marked improvement in many aspects of these childrens lives. They were in better shape physically. They derived a feeling of accomplishment, experienced greater self-confidence and improved social relationships as a result of their dance and movement therapy sessions. Children with behavioural problems caled down and autistic children joined in the proceedings. This awakening of the children's creative inner energies showed itself in the marvelous drawings which they produced showing themselves dancing.
I have recently begun to feel ever more strongly that my own personal form of dance and movement therapy would be extremely effective with children who have suffered severe trauma due to events in their lives such as abuse, displacement and civil unrest. Dance and Movement therapy is a subtle, non-threatening treatment which benefits not just the individual but the group, resulting at the very least in a lessening of resentment and suspicion amongst its members For more Information visit Dance to Health Copyright Dzagbe Cudjoe
Dzagbe Cudjoe is a Dance Movement Therapist and ethnologist with wide experience of Dance in Africa and Europe. As an ethnologist her main field of research was into West African traditional religion. As a Dance Movement Therapist her area of specialization was working with children who had challenging behaviour or severe physical and intellectual Special Needs. Dzagbe is now working on helping the parents of such children to appreciate the healing effects of dance. She is the author of the e-manual "Dance to Health - Help Your Special Needs Child Through Inspirational Dance." For more Information visit Dance to Health