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WITH INTENTION:
TRIUMPHS & CHALLENGES IN
CANADIAN DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPY
ANDREAH BARKER
A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies
in partial fulfillment of the requirements
for the degree of
Master of Arts
Graduate Program in Dance
York University
Toronto, Ontario
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1*1 Canada With Intention: Triumphs & Challenges in Canadian Dance/Movement Therapy
By Andreah Barker
a thesis submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies of York University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of MASTER OF ARTS
©2009
Permission has been granted to the LIBRARY OF YORK UNIVERSITY to lend or sell copies of this thesis, to the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF CANADA to microfilm this thesis and to lend or sell copies of the film, and to UNIVERSITY MICROFILMS to publish an abstract of this thesis.
The author reserves other publication rights, and neither the thesis nor extensive extracts from it may be printed or otherwise reproduced without the author's written permission. ABSTRACT
Dance/movement therapy, a person-centered approach to care incorporating the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of the individual, originally appeared in Canada in the
early 1970s. This thesis examines the attempts of Canadian pioneers to establish a cohesive national community, a local education, career opportunities, and a general awareness for dance/movement therapy.
The intention of this study is to develop a clear understanding of the struggles facing the field in order to envision a feasible direction for the future of dance/movement therapy in
Canada. This research should generate a greater awareness for the work by providing accessible information surrounding its history and the ongoing clinical practice of dance/movement therapists nationally.
iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I would like to warmly thank all of those who have generously donated their expertise, time, and positive energy to assist me in the completion of this thesis.
Without the constant support of Debbie Van der Laan in the areas of dance/movement therapy supervision and sharing of knowledge, this research would not have been possible.
Debbie provided me with the base of understanding from which I was able to move forward.
The academic supervision of both Mary Jane Warner and Claire Wootten allowed me the opportunity to develop within a guided setting. Mary-Elizabeth Manley's open door was always there to provide greater clarity.
The memories shared by the many who donated their time to an interview, provided my research with a depth of knowledge surrounding dance/movement therapy in Canada that I would have been unable to obtain otherwise. Those who contributed include: Marnie Bleeman,
Laurel Bridges, Cathryn Brogan, Nancy Christie, Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt, Bat-Sheva Koren,
Julianna Lau, Ruth Madden, Terrill Maguire, Mary Moncrieff, Maxine Parkovnick, Krista
Samborsky, and Holly Small.
The insightful comments of my two editors, Angela Davis and Sean Hearn, gave my writing a variety of perspectives.
Finally, I am very grateful to Selma Odom for giving me the encouragement to go forward with this thesis and to my parents for supporting me in all of my many endeavors!
v TABLE OF CONTENTS
ABSTRACT iv
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS v
TABLE OF CONTENTS vi
TABLES vii
INTRODUCTION
Establishing a Canadian Dance/Movement Therapy Identity 1
CHAPTER 1
Uncharted Waters: Canada's Initial Exploration of Dance/Movement Therapy 9
CHAPTER 2
Initiatives in Building the Canadian Dance/Movement Therapy Community 22
CHAPTER 3
Exploring the Need for a Canadian Graduate Level Education in Dance/Movement
Therapy 42
CHAPTER 4
Stories of Triumph: Brief Moments in Canadian Dance/Movement Therapy 69
CONCLUSION
Thoughts for the Future of Dance/Movement Therapy in Canada 92
BIBLIOGRAPHY 96
vi TABLES
TABLE 1
Pie Chart of Students' Current Year of Study 51
TABLE 2
Comparative Analysis of Key Variables 59
TABLE 3
Combined Analysis Illustrating Potential Student Interest 60
vu INTRODUCTION
Establishing a Canadian Dance/Movement Therapy Identity
It is not until there is general concern in society at large, general compassion for the average person's body condition, that we shall actually see the flourishing development of a movement science and a profession of movement workers.
(Cornyetz 11)
Thirty-eight years after Paul Cornyetz's address at the 1971 American Dance
Therapy Association conference, I am left wondering if Canadian society has currently achieved a general compassion for the average person's body movement. To accurately answer this question and to frame it within the context for which it was originally intended, I define the average person's body movement as an individual's ability to access their own lived experience through movement, allowing for the exploration of the connection between mind and body as a creative outlet for self-expression. (Cornyetz, 11)
Too often in North American culture, our movement experiences exist within prescribed locations at scheduled times. Those wanting to feel their knees stretch beyond the ninety degree angle of their eight-hour day rush to the elliptical cross trainer at lunch or a yoga class before dinner. Rare are the random outbursts of spontaneous movement beyond those that may occur un-witnessed in our homes. Dance exists in many areas of our lives but generally in its proper time and place. To train, one attends a mirrored studio with a sprung floor where teachers share their knowledge of the specific genre in which they hold expertise. To view, one attends the proscenium theatre or contemporary studio space where professionals or experimental independents perform their work. To celebrate, one may join friends at a club, banquet hall, restaurant, or backyard gathering. However, in all aspects of daily life, whether planned or not, the body has the capability of communicating individual lived experiences.
Dance, like other art forms, is inherently healing in nature due to its ability to inspire self-expression. Dance/movement therapy's holistic approach places focus on the entirety of the participant's experience in the moment. It has a very different intention from professional companies or community-based dance projects as it does not attempt to establish any form of end product.
Dance/movement therapy is a person-centered approach incorporating the physical, emotional, cognitive, and social needs of individual participants. Its proven ability to draw patients out of isolation by allowing them to communicate their thoughts, feelings, desires, or needs through movement provides participants with moments of true self-expression. In work with the elderly, dance/movement therapy has been successful in creating a greater quality of life in the nursing home by decreasing social isolation and inactivity while facilitating reminiscence and creativity.
At the outset of this study, I had hoped to uncover why the profession has seen little success in Canada in order to discover a feasible direction for the field here in the future. My initial research questions included:
1. Are dancers interested in practicing dance/movement therapy and conducting research to further the development of the field? 2. Is there an awareness of and an interest for dance/movement therapy in the healthcare system? 3. Would the formation of either a Canadian Chapter of the American Dance Therapy Association or a distinctly Canadian organization with a similar mandate be viable at this time? 4. Is the academic community in Canada ready to accept the field as an appropriate subject of study within a university graduate program?
2 As the completion of associated methodological approaches continued, I found that I had neglected to explore an important aspect of dance/movement therapy at the same time as attempting to address a component far too broad. The history of the field, including stories of those who had devoted lifetimes of passion to the establishment of dance/movement therapy in Canada provide insight for future development.
In regards to the awareness and interest for dance/movement therapy within the healthcare milieu, it became increasingly clear that the scope of the work was too large. I began by interviewing two health care professionals at Baycrest Hospital who were fulfilling nursing and occupational therapy roles in the Psychiatric Day Hospital for depressed seniors. This initiative led me to understand that, in order to successfully assess the ability of dance/movement therapy to inhabit a larger role within the healthcare milieu, other considerations should be taken into account. For example, the study would be rendered inconclusive without further inquiry into the funding structure and policies of organizations throughout Canada.
Therefore, the complete revised list of research questions addressed in this study includes:
1. How does the history of dance/movement therapy inform its future? 2. Would the formation of either a Canadian Chapter of the American Dance Therapy Association or a distinctly Canadian organization with a similar mandate be viable at this time? 3. Is the academic community in Canada ready to accept the field as an appropriate subject of study within a university graduate program? 4. What challenges have previous proposals for Master's degree programs accessible to dance/movement therapy at York University faced? 5. What would a program proposal that addressed these challenges look like? 6. Are dancers interested in practicing dance/movement therapy and conducting research to further the development of the field?
3 7. Do the lived experiences of Canadian dance/movement therapists prove the efficacy of the field?
In order to successfully answer the proposed set of inquiries, I:
• analyzed Julianna Lau's personal notes to begin a written history of dance/movement therapy in Canada • participated in ongoing fieldwork at Baycrest Hospital • completed fieldwork at the Wagman Centre • analyzed original documents pertaining to the Dance/Movement Therapy Organization of Ontario • developed a questionnaire for current third and fourth year university dance students • completed a quantitative study of these questionnaires to understand potential student interest • assessed documents pertaining to attempts at establishing a graduate level dance/movement therapy or creative arts therapy program at York University • interviewed working dance/movement therapists to qualitatively assess their experience in Canada • documented stories demonstrating the effectiveness of the work
A preliminary literature review included writing pertaining to the history of the field, ideology informing the advancement of the work, development of dance/movement therapy practices, quantitative as well as qualitative studies surrounding the North
American employment experience, and writing regarding somatic movement practices.
An initial search for resources, focused on the work of early pioneers, revealed a concise book about American Dance Therapists by Fran J. Levy, a brief synopsis in the Dance
Encyclopedia, copies of past American Dance Therapy Association conferences, and a collection of Marian Chace's work. Information regarding each specific country's contribution to the field was discovered on national dance/movement therapy websites for organizations in America, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Not surprising was the
4 proportionately large amount of accessible information pertaining to American advancements in contrast to the lack of information surrounding the Canadian contribution to the field.
The development of dance/movement therapy has also been informed by the field of psychology. In working with many different populations, dance/movement therapists have employed theories developed by psychologists throughout the profession's development. Marian Chace, an American dance/movement therapy pioneer, was influenced by Harry Stack Sullivan's theories of understanding schizophrenic patients through the observation of their interpersonal relationships. Her work at St. Elizabeth's
Hospital in Washington D.C. and the Chestnut Lodge in Rockville, Maryland, explored innovative concepts in movement as a form of nonverbal communication, the group dynamics of shared movement experiences, and the influence of rhythmic sound in a session.
The influence of psychology is present throughout dance/movement therapy research internationally. Helen Payne, a dance/movement therapist in the UK, has edited two editions of Dance Movement Therapy: Theory, Research and Practice, in which therapists share a range of research, from work with a variety of populations to an exploration of the dance/movement therapy student's experience. Throughout this collection, the presence of different psychologists, such as Sigmund Freud, are clearly evident.
Similarly, articles on dance/movement therapy research have appeared in publications such as Psychology Today, an American magazine geared to the general
5 population, and the Arts in Psychotherapy, an American journal edited by dance/movement therapist, Robyn Flaum Cruz.
In early 2006,1 discovered one of the only working dance/movement therapists in
Toronto. Debbie van der Laan has been working at Baycrest Hospital in geriatric care for the past twenty years and has been my mentor for the past two. My initial intentions in volunteering were to gain an understanding of the work and to assess my personal interest in the field. To begin this field work I was placed with the Stroke Recovery Group and was relocated, due to scheduling, to the Psychiatric Day Hospital. Van der Laan provided an environment conducive to learning which enabled the development of research from a place of knowledge and confidence. Being immersed within the field allowed for a clear perspective on the benefits of the work, the key contributors to its development in Canada, and the struggles dance/movement therapy has faced since its inception.
Through the connection with Debbie van der Laan, I was able to obtain original documents from the Dance/Movement Therapy Association of Ontario (DMTAO).
These historical documents shed light on the organizational structure, initiatives, and mandate of the group. An organization that existed from the early 80s through to the mid
90s, the DMTAO focused specifically on connecting the dance/movement therapy community, disseminating information about the field, and advocating for its membership. The ability to develop an understanding of the struggles faced by the
DMTAO has been invaluable in envisioning possible options for a similar organization.
6 The focus of numerous DMTAO initiatives and a major issue facing the development of dance/movement therapy in Canada is the lack of a local graduate education. In order to understand the interest for dance/movement therapy among university level dance students, I developed a brief questionnaire, which was completed by students enrolled in 3rd and 4th year modern dance technique classes in the Department of Dance at York University. The questionnaire was intended to combine data regarding current student understanding of dance/movement therapy, their desire to pursue graduate education, and an openness to learn more about the field as a means of assessing potential student interest.
The development of a future program that addresses the needs of the dance/movement therapy community required an understanding of the struggles faced by prior attempts. I was able to obtain information regarding past proposals for graduate programs in both dance/movement therapy and creative arts therapy at York University through interviews with professors and administrators who where involved, or at least interested in the process. The assessment of original documentation on the 1974, 1979,
1988, and 2005 initiatives provided insight into the issues that must be addressed if a future program is to be proposed.
The majority of dance/movement therapy pioneers as well as those currently working in the field were trained at schools in the United States or England. Through fieldwork and interviews, I was able to identify a core group of Canadian dance/movement therapy innovators in order to build a depiction of a national history. I interviewed four dance/movement therapists directly: Laurel Bridges, Megan English,
7 Bat-Sheva Koran, Debbie van der Laan, and received Mary Moncrieff s responses via e- mail. Prior to the interviews, I completed research on each individual and included those facts when developing their interview questions. The general list of questions was intended to reveal information regarding:
• locations of post secondary education • prior dance training • mentors • employment history • research interests • publications • involvement with die DMTAO • thoughts for the future needs of the profession • lessons learned from clients • Canadian influences on dance/movement therapy
The end result of this interview process was a collection of stories illustrating the successes generated by dance/movement therapy.
