Fine Arts and Music Collected Works - Research Publications
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ItemDance movement therapy and student learning and well-being in special education(Oxford University Press, 2017-08-04)Dance movement therapy (DMT) is often applied to advance the education and development of children with special needs and intellectual disabilities. However, the relationship between DMT and contemporary educational theory, particularly the recently acknowledged link between learning and wellbeing has not yet been properly explicated. This chapter addresses this issue by examining how DMT programs in special education can contribute to student wellbeing and, therefore, learning. The practice of creative educational dance, the philosophy underpinning existential phenomenology and influential ideas from education on relational learning and constructivist pedagogies are discussed with regard to the way they inform dance movement therapy for this client group. A detailed example of a dance movement therapy program in a special developmental school in Melbourne, Australia, illustrates the theoretical material.
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ItemThe dance of life with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples(Dance Movement Therapy Association of Australasia, 2017)Dance and ritual have been essential parts of the cultural and spiritual life of Australian Indigenous peoples for more than 40,000 years, used to promote health and wellbeing and share cultural knowledge. Dance movement therapy utilises dance and movement to assist in integration of body, mind and spirit, in a professional modality that was identified only in the mid-twentieth century. Parallels between these practices observed by dance movement therapists include a holistic approach to wellness and priority on non-verbal communication achieved through shared rhythmic movement. Many of the significant challenges faced by Indigenous communities in contemporary Australia, including transgenerational trauma, have been impacted positively by dance movement therapy interventions in other countries. However, currently there is no documented evidence that the practice is being utilised in Australia. This chapter responds to that issue in offering ideas to support dance movement therapists to be culturally competent and respectful in efforts to engage with Indigenous peoples of their nation. Recommendations include the development of genuine partnerships and relationships that enable two-way learning, to develop culturally safe programs that acknowledge and respect Indigenous ways of knowing and living.