This research project attempts to address the issues that have faced dance/movement therapy in Canada since its inception. The intention of exploring these challenges was to inform potential directions for its continued development and provide future research with a useful resource.
8 CHAPTER 1
Uncharted Waters: Canada's Initial Exploration of Dance/Movement Therapy
As horrified witnesses of ecstatic ritual, Europeans may have learned very little about the peoples they visited (and often destroyed in the process) - their deities and traditions, their cultures and worldview. But they did learn, or imaginatively construct, something centrally important about themselves: that the essence of the Western mind, and particularly the Western male, upper-class mind, was its ability to resist the contagious rhythm of the drums, to wall itself up in a fortress of ego and rationality against the seductive wildness of the world.
(Ehrenreich 9)
Beyond the hypothetical wall in Western culture, existing along side the
"contagious rhythm of the drums" and "the seductive wildness of the world" is dance.
(Ehrenreich 9) Excluded from holding its rightful place within society's everyday existence, dance is shuffled behind the closed doors of studio spaces, permitted onstage for the purpose of entertainment and spectacle, used by independent performers as social or political statements, enjoyed on special occasions as a means of celebration and indulged in by the drunken as a result of intoxication. Although dance has been enslaved by decades of repression, it has still managed to reveal its healing nature to the open- minded. The least understood child of the art world has made its way into the psychotherapeutic milieu, albeit continuously struggling every step of the way.
Dance therapy emerged out of the modern dance movement of the 1940s as a result of modern dancers seeking to "reestablish the human communicative element in dance." (Cruz 2) The awareness that movement provides a non-verbal means of self- expression, a renewed understanding that the body is not merely a vehicle for the mind, and the development of knowledge surrounding the art's untapped healing components
9 also contributed to the birth of the field. According to Fran J. Levy, an American dance/movement therapist and historian, dance/movement therapy's "basic premise is that body movement reflects inner emotional states, that changes in movement behavior can lead to changes in psyche, thus promoting healing and growth." (Levy, 1988 1)
Dance/movement therapists have worked with a variety of populations, including but not limited to: autistic children, institutionalized psychiatric patients, the incarcerated, those suffering from depression, trauma victims, and stroke survivors.
Dance/movement therapy made one of its first appearances in Canada with the arrival of Julianna Lau. Lau actively held onto her love of dance while simultaneously establishing a presence for dance/movement therapy in Canada. She trained in modern dance, ballet, mime, folk dance and choreography from 1931 to 1953 in Germany. Her graduate work in modern dance, choreography, and psychology was completed at
Tanzmeisterschule in Stuttgart, West Germany and at the University of Frankfurt, West
Germany.
After moving to Canada in the early 1950s, Lau continued to pursue a career in dance within the Toronto community by creating her own dance company. As founder of the Julianna Lau - Modern Dance Company, she fulfilled the roles of both performer and choreographer. On Thursday February 25th, 1960 Lau performed a solo piece, Signals of
Rhythm, at the Festival Evening of Modern Dance in the Concert Hall on College Street.
Describing Lau along with other local dancers, a writer for the Toronto Star states: "Man
It's Modern — The Real stuff." (1960) The article was accompanied by an image of Lau costumed in a half black/half white hooded unitard, equal parts split down the vertical
10 centre of her body from the top of her head down to her ankles. Speaking about her own choreography, Lau described the piece as reflecting her work in dance/movement therapy through movement choices that represented "the very first moment where we dare to express ourselves with deep feelings." (Interview, 13 September 2008)
Lau's desire to share the positive benefits and healing nature of personal expression through movement led to the development of her own methods in dance/movement therapy. Lau was a dance therapist at the Thistletown Regional Centre for Emotionally Disturbed Children from 1960 to 1966 and in the Research and
Treatment Division for Autistic Children at the Clarke Institute of Psychiatry from 1966 to 1970. During a movement exercise at the Thistletown Treatment Centre in Rexdale,
Ontario, "emotionally disturbed" children were inspired by Julianna Lau to move as though they were spring flowers waking up for the first time and dancing in the field:
"Some swirled across the floor. Some sway dreamily. Some stand motionless." (Darroch
55) Using imagery to inspire movement outside of pre-established vocabulary was only a small component of Lau's work as a dance/movement therapist.
In her work with autistic children, Lau researched the use of reinforcement therapy involving theories based on behavior modification in dance/movement therapy.
Lau recognized that a child enjoys movement and expresses her/himself in a variety of ways through rhythmic timing and flow that are generally pleasant to observe while "the autistic child does not express himself in socially acceptable movement patterns and sounds." (Lau, Reinforcement Principles 4) Reinforcement therapy attempts to positively
11 reinforce movement qualities which allow the autistic child a greater ability to communicate through movement.
When asked about her training as a dance/movement therapist, Lau mentioned that she was self taught and couldn't recall any specific courses as there was no education available in Canada at the time. Lau's theories drew from "the psycho-therapeutic models of Carl Jung and Sigmund Freud and the movement philosophy of Rudolf von
Laban." (Lau, Pamphlet)
Lau became a Charter Member of the American Dance Therapy Association
(ADTA) in 1966 and the very first Registered Dance Therapist in Canada in 1972. As there was no association, no system for accreditation, and no one else working in the field yet, this registration was through the ADTA. Currently, Lau is one of very few
Canadians that have been awarded the highest level of accreditation through the ADTA,
Academy of Dance Therapists Registered (ADTR). In 1977, the American Dance
Therapy Association held its first international conference in Toronto, at which Lau was the chair.
In 1970, Grant Strate, one of the original members of the National Ballet of
Canada, founded the country's first undergraduate program in dance at York University.
In Strate's search for a professor who had the required experience to direct the Dance
Therapy Stream at York, he discovered Julianna Lau through her work at the Clarke
Institute. While her practices did not necessarily coincide with those of York's
Psychology Department, Strate was impressed with her enigmatic personality. He
12 remembered clearly one of her initial comments in the interview being, "I don't let my clients throw bricks through the window." (Strate, Memoir 139)
Student responses to Julianna Lau's personality and teaching approaches were extremely varied in some respects and very consistent in others. For some, Lau was an intimidating and daunting figure but for others, such as Holly Small, she was a "fantastic inspiration." (Interview, 5 March 2008)
To say that Julianna Lau was the driving force behind the existence of the Dance
Therapy Stream at York would be an extreme understatement. Lau developed the university program from the ground up, often learning as she went. From 1970 to 1988, she taught all course material, invited guest lecturers, and organized practical internships for the students. During this time she also initiated the development of her own movement concept and remained current regarding advancements within the dance/movement therapy and technological fields.
It was important that the Dance Therapy Stream provide its students with an opportunity to improve on learned concepts within a realistic environment. Students entered the Dance Therapy Stream in their second year of study and completed in their fourth year, experiencing practical placements throughout. Lau initiated and maintained relationships with The Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Etobicoke General Hospital 5th floor psychiatric unit, Dublin Public School in Downsview, and Pleasant Public School in
Willowdale. In a letter written on May 14th 1980 to Edward Rzadki at the Etobicoke
General Hospital, Lau wrote: "Our work with the patients was extremely important and valuable to us and a highlight in the students' development. The increased knowledge
13 and awareness of the practical application of dance therapy methodology developed a keen understanding of the therapeutic values of dance for the patients." (Lau)
Melanie Ghan Nesbitt, a former student of Lau's, announced Lau's retirement from York University in the September 1987 DMTAO Newsletter. As the Dance
Therapy Stream was no longer in existence due to funding cuts, Nesbitt was to continue teaching the odd course that would be offered in the late 80s through to the early 90s, but noted that Lau's "spirit, energy, and creativity in developing new concepts are truly missed in the department."(6)
After retirement, Lau continued to pursue her passion through the development of the Dance Alive Concept. York University initiated an annual Senior Scholars' Forum dedicated to the research of retired, emeritus professors. Those eligible for the series submitted a proposal with attached project description and CV. On Wednesday April
14th 1993, Lau presented a lecture entitled, Dance Alive: A holistic movement transformation concept for application with the computer generated hypermedia laser disc. Named in a list of people to be invited to the lecture were some members of the dance/movement therapy community in Toronto including: Melanie Ghan Nesbitt,
Pamela Albert, Margit Asselstine, Debbie Van der Laan, and the DMTAO.
In the 1970s, theories known as Body Therapies or Somatic Movement Practices emerged as a result of the Western world's increasing awareness that our physical beings held a greater purpose than simply acting as a vehicle for the mind. The Dance
Encyclopedia names five specific methods that fall into this category: Alexander
Technique, Bartenieff Fundamentals, Feldenkrais Method, Ideokinesis, and Skinner
14 Releasing Technique. While each approach is considered a body therapy due to the common goal of "improving the adaptation of the body to gravity and fostering movement efficiency and ease," they do not share the same methods in achieving this intended outcome or theories surrounding the causes of dysfunctional movement patterns.
(Pierpont 469)
Julianna Lau's Dance Alive Concept falls into the Body Therapy or Somatic
Movement Practice category. Aimed at inspiring everyone, regardless of dance training or ability, to expand their own personal movement vocabulary and express themselves physically, the development of the Dance Alive Concept became Lau's primary research focus. Dance Alive "emerged as a result of [Lau's] lifelong work in the field of dance as performer, choreographer, educator, researcher, and dance therapist." (Lau, Pamphlet)
Lau developed the methodology informing Dance Alive from her dance/movement therapy experience with autistic and mentally disturbed patients. This concept strove to advance the accessibility of dance as an everyday tool for self expression through the mediums of improvisation, performance, and advanced computer technology.
Lau initially developed the Dance Alive concept in 1979 as a means of combating "ritualistic sameness" in "free-style social dancers" but also felt the program possessed benefits for artistic exploration, fitness, recreational entertainment and as preventative therapy for people of all ages. (Lau, Pamphlet) The movement style was meant to free movers from "their daily lives dominated by repetitive, mindless movements that isolate their bodies from their minds and personalities" by fostering a
15 "holistic movement experience and a preventative therapy which promotes development of the whole organism simultaneously." (Lau, Lecture 9)
Rudolf Laban's System of Effort/Shape Analysis was a strong influence on the development of Dance Alive. Laban created a method for understanding and articulating movement qualities which had a monumental impact on dance/movement therapy in general. While Laban's theories have been applied to a variety of movement related tasks "perhaps his greatest achievement was to prove, beyond any doubt, that we can find pleasure, even ecstasy, in our ability to move." (Newlove and Dalby 16)
During a sabbatical in the 1970s, Lau developed a movement rating scale based on Laban's work as a means of assessing and comparing the predominant movement patterns of autistic children in Canada and Europe. Her movement research projects carried out in the late 70s employed data analysis proving that "tested children had very limited movement range, sporadic space awareness and two-dimensional body rhythms."
(Lau, Autistic Children) Lau felt that the movement patterns of autistic children were being replicated by the healthy adult in a computerized society that required little to no creativity and repetitive daily work routines. Dance Alive allowed participants a balance through facilitating creative movement explorations designed to free the body from
"ritualistic repetition" and isolation by moving away from stylized, mindless movement imitation. (Lau, Social Dancers)
Lau's "3-D movement approach to body fitness and body/mind participation" emphasized each individual's ability to express their own creativity by providing the participants with an expanded movement vocabulary. (Lau, Lecture 10) The technique
16 was specifically designed for everyone regardless of ability, allowing each individual the opportunity to explore their own movement choices through integrating "the body's physical bending, stretching, and twisting motions with body rhythms, space awareness, and flow." (Lau, Technique) An integral aspect of the work was to draw awareness to the role breath plays in unlocking muscular tension created by the stresses of everyday life.
The structure of the classes included a warm up and facilitated movement exercises intended to allow the participant to discover emerging movement patterns.
Participants would then use those patterns to develop a movement score. Once the score was created, movement themes would emerge and provide the stimulus for the creation of
"personalized free-style dance forms which people [would] immediately try out individually and with partners." (Lau, Technique) The movers were accompanied by live musicians playing a variety of different music styles.
As Lau continued to develop her theories, she added a performance component to the technique with the Dance Alive Conceits. The performance based version of the work, involving improvisation, live music, and audience interaction, emerged after the development of the original technique. The Dance Alive Concerts were created to be participatory social events where audience members were invited to get involved in the creation process alongside the performing artists. "While professional dancers demonstrate specific movement scores with the band, the audience is invited to participate immediately in unison with the performing artists. People are encouraged to practice the movements, invent variations and link the experiences into movement sequences. Once the dancers feel comfortable with the acquired skills, they use the
17 material for free-style dance and interpretations, individually and with partners." (Lau,
Concerts) The North American premiere of the Dance Alive Concert was held at the
Toronto Harbourfront in the Brigantine Room on June 13, 1981. There were three performances on that day featuring a different style of music at each:
• 2:00 to 3:00pm-ROCK • 3:30 to 4:30pm-SKA
• 8:00 to 9:00pm - ECLECTIC
The next stage of development for Dance Alive was a far jump from the last two phases. For a program that strove to reverse the symptoms of Western society's increasingly sedentary practices, one would not assume that the final step in the progression would be to incorporate the predominant culprit: computer technology. Lau began to research and develop a user-friendly interface using Amiga Vision authoring software based on Dance Alive's three dimensional movement technique. In an abstract for a presentation on her research, Lau writes: The Dance Alive research project emphasizes the development of programming for computer generated imagery for general application. Its focus centers on a highly artistic multi-disciplinary fusion of the Dance Alive movement transformation concept and fine arts principles to stimulate a unifying, integrated approach to contemporary dance training and complete body fitness through movement. The scope of the project is to produce a computer-generated video interactive laser disc for the CDTV play-back equipment which can function as an education tool within education, recreation and for pure entertainment pleasure. The CDTV-CD player can simply be connected to a TV-set. (Lau, Lecture 3)
The technology also boasted the ability to be operated by those without any prior computer skills; one simply needed to touch the Dance Alive symbol on the video screen in order to select their preferred option. Similar to the aim of the Dance Alive
18 performances and workshops, the intention of the program was to guide the user in creating a larger personal movement vocabulary.
The Dance Alive interface included a warm-up section, four separate movement sections, a storyboard for storage of selected movements and command buttons allowing the user to repeat, control the timing, add or delete movement as well as start, stop or exit. The warm-up provided the user with the opportunity to design their preliminary movement sequences either lying down, sitting, standing or traveling to the music of their choice. The user then moved on to create movement scores in either the Motoric,
Kinetic, Emotive, or Interactive mode.
The Motoric Mode dealt with the pulse of the movement and focused on both the space direction and form of the movement. Lau developed this section to appeal to those who thrived on repetitive daily actions. "The Motoric movement alphabet concentrates on the physical body shell, its muscular functions and motoric capabilities. It strengthens the mechanical body through organized movement themes and relates all experience to the beat of the music." (Lau, Lecture 29)
The Kinetic Mode focused on the rhythm of movement using Laban's effort graph and imagery to assist the user in recognizing their own movement preferences. "The experiences allow rhythmical involvement and facilitates awareness of inner effort combinations. ... For instance, someone whose movements are always light and indirect may be incapable of making decisions. ... By [being encouraged] to use different elements of the dynamic self, he might develop a wider movement range and therefore
19 gain a more expansive movement repertoire and deeper self awareness." (Lau, Lecture
31)
The Emotive Mode "allows people to discover their own intuition and creative sensitivity" by exploring the flow or melody of movement. This section asks the participant to expand their "rhythmic awareness into authentic movement responses through which emotions can ventilate and clarify inner feelings." (Lau, Lecture 32)
The final level of the program is the Interactive Mode which provided ready-made movement experiences in the form of a choice between four and eight movement sequences within the four sections. "It mingles the movement sequence randomly and presents an interpretation of the disc's movement theme." (Lau, Illusive Spirit 6)
Housed within each of these four main components of the program were menus including another four options. The four movement menus of each of the modes listed: vertical (v), horizontal (h), sagittal (s), and a mixed menu (x). The vertical plane consisted of up and down movement options, horizontal included side to side, sagittal included forward to back and the mixed menu did just as it suggests. Stored within each of the four options of the Motoric, Kinetic, and Emotive Modes were sixteen movement choices providing each of these main components with a total of sixty-four movement options. The four movement menus of the Interactive Mode only included four to eight movement sequences of approximately thirty-two counts.
The progression and theory behind the development of Julianna Lau's Dance
Alive Concept provides a realistic depiction of her passion, dedication, and knowledge in regards to the work. The innovative incorporation of advancing technology in her
20 movement practice was a concept that should be continued today. Dance should embrace the computer, a great proponent of the sedentary lifestyle, and use it to advance the field in any way it can.
A large number of North Americans spend the majority of each work day staring at a monitor with almost all joints firmly placed at ninety degree angles as we write, watch, search, or virtually explore the day away. Technological advancements have increased significantly over the last ten years, providing those who may want to continue Lau's research the ability to due so with the potential for greater ease. With advanced knowledge and understanding of the options available, the creation of a virtual movement tool that would be accessible to all, regardless of dance training or ability, is possible.
Julianna Lau contributed an immeasurable amount of work in a life devoted to the development of dance/movement therapy and the Dance Alive Concept in Canada. She shared her knowledge with countless students and colleagues through her work at York, in conference presentations, workshops, and performances. One of Lau's greatest influences on the field of dance/movement therapy in Canada was her desire to allow all the ability to understand the importance of self-expression through movement. Julianna
Lau's notes regarding the development of the Dance Alive Technique are currently housed at Dance Collection Danse in Toronto, so that those interested in continuing her work will have a stable base from which to move forward.
21 CHAPTER 2
Initiatives in Building the Canadian Dance/Movement Therapy Community
Body moving in space To the rhythm of time Projecting personality Disharmony cannot hide In the shapes and forms of movement Through the use of dance therapy Healing, releasing, and awareness Can be facilitated Sculpturing inner peace Understanding yourself So that harmony can be attained (8)
This poem was written by Susan Dias, a former undergraduate at York University, and printed in the September 1987 newsletter for the Dance/Movement Therapy
Association of Ontario (DMTAO). The DMTAO was created to connect a small community of like-minded individuals in the hope of facilitating further growth for a field making its entrance into Canada. Focused primarily on the dissemination of information surrounding the type of work that was being completed throughout Ontario and later nationally, the organization:
• aspired to build its membership • published newsletters • offered workshops • advocated for the field with regards to establishing a Canadian graduate program • fought for dance therapy's accreditation • hosted a conference for the American Dance Therapy Association • successfully supported the growth of the field
22 The DMTAO was dependent on the large amount of work of too few and constantly faced numerous struggles throughout its existence from the early 80s through to the early 90s. As a direct result of the termination of the DMTAO, there appears to have been a decline in interest and little to no growth in the field. The following chapter will illustrate the organization's effectiveness in the dissemination of knowledge, establishment of connections with related fields and creation of interest surrounding dance/movement therapy.
The main structure of the organization consisted of the elected executive, volunteer committees, and a larger group of general members. The job of the executive was to serve both the goals of the membership as well as the perceived needs of the profession. The executive consisted of a President, Vice-President, Secretary, and
Treasurer who all worked togemer to complete the administrative tasks associated with running this type of organization. The volunteer committees were formed to address specific jobs required to maintain the relevance of die DMTAO. The committees that existed for various lengths of time included:
• Newsletter Committee • Book Committee • Public Affairs Committee • Media Promotions Committee • Credentials Committee • Education Committee • Canadian Graduate Review Committee • Workshop Committee • ADTA Conference Planning Committee
23 Many of the business meetings held by the organization also provided a social means of connection for dance/movement therapists who were often isolated in their work environments. Establishing a common meeting place also created opportunities to share theories and practices developed in the field. Notes from these meetings were then published in the following newsletter for those members who were not able to attend.
Originally, meetings were held at members' homes, such as Gillian Wilder who hosted on December 9th, 1985. At this particular event it was predetermined that meetings organized for 1986 would take place from 7 to 8PM every second Monday of the month. Some meetings were followed by a workshop from 8 to 10PM and were moved to the Wagman Centre at Baycrest Hospital in order to accommodate the nature of the work. The first workshop was scheduled for January 13th 1986 with Jaqueline Jay, focusing on art therapy with pre-schoolers and adolescents. Following the organization meeting on February 10th 1986, Wilena Brown and Sara Jacobovici presented their work in Music Therapy. The fees for each workshop ranged from $8 for students to $12 for non-members.
The Newsletter Committee
The DMTAO newsletter was the primary source for the dissemination of information about and for the dance/movement therapy community in Ontario and, on occasion, in Canada. While its positive attributes were many, the single most beneficial way in which the Newsletter Committee contributed to the organization was through the facilitation of a more cohesive community. The Newsletter Committee was chaired by
24 the editor who worked diligently to meet the needs of the ever-evolving organization.
The two editors leading the constant evolution of the DMTAO newsletters were Margit
Asselstine and Holly Burn-Crain.
The four-page November 1985 newsletter was comprised of information regarding meetings, workshops, the various committees, and member news. A definition of the newsletter's purpose was also published, including the following four goals:
a) to be a communication form for all people interested in dance/movement therapy and for those in Ontario specifically b) to be a notice form for special events, meetings, workshops, and announcements c) to act as a news form toward the development of dance/movement therapy d) to act as a symbol of the DMTAO
(Asselstine 3)
Through this forum, those who were actively advocating and working towards the advancement of the field in Canada had an outlet to share their efforts with the membership. By providing this outlet, the DMTAO established an accessibility of information surrounding the field that inspired the growth of further initiatives.
The Book Committee
There was an initiative to build a library of resources as a means of providing accessible writing pertaining to dance/movement therapy advancements. The committee did not last long as there was not enough interest amongst the membership. However, there is some evidence that suggests a library was still kept although it is not clear who maintained it over the years.
25 The Public Affairs & Media Promotions Committees
Two smaller committees dealing with public relations were established to report on and create connections with newspapers that featured stories on dance/movement therapists in Canada. In November of 1986, a newspaper article printed in the Sunday
Star on February 9th of that same year was included with the newsletter when mailed to the members. The article centered on dance/movement therapist, Margit Asselstine's free class for stroke survivors offered every Tuesday afternoon from 12:45 until 2:00 at North
York's Speech and Stroke Centre. Writer Stasha Evasuk explains that, "Asselstine's program centers on what she terms mind/body integration and involves the senses and perception through the technique of imagined movement. Stroke victims learn to make everyday movements with ease and confidence is restored." (1986)
In response to the publication, Debbie van der Laan wrote a letter to the editor of the Star to make him aware of the DMTAO and supply him with the necessary information required if anyone contacted the paper regarding dance/movement therapy.
In her brief correspondence van der Laan wrote:
I would like to make people aware that there is an organization of dance/movement therapists here in Toronto. Professional dance/movement therapists are currently working in a variety of settings: special education, programs for the elderly, and in psychiatric hospitals. There is an undergraduate program at York University that has been in existence since 1970. (1986)
As demonstrated, the DMTAO worked diligently to educate both their membership and the general public as to the dance/movement therapy advancements occurring throughout
Ontario.
26 The Credentials Committee
Another initiative which necessitated the formation of a committee was the attempt to establish standards for the practice of dance/movement therapy in Canada.
The intentions of the Credentials Committee was to:
a) establish standards of practice for Canadian Dance Movement Therapists b) outline registration (certification requirements) c) gain respect as a mental health organization in Ontario d) establish alternate routes for registration/certification
(Asselstine 2)
In interviews with dance/movement therapists, who were members of the
DMTAO at the time, there has been mention that there were unsuccessful attempts to establish accreditation through the Canadian government for dance/movement therapy.
Acceptance by the Health Professionals Legislation held two important benefits: dance/movement therapists would be professionally recognized by the health community and they would also be able to gain licensure in their field allowing them to obtain insurance for their practice.
The Education Committee
While a large focus of the organization was placed on continued professional development attained through attendance at a variety of workshops, the DMTAO also advocated for the creation of a graduate program at York University that would meet the educational needs of the dance/movement therapy community. Melanie Ghan Nesbitt was the chair of both the Education Committee in 1986 and the Canadian Graduate
Review Committee in 1988. The main focus of the 1986 committee was a drive for
27 support letters to be sent directly to Dr. David V.J. Bell, the Dean of Graduate Studies at
York University at the time. The purpose of these letters was to raise awareness for the need for and interest in a graduate level education in dance/movement therapy in Ontario.
The Canadian Graduate Review Committee
A similar committee appears in the 1988 newsletters in both the January and June publications. This new committee, the Canadian Graduate Review Committee, was established with the specific intention of reviewing the proposed Integrative Arts Therapy
Program at York University. In order to complete a well-rounded study, the committee consulted with dance/movement, music as well as art therapists on the structure of the program.
After compiling the results of the inquiry, the committee concluded that all three of the aforementioned communities felt the Integrative Arts Therapy Program proposal lacked the ability to meet their general needs. Nesbitt reported, "the general consensus is that the proposed graduate program does not allow one to meet the standards of education and practice established by any of the creative therapies. In question are such areas as the number of internship hours and academic course content." (Burn-Crain 5) Stephen
Levine, the primary faculty member working on the proposal at York University,
"recognized the discomfort that exists within the professional community of creative art therapists" and was interested in meeting with representatives of each community in order to attempt to create a program that would meet the educational needs of all involved. (Burn-Crain 5)
28 There were no further obtainable reports from the Canadian Graduate Review
Committee within the DMTAO newsletters. Therefore, it is not clear whether the follow- up meeting with Stephen Levine and the creative art therapies representatives ever did occur and, if it did, what outcomes were produced. It is known, however, that the 1988
Integrative Arts Therapy Program proposal at York University was not successful. After
June 1988 there is no record of a similar committee existing within the DMTAO.
The Workshop Committee
The main focus of the Workshop Committee was threefold: provide networking opportunities, educate the dance/movement therapy community on new developments in the field, and improve visibility of the profession by increasing its accessibility. The
DMTAO newsletter provided a fantastic forum to advertise potential events, report back on previous workshops, and solicit feedback from readers on their interests or needs. In designing programs for their members, the committee aimed at providing a variety of learning experiences through varied workshop formats and topics. Although, it seems that generating larger attendances was often a struggle, those able to participate in most events reported that the experience appeared to be interesting, informative and worthwhile.
During Manon Dulude-Galligan's time as chair of the Workshop Committee, the
DMTAO offered sessions from local as well as American professionals on a range of topics. Some examples of the topics and their facilitators were:
• Dance/Movement Therapy with Young Schizophrenics - Melanie Ghan Nesbitt & Pam Albert
29 • Art Therapy - Donna Goffin-Girasek • Dance Therapy with Adolescents - Danielle Frankel • Dance Therapy with Eating Disorders - Danielle Frankel • Movement Experiential - Cynthia Barrett • Integrating Movement Work & Nursing Care - Pat Williams • Information on Dance/Movement Therapy Field with York University students - Arlynne Stark
Delude-Galligan stepped down as chair due to increased obligations in her own life and so passed on the position to Cheryl Frayne. During her time as chair, Frayne continued on a similar path as Delude-Galligan in her attempts to bring relevant and interesting educational experiences to the DMTAO membership. Some examples of events organized by the Workshop Committee between 1988 and 1990 included:
• Kestenberg Movement Profiling - Gerald Gowan • Principles of Laban Movement Analysis - Peter Madden • Self-Awareness through Movement - Bat-Sheva Koren • Report from Nicaragua - a slide show on her work as a Creative Art Therapist - Jill Mewhinney • Introduction to Dance Therapy: Two Pioneers in the Field: Marian Chace & Mary Whitehouse - Alternative Route/Advanced Training - Zoe Avstreih
While the DMTAO demonstrated a keen interest in promoting continuous professional development, it also took initiatives to educate interested students. The first workshop planned for the fall of 1987 was a panel discussion on the subject of "Options for Dance/Movement Therapy Graduate Studies." Hoping to interest York undergraduate students as well as members contemplating continuing education, a panel of six working dance/movement therapists, who were also DMTAO members and had attained their accreditation from the ADTA, was compiled. In order to achieve this accreditation one
30 must either complete a Master's degree in dance/movement therapy from a recognized university along with 700 hours of supervised clinical practice or through the completion of 40 approved alternative route courses and the same amount of practical hours. The alternative route option was one for students who achieved the required 40 credits from the ADTA by completing a series of approved workshops, courses, or seminars. The panel members were listed as follows:
• Pam Weingarden-Albert - Goucher College • Holly Burn - Goucher College • Phyllis Saadon - Loyola Marymount • Manon Dulude-Galligan - Pratt Institute • Debbie Hirsh(van der Laan) - Hunter College • Bat-Sheva Koren - Antioch University • Melanie Ghan Nesbitt - Alternate Route
The workshop took place on Monday October 19th at 8PM at Dulude-Galligan's house for a cost of $4. The January 1988 newsletter reported a beneficial evening of discussion, reflection, and reminiscence. A tape of the event was made available for those who were not able to attend, through the DMTAO Library.
Another initiative taken on by the organization was to host ADTA-approved, alternate route education options in Canada. In the spring of 1990, three eight-hour sessions covering the work of two American pioneers, Marian Chace and Mary
Whitehouse, provided participants with two credits towards attaining accreditation through alternative route training. The workshops were facilitated by Zoe Avstreih, a dance/movement therapist and psychotherapist in private practice from New York and also the Director of the Centre for the Study of Authentic Movement. Prior to the
31 beginning of Avstreih's workshop, discussions surfaced in the newsletter around bringing
JoAnn Hammond-Meiers from Edmonton to host a week-long alternative route intensive as well as a one-day advanced training workshop.
ADTA Conference Planning Committee
In the fall of 1986, the DMTAO was approached to host the ADTA's 2nd
International, 24th Annual Conference which was to take place at the Sheraton Centre in
Toronto from November 9th to the 12th of 1989. Excited by the prospect of inviting the world of dance/movement therapy to its home and proudly showcasing "some good
Canadian content," the executive accepted the challenge. (Burn-Crain 3)
In accepting the proposal, Toronto once again became the only city outside of
America to host the largest yearly event organized by the ADTA. The conference provided an environment of acceptance and understanding where dance/movement therapists were able to network. In bringing this event to its own living room, the
DMTAO members had provided themselves with the opportunity to focus effectively on current Canadian developments in the field. Such an advantageous moment for advocacy and generation of awareness for Canada was not taken lightly with planning beginning almost immediately.
The 1989 ADTA Conference Planning Committee and a number of subcommittees were formed at three open meetings prior to the September 1987 newsletter. Pam Weingarden-Albert and Melanie Ghan Nesbitt agreed to co-chair the parent committee as well as a couple of the smaller task forces. Catherine Feldman-
32 Axford, secretary of the Planning Committee, reported the following list of agreed upon sub-committees and identified chairperson(s):
• Funding: Melanie Ghan Nesbitt & Sara Jacobovici • Hotel Facilities: Melanie Ghan Nesbitt & Pam Weingarden-Albert • Programming: Charlene Moore • Registration: Manon Dulude-Galligan & Debbie Hirsch(van der Laan) • Printing: Cheryl Frayne • Audio Visual: Holly Burn • Sales: Phyllis Saadon • Entertainment: Phyllis Saadon
The Quebec Dance/Movement Therapy Association also offered its services, looking specifically at bilingual options for the conference as well as lending general assistance to the multitude of tasks at hand.
Decisions regarding the themes and topic areas were decided on at two committee meetings that took place on October 14th and November 24th of 1987. The overall theme of the conference was: Moving Into a New Decade-Dance/Movement Therapy in the
1990s. Identified topic areas included:
• Collaborative work with other Creative Art Therapists • Research in Dance/Movement Therapy • Population Trends: Dance/Movement Therapy with the Elderly, AIDS, and Rehabilitation
• Governmental Issues, Job Creation, and Marketing
In Volume 5, Number 3 of the DMTAO newsletter published in June 1988, Pam
Albert reported that the Planning Committee was hard at work having had three meetings throughout the winter/spring of that year. They were also awaiting approval of the aforementioned theme from the ADTA as well as deciding on potential guest speakers.
33 Following reports in subsequent newsletters from both co-chairs, Albert and
Nesbitt, revealed that the committee had been diligently working to "provide the attendees with a rich experience of Canadian culture which by its very nature is multicultural." (Burn 4) This was evident through their Canadian Night Banquet on
Saturday November 11th and die Movement Wake-ups or Movement Recuperations offered at the beginning or end of each day.
The entertainment experienced by attendees at the Canadian Night Banquet included a performance by the Native Canadian Indian Dancers accompanied by the
Young Nations Drum & Singers from the Six Nations Reserve as well as a performance by the Dancing with "Circles" Music Ensemble. For the Movement Wake-up and
Recuperation classes attendees were provided a choice between:
• Modern with Holly Small • Moving from the Inside Out with Tamma Soble • Contact Fundamentals with Kim Frank • Yoga: Dynamic Fun with Lisa Schwartz • Tai Chi with Doug Overholt • African with Vida A. Hynes
Holly Small's "Limon-based technique class aimed at developing an anatomically sound understanding of the body in motion" while Tamma Soble aimed to "expand each individual's range of motion and ability for creative expression" through facilitated movement improvisation. (ADTA 17) An attendee at Kim Frank's Contact
Fundamentals class experienced "exercises used to develop partnering skills such as giving and taking weight, reacting to physical touch and moving in unison with another person." (ADTA 17) Doug Overholt offered an invigorating exercise session through the
34 use of Taoist Tai Chi and Lisa Swartz's Iyengar Yoga boasted the ability to promote
"relaxation while developing a better functioning body and a happier state of mind."
(ADTA 18) Finally, Vida A. Hynes, originally from Ghana, offered traditional African dance as another possible movement option.
The Canadian content represented in the seminars presented throughout the conference were equally rich and varied. Some of the Canadian presenters included:
• Julianna Lau • Bat-Sheva Koren • Joanabbey Sack • JoAnn Hammond-Meiers
• Judith Koltai
Julianna Lau, the chair of the last ADTA conference held in Canada in 1977, along with German colleague, Wally Kaechele, founding director of the Dance Therapy
Institute in Monheim, West Germany, presented on their collaborative work entitled,
"Awakening: Finding the Shape of Our Life's Dance." Workshop participants explored
"the dance therapists use of holistic skills to create imaginative, joyful designs to effect therapeutic change, not only in 'so-called patients' but also in humanity." (ADTA 31)
Bat-Sheva Koren explored her research surrounding "Personal Knowledge" for movement therapy in an experimental movement session that "focused on narrating one's biography through movement.. .[in order to] gain personal knowledge through their expressed movement patterns." (ADTA 22)
Joanabbey Sack, Montreal-based dance/movement therapist and professor at
Concordia University and the University of Quebec, allowed her audience a brief glimpse of her work with suicidal adolescents through the presentation of case studies and video
35 clips. Sack's intention was to "stimulate discussion around the immigrant teenagers in a simmering melting pot and how a multi-disciplinary Crisis Intervention Team determines who gets Movement Therapy." (ADTA 31)
Representing Western Canada from Edmonton, Alberta was Joann Hammond-
Meiers and from Victoria, British Columbia was Judith Koltai. Hammond-Meiers co- presented with American colleague, Aileen Crow, to share their research surrounding the
"development of a constructive model for on-going relationships between colleagues."
(ADTA 23) Koltai's work answered the following three questions:
1) Does the internal metaphor match the external image? 2) Is posture a coping mechanism a choice we have made, perhaps unconsciously, a long time ago? 3) What does it mean to change your stance, to change your position?
(ADTA 22)
The extensive efforts of the DMTAO in organizing and participating in the 1989
Annual ADTA conference established a greater international presence and awareness for the Canadian dance/movement therapy profession.
Attempts to Form a National Community
As the work of the DMTAO grew in both size and scope, so did the interest in connecting the dance/movement therapy Canadian community from the east to west.
Initial attempts included soliciting memberships and information regarding dance/movement therapists across the country as well as motivating conversations surrounding the possibility of creating a national organization. Both the January and
December newsletters in 1989 included a "Cross Canada Report" where members from
36 outside Ontario could share news and information regarding dance/movement therapy in their regions. Motivation for these initiatives came from continuous discussion surrounding the feelings of isolation expressed by dance/movement therapists across the vast landscape. Judith Koltai wrote in January of 1989 that her "experience over the years has been that it is nearly impossible to bring the Canadian community together under these circumstances." (7)
Many were interested in gaining knowledge surrounding the work and research of dance/movement therapists throughout Canada, but they also expressed a need to share their own work with the national community. In a Member Profile published in DMTAO
Newsletter, Volume 7, No. 1, Ruth Bernard explains why she was renewing her membership to the organization after an extended leave. Her goal in sharing the history and direction of her work with the DMTAO membership was to generate a greater interest surrounding her own research and accomplishments. Prior to this, Member
Profiles had also been submitted by Jaqueline Karsemeyer and JoAnn Hammond-Meiers in response to the Newsletter Committee's initiative to generate further communication and stronger connections within the Canadian dance/movement therapy community.
While there were rumblings of interest in an international organization prior to the
1989 ADTA Conference in Toronto, this event was the primary impetus to accelerate serious, concrete research into the possibilities. The Quebec Association of
Dance/Movement Therapy "generously offered to pool their efforts with the Ontario
Association and to allow Toronto with its greater manpower and organization to act as a central agency for all unifying efforts." (Burn-Crain 5) Individual dance/movement
37 therapists throughout western Canada were also willing to support the initiative. In a letter to the DMTAO, JoAnn Hammond-Meiers shares her feeling that as beginners in me formation of a national organization they "must acknowledge and then put aside many of our fears about our size, our finances, and our naiveties, and at the same time.. .learn from the mistakes already made by other organizations." (Burn-Crain 5)
Discussions regarding the possibility of converting the DMTAO to the Canadian
Dance/Movement Therapy Association or becoming a Canadian Chapter of the ADTA were fueled by Melanie Ghan Nesbitt's research into the ADTA's requirements and draft of the bylaws of the Canadian Chapter of the American organization. Canadian members of the ADTA had been and continued to be included in the New England Chapter. In surveying these two possibilities, Hammond-Meiers wrote a three page letter to the
DMTAO outlining her thoughts on:
• who should be assessing the major issues surrounding both options • who should decide whether they separate into a Canadian organization or their own chapter of the ADTA • the transition to a national organization • standards for those working in the field adopted by the organization • issues surrounding the financial burdens of a larger operation
Although there seems to have been a large effort devoted to the development of either option, in the end, neither was successful. Laurel Bridges, a member of the
DMTAO in the early 90s, recalled being sent a letter informing her that the organization was no longer proceeding due to a lack of national numbers. However, Bridges did feel that the "wonderful beginning effort" of the DMTAO in establishing a national
38 dance/movement therapy organization could be built upon with the assistance of the internet in future generations. (Interview, 17 October 2008)
Moving Into The Future
During the Dance Movement/Therapy Association of Ontario's existence there is recorded proof of the initiatives taken by those interested in dance/movement therapy, including:
• development of a variety of practices within the field • growth of the various populations benefiting from the work • continued advocacy for dance as a therapeutic tool • attempts to create a viable local Master's level education for interested students • establishment of connections with like-minded professionals • dissemination of information aimed at maintaining a presence for the work in Canada
Since the dissolution of the DMTAO, there is a serious lack of information available on the work that has continued to develop in Ontario as well as Canada, giving the impression that the growth of the field has been stunted over the past two decades.
This lack of accessible information points to a need for a similar organization relevant to the needs of today's dance/movement therapy community.
Through the completion of this research, I have discovered evidence illustrating an interest in the field amongst the next generation of potential dance/movement therapists and therefore, a need for a unified Canadian community. The focus in developing an organization similar to the DMTAO would be to revisit the mandate, structure of the organization, and its initiatives in order to address the struggles historically faced by such an organization.
39 The two main issues, of low membership numbers and large landscape, feature prominently in the redevelopment of the revised version in today's climate. However, there has been one development over the past two decades which would aid in knitting the landscape while providing an accessible medium for the ongoing exchange of information. This development is the Internet. It would be imperative to create an organization that embraces current technological advancements and uses them to its full advantage. To do this, I propose the development of an online journal dedicated to dance/movement therapy in Canada. The primary goal of this type of initiative would be the dissemination of information as a means of establishing an online environment promoting the growth of a national community, establishing connections with other fields within healthcare, educating on the efficacy of the work, and advocating for the profession.
As an initial vision, this organization should strive to innovate in the field through supporting the needs of the dance/movement therapy community as a whole. This vision limits itself to the dissemination of information as a means of combating burn-out of those who would be administering the journal. The online journal would include a variety of sections highlighting the work of Canadian dance/movement therapists and international dance/movement therapists, share stories from those who have benefited from dance/movement therapy, disseminate historical writing pertaining to the field, and promote student research. Journals would be posted quarterly, however, daily news feeds would provide a space to announce upcoming workshops, lectures, conferences, and current job postings. Further additions to the website once it is established could
40 potentially include a blog to inspire conversation from coast to coast and an online library of dance/movement therapy resources.
This small organization's beginning will focus solely on the accessibility of information pertaining to dance/movement therapy in Canada. Further development of a graduate level education, accreditation for the work, and a set of professional standards will need to be addressed by either independent dance/movement therapists or a separate organization.
The discovery of the DMTAO and its published newsletters provided a greater depth of knowledge into the dance/movement therapy field throughout its existence. The ability to access information regarding ongoing development of the dance/movement therapy community indicates that the establishment of an online journal would be beneficial to the growth of the field. It is imperative for the current generation of potential and professional dance/movement therapists to actively create an environment in which their work is accessible to those within and outside the field.
41 CHAPTER 3
Exploring The Need for a Canadian Graduate Level Education in Dance/Movement Therapy
In 2005,1 began to question where my career in dance was headed and if I could feasibly sustain a living somewhere within the field. During this process, I began to realize that dance informed more aspects of my being than just the performer, choreographer, and teacher. So, how then to address the duality of purpose, fulfillment of both the personal and professional self? A "eureka" moment occurred one day while searching for a way to combine my love of dance and my desire to affect positive change in the world. I discovered dance/movement therapy. Since this moment, I have been unsuccessful in finding an educational setting in Canada with which to obtain the requirements to enter the field.
I began to wonder how it was possible for a profession to grow without a grounding in academic inquiry and research. To understand the struggles facing dance/movement therapy's development of a graduate level education in Canada, I attempted to answer the following questions:
1. Are dancers interested in practicing dance/movement therapy and conducting research to further the development of the field? 2. Is the academic community in Canada ready to accept the field as an appropriate subject of study within a university graduate program?
As the research continued, I also felt it was important to understand the history of past proposals for a graduate level, dance/movement therapy program at York University in
42 order to move forward. The development of this knowledge prompted the addition of two questions:
3. What challenges have faced previous graduate level proposals for a Master's degree in dance/movement therapy?
4. What would a program proposal look like that addressed these challenges?
By answering these four questions, I have created an idea of a potential future direction for dance/movement therapy with the intention of motivating further conversation within the dance and academic communities. It became apparent through the completion of this research that the establishment of a local graduate education dedicated to dance/movement therapy is imperative to the growth of the field. It has therefore become the most relevant aspect of my inquiry.
To ascertain current knowledge and interest levels of students surrounding dance/movement therapy, I developed a questionnaire with the intention of comparing the students' understanding of the field with the potential for future interest in the work. I also interviewed three students separately as they expressed an interest in learning more about dance/movement therapy. I analyzed a series of documents pertaining to past proposals at York University to gain an understanding of the academic community's ability to accept the field as a relevant area of graduate study.
Much of the information gathered in this chapter pertains to situations, events, and student experiences at York University. Housing Canada's oldest and largest undergraduate program in dance has provided a rich history from which to draw relevant information pertaining to dance/movement therapy. It is for this reason I have chosen to focus much of my attention on this one program. I do recognize that there have been
43 other attempts throughout Canada to establish relevant education options in dance/movement therapy, most notably by Joanabby Sack at Concordia University in
Montreal as well as Laurel Bridges in Calgary. I hope that this work provides a strong structure from which to draw for those who continue this research.
The Student Experience: Dance/Movement Therapy at York University
We all entered not knowing what to expect. Many of us had been involved with other aspects of dance like teaching, conducting recreational programs, or working with "exceptional children" but dance therapy was something new, a mystery that caught our imaginations.
(Morrison 33)
Upon graduation from the Dance Therapy Stream of York University's BA Dance
Program in 1974, Jacqueline Morrison, along with ten of her fellow classmates, chose to capture their undergraduate experience in a brief and one time only publication entitled,
Dance at York: Graduation 1974. Morrison's concise description of the Dance Therapy
Stream's structure provided me with the basic framework with which to interview other graduates from this program. In order to paint an informed image of the student experience in the Dance Therapy Stream, I interviewed five graduates regarding their journey through and after completing a BA.
Students took one three-hour class a week on the principles of dance therapy with
Julianna Lau in room 316 of the Centre for Fine Arts. With its rarely used two-way mirror, the room, now inhabited by the Fine Arts Cultural Studies Program, would be transformed on any given day to suit Lau's lesson plan; students rarely knew what to expect. Within this setting, students were encouraged and often required to engage in a
44 personal therapeutic process. For some this felt unintended yet inherent to the nature of the work while for others it seemed an unnecessary, forced element specific to Lau's teaching methods. Those willing to journey along their own path of therapeutic self- discovery felt that learning through experience allowed for a greater understanding of the work and initiated a stronger bond between fellow students.
For some students, however there was not enough structure and they wished for more guidance in terms of understanding what the concepts learned were building. For
Norma Sue Fisher-Stitt, the realization of knowledge retained in these afternoon sessions didn't occur until she was called upon to apply herself within her assigned placement. In her response, Fisher-Stitt recalled:
Julianna was not about you knowing everyday: this is what we're covering today, these are the readings, this is where we're going; you never quite knew where the path was taking you and I remember never being too sure what I was learning a lot of the time. However, at the end of each year we had to do a practicum and I discovered in each of those practica that I knew more than I thought I did. So we were internalizing through experience. (Interview, 5 March 2008)
However, there was one area where responses from the five students was consistent. This was in regards to whether they had continued to use any of the dance therapy principles learned in their professional careers. All of the students felt that they have drawn from their dance therapy training in varying degrees. Melanie Ghan Nesbitt went on to obtain a Master's degree in dance/movement therapy through alternative route courses and then taught a dance/movement therapy course at York following Lau's retirement in the fall of 1987. Two of the students continued to study and work within the psychotherapeutic field while incorporating some of the dance/movement therapy
45 principles learned. Such was the case with Nancy Christie, who also employed a sensorimotor approach to psychotherapy in her work with victims of trauma. The two remaining students became professors at York. In their teaching practices, Fisher-Stitt continues to discuss Laban efforts and movement preferences while Holly Small feels that she draws on dance/movement therapy principles.
For those interested in dance/movement therapy as a potential career the undergraduate stream at York was the only possible option in Canada at the time.
However it was inconsistent with the dance therapist accreditation requirements of the
American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), which includes a Master's degree in dance/movement therapy along with 700 hours of field work. Students who did choose to obtain a Master's in dance/movement therapy would be required to repeat learning the knowledge already obtained in their courses with Lau. The program at York allowed students to learn about and gain practical knowledge in dance/movement therapy but it was ineffective in preparing students to either continue with their education or enter into the work force.
The State of Dance/Movement Therapy Education in Canada Today
Currently in Canada, the situation remains the same: students are not able to fully complete a Master's degree in dance/movement therapy. Interested students have three possible options: complete their Master's through alternative route courses approved by the ADTA, attend a local certificate program in expressive art therapy connected to an international school, or study internationally. The Canadian profession has not yet
46 established its own accreditation and therefore follows the American standards set by the
ADTA. For this reason, many choose to obtain their Dance Therapist Registered (DTR) from this organization.
The alternate route mentioned above, requires that the student complete a
Master's degree with forty-five credits obtained from specific dance/movement therapy courses, and a supervised internship comprised of 700 hours. According to the ADTA,
"the alternate route is for individuals with extensive dance/movement background wishing to pursue Master's level training in dance/movement therapy in combination with study in a related field (i.e. social work, psychology, counseling, special education, and dance)." (ADTA 2008) In 2002, the ADTA approved an alternate route program in
Calgary which was coordinated and taught by Laurel Bridges. With the exception of the program's hiatus in 2005, Bridges taught the program until 2008.
The opportunity to develop this alternate route program presented itself after
Bridges had begun teaching an undergraduate course in dance/movement therapy at the
University of Calgary. She was then asked to teach at the Wesley Institute in Australia for three months in 2000. It was through her affiliation with this college that the dance/movement therapy program in Calgary was made possible. In 2005, Bridges went back to Wesley in Sydney to assist in the development of a Master's program in dance/movement therapy. She returned to continue with the program in Canada in 2006.
In 2008, Wesley contacted Bridges to inform her that due to the need to reapply for accreditation in Australia, the institution would no longer be able to continue to support the international program in Canada. They could not prove the financial viability
47 of the endeavor. Calgary's alternate route dance/movement therapy program would no longer be able to take new applicants; however current students would be able to complete their remaining credits. Bridges, "had, through the years, made some kind of approaches to other colleges and universities and hadn't found a place for
[dance/movement therapy] to reside. At this point it won't continue, hopefully it will be able to at some point, in some kind of way, but without the sponsorship of an educational institution it's difficult to do that." (Interview, 17 October 2008)
The program had run during the summer with courses rotating on a three year cycle. Each forty-five hour course was worth three credits towards an approved alternate route education. Some of the course titles included: Dance/Movement Therapy
Theoretical Approaches, Improvisation for Dance/Movement Therapy, Dance/Movement
Therapy for Children & Adolescents, Movement Interpretation for Dance/Movement
Therapy Part 1 & 2, Dance/Movement Therapy for Adults, Group Process in Dance
Therapy, and Clinical Skills for Dance Therapy. Each summer there was also one three- day intensive offered worth 1.5 credits and generally based on a spiritual or sacred subject matter.
Currently in Canada it is still possible to obtain alternate route education in dance/movement therapy. By consulting the ADTA website students are able to find out about approved workshops being offered in North America. For example, Linni Deihl offered a two-week winter intensive in New York from December 2008 to January 2009 on Dance Therapy Theory and Skills, Group Process, Movement Observation, Case
48 Studies, Private Practice, and Research Methodology. After completing the course, students will have obtained four credits towards their alternate route education.
Other approved locations for alternate route coursework listed on the ADTA website include: the Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, Kinections in Rochester, Harkness Dance
Centre in New York, Training in the Kestenberg Movement Profile in Lehigh Valley, and the Centre for Movement Education and Research in California.
For Canadians, this option proves to be costly and challenging. Although it is flexible in that students are able to obtain a related Master's degree locally, they still have to take on the cost of travel associated with completing the required dance/movement therapy courses. A second challenge to completing this option is in obtaining a placement to complete the required 700 hours of related work and securing an ADTR
(Academy of Dance Therapists Registered) to supervise that work. Currently, there are very few dance/movement therapists in Canada who have achieved this level of accreditation through the American Dance Therapy Association and even fewer placement options in which to have supervision take place.
A second educational option for interested students is to attend a local certificate program in expressive art therapy. Currently in Canada various types of programs in art therapy exist: Concordia's graduate program in expressive art therapy, the International
School of Interdisciplinary Studies (ISIS), The Toronto Art Therapy Institute, the British
Columbia School of Art Therapy, and the Vancouver Art Therapy Institute. None focus specifically on dance/movement therapy; however ISIS does have affiliations with the
49 European Graduate School which allows interested students to obtain their Master's degree as well.
The final educational option for interested students is to complete their Master's degree in dance/movement therapy outside of Canada. Just south of the Canadian border there are six possible programs: Antioch University in New England offers a Master's degree in dance/movement therapy and counseling, Columbia College in Chicago offers both an MA in dance /movement therapy and a Laban Movement Analysis Graduate
Certificate, Drexel University offers a Master of Arts in Creative Art Therapy through their College of Nursing & Health Professions, Lesley University offers an MA in
Expressive Therapies with a Dance Therapy & Mental Health Counseling Specialization,
Naropa University's Department of Somatic Psychology offers an MA in dance/movement therapy, and the Pratt Institute offers a Graduate Dance/Movement
Therapy Program.
Other countries where graduate programs in dance/movement therapy that are recognized by either the ADTA, the Association for Dance/Movement Therapy (UK), or the Australian Dance-Movement Therapy Association include: Argentina, Australia,
Austria, England, Germany, Israel, Italy, Netherlands, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, and
Switzerland.
Hearing their Voice: An Assessment of Potential Student Interest
Krista Samborsky, an undergraduate student at York University, first officially learned of dance/movement therapy from her sister who had discovered the profession
50 while researching play therapy for a university project. While attending a prestigious art school, Samborsky became disheartened with and gave up on dance altogether. Feeling a sense of loss she slipped into depression and it was through moving by herself, in her own backyard, that she began to self heal. It was in these moments that Samborsky unofficially discovered dance/movement therapy.
Many of those who have devoted their lives to dance have long understood the healing nature of moving. As a non-verbal form of expression and communication, moving out of our prescribed daily actions allows us to access the lived experience existing within our own muscle memory. For some students this knowledge has motivated a desire to heal people through movement. Future innovation in establishing a stronger presence for dance/movement therapy in Canada is dependant on the potential interest of these students.
I asked two professors at York University to allow the completion of questionnaires in their senior level modern technique classes. Sixty-one students from one third year modern technique class, taught by Carol Anderson, and one fourth year modern technique class, taught by Julia Sasso, completed the questionnaire. Of the sixty- one questionnaires completed, fifty-two percent of the students were in their fourth year of study, thirty-three percent were in their third year, eight percent were in their fifth year, the remaining few students in their first, second and sixth year with only one student not responding.
51 Table 1 - Pie Chart of Students' Current Year of Study
The questionnaire was specifically targeted to upper level years in order to receive the most accurate response from the students in regards to future plans. With the looming reality of entering the real world, I feel that students closer to graduation will inevitably be contemplating their future direction. However, while assessing the data, I did remain aware that the responses were hypothetical. As students enter the workforce, unforeseen opportunities and life events may direct them on unsuspected paths.
To begin the questionnaire, I decided to discover how many students were planning to continue their education after graduation. As a career in dance/movement therapy requires a Master's level education, it seemed that obtaining a general understanding of the level of interest in this type of education would be pertinent to the analysis of the data. With this being said, seventy-two percent of students felt that they would, twenty-three percent said that they would not, and five percent were not sure if they would continue their education. The questionnaire then required that students list the possible field of study and location of their intended graduate education. The responses to these two questions varied greatly with the subjects of study ranging from
52 culinary school to environmental studies to continued dance studies. The potential locations for study covered countries from all over the world to a variety of institutions throughout Canada and Toronto.
Focusing specifically on dance/movement therapy, three students were interested in completing a Master's degree in this field, one student listed art therapy as one of her possible options and another would like to obtain a Master's degree in psychology although she did specify that she would incorporate her dance training into that phase of her education. As a point of interest, the student who wished to attain further education in art therapy also listed occupational therapy (OT) as an option for future education.
For a brief moment, I would like to pause from this quantitative analysis and highlight the story of a student who chose to obtain her Master's degree in OT at McGill
University. I met Caroline Brown1 at a presentation of the York dance course, Senior
Projects, in the winter semester of 2008. In her own words:
My senior project during my undergraduate degree focused on preparing myself in every way possible for the next step towards my career. I focused on gaining volunteer experience and insight by helping run a pilot program for wheel-chair dancing and working alongside occupational therapists. I focused a large portion of my project on my application process to graduate school and how I would need to set myself up professionally to prepare myself as a pre-professional student. Overall, my project focused on drawing a connection between dance and occupational therapy and how I could combine both of them to make me a better health care professional and advocate for better quality of life. (Interview, 3 October 2008)
Brown initially came across dance/movement therapy while reading a book on the psychology of dance at some point during her high school years. The field sparked her interest as she held a strong conviction that each individual possesses a "unique
' Name changed for privacy.
53 movement potential." It is through this potential that she would be able to assist individuals in attaining a higher quality of life within the healthcare milieu. With her professional career, Brown intends to find the connection between her dance undergraduate degree and her Master's in OT, but plans to further her understanding of dance/movement therapy once working within the OT field.
For Brown, it seemed that combining her interest in both health and dance to further assist those in need of obtaining a higher quality of life enabled her to create a viable career path. For others who strive to gain employment within the dance community, the path may not be so clearly defined. When asked if they planned on carving a place for themselves within the dance community, ninety-seven percent responded that they would. To ascertain the interest level of students in the many possible careers within the Canadian dance community, I developed an exhaustive list of the potential options and left room for the ones I had overlooked. The following represents the number of students who chose each option:
• 54% - Choreographer • 52% - Independent Performer • 49% - Dance Company Member • 43% - Studio Instructor • 30% - Public School Teacher • 20% - Therapist • 16% - Writer • 15% - University Professor • 15% - Studio Owner • 15% - Arts Administrator • 11% - Artistic Director • 8% - Somatic Educator
54 Some of the other professions that were added to the list by the participants included: development policy advisor, lighting designer for dance, community animator, photographer, meditation and wellbeing facilitator, business owner dealing in artistic representation, and a dance teacher, choreographer, performer or workshop leader within the Christian community.
Participants were not limited in the number of choices they could make: thirty- four percent of the students choose four possible career options, twenty-five percent chose three, thirteen percent chose eight, ten percent chose two, ten percent chose five, five percent chose six, two percent chose seven, and the remaining two percent chose eight. These numbers may seem to reflect that, while students have chosen dance as their profession, they are undecided as to which role they would like to play within the field when in fact this is not actually the case. Many dancers will serve a variety of positions throughout their lifetimes and these roles are in most cases complementary. Within my own dance career I have been a choreographer, teacher, arts administrator, artistic director, board member, independent artist, and company member.
So, what do these numbers mean and how is that meaning relevant to this study?
First of all, I thought it important to establish a context for an analysis of students interested in dance/movement therapy and a framework with which to understand the remaining data. Secondly, it is important to note that such a high percentage of students are confidently choosing to move forward into a very uncertain future within a community that has a proven track record of poor job security and low income.
According to a Statistical Profile of Artists in Canada created in September 2004 by Hill
55 Strategies Research, the typical dancer earns $10,000 a year. Outside of these earnings within their field, many are forced to find other work to support themselves and students are well aware of this fact by the time they are preparing to enter into their own professional careers. Dancers who remain passionate about the art will search for opportunities, such as dance/movement therapy, that allow them to incorporate their passion into a useful, practical tool.
As we move through the remainder of the data, I would like to propose a theory for further contemplation: it is the lack of accessible literature on the theoretical framework of dance/movement therapy and information regarding the potential for future development of dance/movement therapy in Canada that has contributed to a lack of knowledge pertaining to the field. The last time students in York's dance program had an opportunity to learn about dance/movement therapy was through one half course offered sometime in the mid-nineties. Since that time the only related course work available are other types of somatic movement practices such as Laban Movement Analysis, Bartenieff
Fundamentals, and Skinner Releasing Technique. Beyond the few, who have been drawn to dance/movement therapy by their own life experience, how is it truly possible for students to put together the connection between psychology and dance without any guidance at all?
When asked, seventy-seven percent of students responded that they had heard of dance/movement therapy; however when attempting to define the work only forty-five percent were able to do so clearly, while twenty-six percent demonstrated a partial understanding. The ADTA defines dance/movement therapy as "the psychotherapeutic
56 use of movement to further the emotional and physical integration of the individual."
(ADTA 2008) The two most common errors made by the students were in confusing the work with some sort of dancer-focused therapy or a type of rehabilitation after an injury.
Of those who said they had never heard of the field, fourteen percent were able to hazard a correct guess, and forty-three percent were partially correct.
Some of the definitions qualitatively demonstrated the students' ability to recognize the values associated with dance/movement therapy even though they may have had little contact with the field prior to this point. Andrea de Keijzer, a fourth-year student interested in possibly pursuing health & wellbeing for dancers, arts therapy or occupational therapy in her professional career writes: dance/movement therapy is, "a way of healing and freeing one's soul, mind and body through movement, music and dance. I'm not sure how the sessions run." Kathy Lewis approached me after she had completed the questionnaire to express her interest in the field as she had heard of it while teaching in Uganda. Her definition reads: "From my understanding,
[dance/movement therapy] is the practice of helping others overcome an obstacle/be healed - physically, mentally, and/or emotionally - through dance."
The response which resonated most clearly for me was from a student who listed community animator/artist in dance and other forms. For this particular student dance/movement therapy uses, "movement/dance to involve someone in a creative and open process that leads to self awareness and healing - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually." An inherent awareness of the healing nature of dance within students is
57 an attribute that dance/movement therapists should be cognizant of when developing the profession's future path.
The most promising information lies in the questionnaire's final inquiry. While I recognize that there is no commitment required when simply checking a box, I don't feel that there was any reason for the participants to simply say "YES" as the students appeared to approach the questionnaires with honesty and integrity. That said, the final question referred to whether or not the students would be interested in learning more about dance/movement therapy. Ninety percent of students responded that they would be interested in learning more about the profession. Also an interesting statistic relating to this question is that of the "no" responses, sixty-seven percent could clearly define dance/movement therapy which represented seventeen percent of the total correct responses to that question.
In order to come up with a final assessment of the potential interest of Canadian university level dance students in dance/movement therapy, I chose to complete a comparative analysis of four variables presented in the questionnaire: interest in further post-secondary education, interest in a career in the dance community, knowledge of dance/movement therapy, and interest in learning more about dance/movement therapy.
These variables represent the students' ability to complete the current requirements of the profession based on their willingness to continue their education, desire to work within the dance milieu, demonstrate a basic understanding of dance/movement therapy and an interest in learning more about the field. To understand the students' knowledge of dance/movement therapy, I choose to use the quantitative assessment of their responses
58 to being asked to define the work. The following chart assesses each variable individually and places them side by side as a visual means of comparison.
Table 2 - Comparative Analysis of Key Variables
100% - f~i 1 90% / 80% / 70% ' 60%- / DYes 50% /— 7\ DNo 40% ^ZZ 30% tL— D Maybe dzv^zM 20% 10% i / 0% h \t 9—7 f Interest in Interest in a Knowledge of Interest in continuing their career in the dancefmovement learning more education dance community therapy about dlmt
The percentage of positive responses far outweighs the negative, except in the area of demonstrated knowledge about dance/movement therapy. This statistic suggests that there should be an opportunity for students to learn more about the field especially since the interest appears to be high.
As a simple analysis this proves that students who remain interested in pursuing a career in dance as well as continuing their education would be interested in learning more about dance/movement therapy. To obtain a more accurate depiction of the potential number of students who would continue to pursue a career in dance/movement therapy, I chose to look at the percentage of students who responded positively to all three
59 questions as well as demonstrated an understanding of dance/movement therapy. Table 3 illustrates that results of that assessment:
Table 3 - Combined Analysis Illustrating Potential Student Interest
positive response to all 4 variables
72% interest in continuing / education
90% interest in learning more about dance/movement therapy
97% interest in a career within the dance community
Twenty-eight percent represents the realistic potential for student interest in dance/movement therapy as a career. While this percentage at first glance appears low it is actually only just below the number of students who listed that they would like to become public school teachers. The statistic also does not take into account the potential interest for dance/movement therapy within psychology or the dancers who will choose
60 to enter the field as a second career. There is an untapped interest in dance/movement therapy at York University, which indicates that offering one undergraduate course for students to further develop their understanding would be beneficial.
The History of Past Proposals at York University
Since the initial development of the Department of Dance at York University in
1970 there has been a history of proposals for graduate programs in dance therapy and expressive arts therapy at York. The study of these proposals, the meetings that occurred prior, and the responses to them, have provided invaluable information in understanding the challenges to developing a relevant education for dance/movement therapy in Canada.
The first proposal for a graduate program in dance therapy was submitted in 1974 as a part of a package proposal also including graduate programs in dance history and criticism, and dance notation. As with the undergraduate Dance Therapy Stream, this proposed program included both theory and practice. Each student would also be required to complete a major paper of publishable quality relating to their area of study in dance therapy.
Of the three proposed programs, dance therapy was the only one not approved.
Lister Sinclair, one of the assessors, stated it may be more viable to propose a joint degree between dance and areas such as social work, psychology, psychiatry, or counseling resulting in an interdisciplinary study. A second assessor, Louis Applebaum, noticed that there were some points left out of the proposal which were required by the
American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA):
61 1. The proposal did not address the ADTA's required minimum six months (700 hours) of field work. An accredited dance/movement therapist must have completed these hours. 2. The proposal should be aware of and address the availability of employment for graduates within the field.
A second proposal for an MFA program in dance therapy was submitted to commence in the fall of 1979. This proposal began by addressing the challenges to the previous proposal:
1. In direct response to the suggestion that the proposed program should be a joint effort, the author of this proposal listed programs that existed at the time in the United States which were created out of undergraduate programs in dance. Some examples were: Hunter College in New York, George Washington University in Washington, and Temple University in Philadelphia. 2. Also in response to the suggestion that dance therapy should be an interdisciplinary study, this proposal addressed the "the reluctance of the psychology department to involve themselves in the vast subject of the therapeutic values of artistic expression or to go deeply into the psychology of movement skills." (1979 Proposal 2) 3. In response to Louis Applebaum's comments this proposal briefly addressed the strong ties the undergraduate program had made in the community with schools, hospitals and psychiatric wards, outlining the structure of field work each undergraduate student experiences. This proposal specifically states that students will devote two terms to completing six months or 700 hours at an internship in a clinical setting as per the American Dance Therapy Association requirements.
The structure of this program included core seminars in dance therapy methodology, research methods in dance therapy movement analysis, psychotherapy with the option of taking one course in cognate fields, such as: clinical psychology, anthropology, social work, and special education. As with the first proposal, Julianna
Lau was once again the only faculty member listed. If this proposal was to be accepted
Lau's undergraduate stream would be reduced to one course in order to accommodate the graduate program. Hiring a second part-time faculty member cross-appointed with the
62 Department of Psychology was also needed to cover the workload for the new program.
A list of resource people interested in acting as student advisors, instructors or consultants was provided and included faculty members from Physical Education,
Psychology, and Counseling and Development as well as from the Clarke Institute of
Psychiatry, Etobicoke Hospital, and Sunnybrook Hospital.
This second proposal appeared to have addressed the concerns surrounding the first proposal. Why then was it not accepted? In my research I have been unable to find any direct evidence to answer this question. However, based on an understanding of the situation through the various discussions with those affiliated with the university at the time, I would like to share some of my own speculations in response. Once again the proposal was supported by the expertise of only one professor and therefore the university would have to fund additional hires. This time the authors aimed to meet the needs of the ADTA so that graduating students would have the opportunity to become registered dance/movement therapists; however it did not address the employment situation in Canada.
The next proposal heeds Lister Sinclair's original advice and instead of focusing on dance therapy, chose to create a program in integrated arts therapy. Objectives included providing professional training for the field of integrated arts therapy, which is now referred to as expressive arts therapy, and the proposal explains that students would graduate with the ability to work in a variety of artistic modalities when attempting to achieve their therapeutic goals.
63 The core faculty member listed in this proposal was Stephen Levine, a professor in Social Sciences, who has since retired. He is currently one of the directors at ISIS and
Dean of the Expressive Arts Graduate Program at the European Graduate School. This proposal also noted that there would have to be one new hire of a fulltime faculty member certified in art therapy who would assist with the core academic requirements, and various specialized part-time faculty in areas such as art, drama, dance, or music. A list of twenty-four supporting professors at York who could assist with research supervision was compiled. These professors came from a wide range of departments, including: Dance, Social and Political Thought, Visual Arts, Music, Theatre, Film,
Psychology, English, Physical Education, Sociology, Humanities, Counseling, Social
Science, and Social Work.
The proposal states that there would be no specific department as this would be an interdisciplinary study. The "academic core course will provide students with a fundamental basis in the principles and practices of an integrated approach to creative art therapies," while course supplemented practica offer the students the practical training required to enter the field. (5)
While this proposal attempted to address the need for an existing interest and promise of excellence within the university, it was still unable to overcome the lack of funding required to hire two to three tenure track professors.
The final attempt to have dance/movement therapy exist as a form of study at a graduate level, although this end was not specifically its intention, was a series of meetings of the Art Therapy Group in 2004/5. There was some energy behind these
64 meetings as Lorna Marsden, the President of York University at the time, was keenly interested in the outcome. The committee suffered a lack of interest at the outset however, with only six of the original thirteen in attendance for the first official meeting.
The conversations generated in these meetings revealed varying opinions amongst group members on the role of psychology in the program. They also discussed the existence of two incompatible programs in Canada to possibly use as a model for an Art
Therapy Graduate Program at York. Concordia's Expressive Arts Therapy Program required that students focus on one artistic modality while ISIS's model required that students become well-versed in all. The committee also addressed the lack of well paying jobs for graduates, but did note that there was considerable interest for the program from students. Helene Burt, from the Toronto Art Therapy Institute, provided the committee with a number of e-mails illustrating the interest of potential students.
At the end of this meeting members agreed that a certificate program was the best option at the time with the hope that a graduate program would be feasible through this initiative. After subsequent meetings, however it was decided that with the lack of support from psychology, the need for funding new hires and the inability to create a program that truly suited the needs of the community at the time, the only possible path for expressive arts therapy was to offer an undergraduate course to assess the interest of students. This course has not yet been offered, possibly due to either the lack of qualified faculty or financial cutbacks.
65 A Future for Dance/Movement Therapy Education in Canada
It has become evident that without a viable, local, graduate level education for dance/movement therapy the field will not survive. In order to be effective, such a program should:
• be relevant to the Canadian health care community • provide students with the necessary tools to acquire or create employment • fulfill a need within post secondary education • incorporate the multi-faceted nature of the work
Based on the study of past proposals for Master's level degrees in either dance/therapy or expressive art therapy, three key components need to be addressed in order for a successful proposal at the university level: structure, support, and timing.
Remaining cognizant of these current needs and requirements for a viable dance/movement therapy graduate program, I have developed and proposed a structure for a program in order to motivate further conversation surrounding the feasibility of this type of program. This hypothetical program is entitled: The Interdisciplinary Arts-Based
Health Practice Program, and would involve two major components. The central aspect of the program would be a community-based research centre, The Centre for Exploration
Through the Arts (CETA), where students would have the opportunity to explore research and practical application of their theories in a supported community environment. This program will strive to provide graduates with a well rounded knowledge of community programming and development relating to the health of many different populations by encouraging students to develop their own practices through the creation of arts-based research projects within a supervised community setting.
66 In order to be accepted to CETA, students must already be approved for a
Master's degree program at an affiliated university in either Counseling Psychology,
Nursing, Social Work, or Occupational Therapy. Creating connections between dance/movement therapy and these professions in an academic setting will provide the profession with a strong network of support with which to innovatively discover its place in Canada. It will simultaneously provide students with the tools needed to obtain or create employment.
Structurally, CETA would financially exist as its own separate entity. Students who chose to complete the research portion of their Master's degree at the Centre would be required to complete two courses at CETA, beyond the courses associated with their
Master's degree, during the summer term of their first year, pertaining to the principles of arts-based health practices. With this in mind, students would pay tuition separately to both the University and the Centre. The additional cost would provide students with the added support structure of a community-based learning environment in which to put theories into practice .
Alleviating the need for additional hires at affiliated universities, the only foreseeable costs associated with allowing students to complete their research at the
Centre would be the added administrative tasks such as paperwork and coordinating supervision. In terms of support, CETA would need to acquire a large sum of private funding in order to obtain the facilities and initial hires. Structurally, CETA's existence as a separate entity seems to be a solution to the large amount of professional support and financial burden such a program would place on one academic institution.
67 In the past, proposals for expressive art and dance/movement therapy were also unable to clearly address the multifaceted nature of the work as they were required to fit into pre-existing program structures. With the fairly recent push for interdisciplinary academic studies, the timing for such a centre could not be better. As the general
Canadian community also becomes more aware of alternative methods of healing, non- pharmacological methods to achieve greater quality of life care for all populations will become a necessity.
By creating the hypothetical model of the Interdisciplinary Arts-Based Health
Practice Program, I hope to have demonstrated that adapting the needs of the profession to those of the students, the academic community, and the health care system makes it possible to solve the education crisis dance/movement therapy is currently facing in
Canada. While this type of proposal is bound to face its own set of difficulties, I have included it in order to prove that there are options yet to be explored in terms of discovering a relevant education option for dance/movement therapy in Canada.
While completing methodology to understand the role of education in the development of dance/movement therapy, I began to realize that the establishment of a relevant Canadian education is by far the most important aspect of this research. Lacking a space within which to grow has caused dance/movement therapy to stagnate, as there has been no supportive environment to inspire the innovative development of the field.
Providing interested students with a place for study and creative research will allow professionals and students alike the opportunity to re-envision a healthy future for dance/movement therapy in Canada.
68 CHAPTER 4
Stories of Triumph: Brief Moments in Canadian Dance/Movement Therapy
It was the theoretical principles informing dance/movement therapy and the accessibility of a local education for interested students that drew my initial attention. As
I continued to research the constant struggles faced by the field, it became apparent that many of its triumphs existed within the people striving to share their work. It is in the moments where participants allow themselves to express their feelings through movement, experience relief from pain, connect with fellow group members, and make a conscious choice to not give up on themselves that proves the efficacy of dance/movement therapy. It is in the devotion of those who commit their lives to advocating for a profession, often difficult to define within an environment of perpetual misunderstanding, that proves the enduring nature of the work.
My writing began with the story of Julianna Lau, one woman who devoted a lifetime to research aimed at revealing the healing nature of dance and ends with a collection of stories surrounding the continued efforts of many who have shared that same goal. Through the completion of methodologies outlined in the introductory chapter, I have compiled the following list of those people who have contributed to the development of dance/movement therapy in Canada: Pam Albert, Margit Asselstine,
Laurel Bridges, Holly Burn, Cathy Coonley-Fleming, Manon Dulude-Galligan, Megan
English, JoAnn Hammond Meiers, Jacqueline Karsemeyer, Judith Koltai, Bat-Sheva
Koren, Mary Moncrieff, Melanie Ghan Nesbitt, Joanabbey Sack, Debbie van der Laan,
69 and Dianne Woodruff. This list is not exhaustive as there are many other individuals that have brought their belief in dance/movement therapy to fields such as teaching and nursing as well as expressive arts, creative arts, drama, music, occupational, and recreation therapy.
To gain an understanding of the Canadian contribution to dance/movement therapy, I developed a list of general interview questions. Focus was placed on dance training, initial discovery of dance/movement therapy, post-secondary education, the mentors who assisted in shaping their style, contributions to the development of educational options for interested students, knowledge of others who have influenced the work, and hypothetical views on the future of dance/movement therapy in Canada.
Those who have worked within the field have experienced the challenges each day brings, the struggles surrounding the lack of accessible knowledge, and the small moments of success either within the practice itself or in advocating for the field. The following four stories about working Canadian dance/movement therapists provide insight into the significant dedication of those who have chosen this career path. There are three common denominators connecting each of these brief biographies:
• a passion for dance • an interest in psychology • a desire to provide those in need with a better quality of life
70 Laurel Bridges' Devotion to the Development of a Relevant Education
In November 1980, Laurel Bridges was introduced to dance/movement therapy, in an unconventional manner, while reading the Enroute Magazine provided for Air Canada passengers during a flight. Having danced all her life, the therapeutic notion of expressing emotion and lived experience through movement resonated clearly with
Bridges. It wasn't until six years later that she would act on her discovery.
While completing her undergraduate degree in English and Spanish literature just outside of Boston at Bradford College, Bridges was introduced to modern dance. She had trained in ballet during her youth; however it wasn't until experiencing modern that she felt at home within the dance milieu. Bridges then went on to complete her Master's degree in dance/movement therapy at Antioch University in New Hampshire.
At Antioch, Bridges was inspired by the work of Susan Lowan, one of her professors, and continued to use the Kestenberg Movement Profile, a system for understanding non-verbal communication, throughout her career as a result. Once completing the minimum requirements to graduate, Bridges remained an extra year to complete courses in counseling psychology; a decision, in hindsight, which allowed her the required knowledge to secure employment once in Calgary. Due to limited work options, Bridges then went on to complete a second Master's degree in Counseling
Psychology through City University, a post secondary institution based in Seattle, with locations in Calgary and Vancouver as well as locations outside of Canada.
When Bridges first acted on her interest in dance/movement therapy, the two populations she envisioned herself working with included both children and high-
71 functioning adults. Through required internships at Antioch, she was provided with the opportunity to work across the life-span, allowing her to discover a deeper interest in working with seniors.
Bridges' research on "the effectiveness of dance/movement therapy for clients in nursing homes [using] the Kestenberg Movement Profile and some projective drawings" was a qualitative study completed in her first Master's degree. (Interview, 17 October
2008) During her second Master's degree, Bridges completed a "qualitative inquiry into the use of inner strengths by Counseling Psychology Master's level students and dance/movement therapy alternate route students." (Interview, 17 October 2008)
Bridges began her dance/movement therapy career working as a mental health specialist for twenty-two nursing homes throughout Calgary. As team member, she facilitated short-term, eight or ten-week sessions providing dance/movement therapy for nursing home residents. Bridges then went on to private practice, working individually and later in groups with older adults experiencing chronic pain.
During this time, Bridges also began teaching an undergraduate course in dance/movement therapy at the University of Calgary. As a direct result of this initiative she was then approached by the Wesley Institute, a small college in Australia, to teach there as well. Bridges was able to develop an alternate route training program in Calgary through her connection with the Wesley Institute. Based on her accumulated experience in both continued education and professional exploration, Bridges created a syllabus that incorporated all components of dance/movement therapy:
• Dance/Movement Therapy Theoretical Approaches • Improvisation for Dance/Movement Therapy
72 • Dance/Movement Therapy for Children & Adolescents • Movement Interpretation for Dance/Movement Therapy Part 1 • Movement Interpretation for Dance/Movement Therapy Part 2 • Dance/Movement Therapy for Adults • Group Process in Dance/Movement Therapy
• Clinical Skills for Dance Therapy
While Bridges taught many of the courses herself, JoAnn Hammond Meiers and Sandra
Lauffenburger were brought in to assist with the workload. These courses were offered in the summers from 2002 to 2004 and then again from 2006 to 2008.
Bridges has acted on her desire to propagate the continued development of the profession through her innovative efforts to establish alternate route education in Canada.
When asked if she felt it was important to establish a dance/movement therapy Master's program in Canada, she thought that the alternate route format was the best option due to the current lack of available employment. Students would begin by obtaining a Master's degree in a related field, such as social work, occupational therapy, or nursing. They would also complete their dance/movement therapy theory, through a series of external courses or workshops, and practice, through supervision in clinical settings.
Bridges wanted to avoid witnessing future students in the place she found herself after returning to Calgary; she had completed her degree but did not have any potential employment. By acquiring further knowledge in a connected field, in her opinion, students will allow themselves the ability to access opportunities they may not have had otherwise. Dance/movement therapists consistently search for innovative ways to create work for themselves within the ever-evolving healthcare environment. Until dance/movement therapy is able to provide its students with employment upon
73 graduation, it is imperative to provide them with the necessary tools to survive while they carve out a place for themselves as professional dance/movement therapists.
For the past two years, except when teaching, Bridges has been working outside the field "developing mental health workshops for the prevention of suicide for the
Centre for Suicide Prevention in Calgary and in that there hasn't been an opportunity to include dance/movement therapy."(Interview, 17 October 2008) As Bridges is creating the curriculum for the workshops but not facilitating them, she is at this point unable to include her dance/movement therapy practices.
Bridges' approach to her career mirrors that of her views on the advancement of the field in Canada. In terms of practice, language, psychological influence, the use of technology, and the development of education in dance/movement therapy "it always needs to be open" to meeting the needs of the moment. (Interview, 17 October 2008) In pondering the issue of a national organization focused on uniting the Canadian community, Bridges feels that "linking electronically as opposed to physically" would serve to shorten the massive distance between the relatively small community.
(Interview, 17 October 2008)
Bridges' influence on the advancement of dance/movement therapy in Canada has been far-reaching and immeasurable due to her efforts in establishing an education, invested interest in student research, and work in gerontology. Bridges' continued desire to establish a national dance/movement therapy community is a testament to her dedication to the advancement of the field in Canada.
74 Megan English: The Business of an Innovative Career Path
As one generation enters into the later stages of their careers, a new one embarks on a journey into their potential future as dance/movement therapists. Megan English, a graduate of York University's Undergraduate Dance Program, began her discovery of the field during an introductory course while on a six-month exchange at the University of
Chichester in England. Having never heard of dance/movement therapy, she was excited by its existence and the recognition that this could be a viable career path.
Once she had graduated from York University, English taught dance and performed independently throughout Toronto before returning to England to complete a two-year graduate certificate in dance/movement therapy at Roehampton University.
Based on accumulated clinical and supervision hours, English became a member of the
Association for Dance Movement Therapy UK while completing her certificate.
Since that time, to become a dance/movement therapist in England now requires students to obtain a Master's degree. When contemplating returning to school for a second time, English chose to take a break in order to assess the value of such a degree in
Canada. Currently completing the MA by correspondence, English based her research on a qualitative study of participant experience in her dance/movement therapy group at the
Pine River Institute.
Located in Mississauga, the Pine River Institute is designed for forty-four students, age thirteen to nineteen, who are no longer able to function in a regular school environment due to addictive behavior. The program boasts a creative new approach "in a peaceful area outside of Toronto, where family-centered wilderness, therapeutic, and
75 academic programs come together in a unique, holistic treatment and educational model."
(Pine River 2009) English was initially hired as a Youth Worker, approximately six months after graduating with her post-graduate certificate, and was asked to co-lead groups based on her dance background.
The Body and Self-Awareness Group, facilitated by both English and a narrative family therapist was conceived from dance/movement therapy practices but rarely looked like a traditional session. Most of the sessions were a negotiation with the students in an attempt to create an experience that was beneficial for them. In describing her experience at the Pine River Institute, English stated:
There was a lot of games and athleticism. It was very competitive when the guys were there. It shifts with every group. Some of them looked purely improvisational, if you got a group that was creative and artistic, but for the most part the students at that school were very concrete, so you had to relate back to experiences they've already had, like sports.
(Interview, 23 January 2009)
English's intention at the outset of her inquiry was to discover how the participants felt about the sessions in direct reference to the intended benefits of dance/movement therapy. When designing the questionnaire, she had hoped to elicit very descriptive responses but later realized that the expectations placed on the participants was not equivalent to their ability. For this reason, her analysis of the questionnaire included quantitative elements.
As a dance/movement therapist, English also covered a short contract position at the Muki Baum Treatment Centres, working in collaboration with a music therapist, expressive arts therapist, and a social worker. Upon completing the contract, English was asked to stay on in a fulltime capacity, requiring her to lead three groups as well as some
76 individual sessions in one day. English, worried about a potentially quick burn-out due to
the physical nature of the work, asked if she could remain on in a part-time capacity. The
organization was unable to accommodate her request at that time.
Currently, English is enrolled in a program, offered through the Toronto Business
Development Centre, aimed at providing young entrepreneurs who have recently
collected Employment Insurance with the skills required to successfully start their own
business. English's proposal involved providing dance/movement therapy for older
adults living in long-term care facilities or retirement homes. As she was able to clearly
define her target market as well as the services to be offered, her unique business plan
was accepted. The experience has been far more intense than originally expected.
English has been learning marketing, financial, sales, and presentation skills while also
obtaining the ability to time manage the completion of administrative tasks.
Mapping out a path for herself within the gerontological milieu, while not her
original intention, will provide English with the necessary tools to establish herself within
the profession and then branch out to other populations. With the advancement of current
research connecting creativity and movement to the longevity of cognitive functions,
English has realized that there is a viable market for her skills.
Mary Moncrieff: A Dynamic Approach to Facilitating Self Expression
For Mary Moncrieff, a Canadian dance/movement therapist currently located in
Ottawa, once she graduated, employment was not initially difficult to obtain. She had just deposited her completed thesis to Hunter College in December of 1986, one month
77 prior to her first day of work at a Jewish Home and Hospital for the Aged in New York.
At this organization she was hired to fulfill the role of an Activities Worker and incorporated her dance/movement therapy techniques wherever she could.
Upon returning home to Canada, Moncrieff led freelance classes, facilitated workshops, took on temporary projects, and completed some private practice work in order to create employment for herself. Currently working fulltime with veterans in long- term care and the community, her personal style is "spontaneous, humorous, insightful, affectionate, playful, dynamic, communicative, and directive." (Interview, 9 October
2008)
Moncrieff s initial interest in dance/movement therapy began as a result of her psychology studies, an interest in psychosomatic illnesses, and her recognition that ballet provided her with a dynamic means of self expression. Prior to attending the University of Alberta for a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Art and Grant MacEwan
Community College for a Diploma in Performing Arts/Dance, she trained for fifteen years in both ballet and modern. While completing her Master's degree at Hunter
College, her mentors in dance/movement therapy included American dance/movement therapy pioneers, Elissa White and Claire Schmais.
A Canadian dance/movement therapy pioneer herself, Moncrieff feels that she looks up to her fellow colleagues: Julianna Lau, Judith Koltai, JoAnn Hammond-Meiers,
Joanabbey Sack, Laurel Bridges, and Debbie van der Laan. When asked if there was anything generally about the work that should change, she felt able to only respond in reference to her own work:
78 I need to take risks, open my heart and give. I need to let others into my joy in movement rather than hold the credentialed knowledge over their heads. Dancers have always needed to prove themselves, everyday in class. For me, my best classes have always been when I stood in the front row, gave it my all, didn't worry about mistakes, and danced with passion. This is what I need to do in my work place. It is starting to happen! (Interview, 9 October 2008)
In late August of 2008,1 was planning a personal trip to Ottawa and had initially hoped to meet with Moncrieff in person. When speaking with her over the phone regarding a potential meeting she was open to the idea and very accommodating.
Unfortunately, this meeting never occurred and Moncrieff submitted her interview responses via e-mail. My initial impression of her writing was that it clearly reflected the warm nature I had experienced briefly in our phone conversations. Her response to a question about increased personal knowledge due to relationships with clients demonstrates the honesty of her approach to the work. Moncrieff feels that she has learned to:
Slow down, take my time. To trust my feelings, most often the first ones that come up. Never assume: a blank face may be the dam for a flood of emotions and experiences; anger may be the doorway to sadness, loss, love. (Interview, 9 October 2008)
With dance/movement therapy, the work itself requires a humble ability to give of oneself fully while remaining a strong, confident leader. A balance of retaining while simultaneously discarding one's ego is imperative to the successful leadership of a group.
Through the description of her work, Moncrieff has demonstrated an ability to do just that. Her honest sharing of the passion she holds for the work while confidently
79 describing her own style and areas for self-improvement are an overall reflection of
Moncrieff's approach to dance/movement therapy.
Debbie van der Laan's Commitment To The Individual Within The Group
In the March 1989 newsletter, the DMTAO listed a job posting at Baycrest Centre in North York, Ontario for a dance/movement therapist to replace Holly Burn who was moving back to Ottawa. The dance/therapy program at Baycrest Hospital, a gerontological health care facility, had been established by Pam Albert, once president of the DMTAO and editor of the newsletter. Melanie Ghan Nesbitt and Debbie van der
Laan both replaced Burn in sharing the recently vacated position. Nesbitt continued in the job share for approximately two years before being replaced by Cathy Coonley-
Fleming. Coonley-Fleming remained partners with van der Laan for twelve years until being let go, after an academic leave-of-absence, due to budgetary cut-backs.
During the twenty years van der Laan has been employed at Baycrest Hospital and Wagman Centre, she has facilitated:
• a program in the Psychiatric Day Hospital for Depression • an outpatient rehab program at the Day Treatment Centre • sessions for stroke survivors • a Stress Management Program • groups in the nursing home
• many dance/movement therapy groups often entitled Movement for Health
Although, van der Laan's approach to dance/movement therapy has reached many clients within and outside the session, she feels that there is a larger place for the profession within the Baycrest Centre. Through the establishment of language that
80 fosters an accessible understanding amongst healthcare professionals, van der Laan feels that dance/movement therapy could obtain a larger presence within the Canadian healthcare system.
Debbie van der Laan was first informed of dance/movement therapy by one of her dance professors at the State University of New York at Buffalo. Originally from New
York City, van der Laan completed a Bachelor's degree in Psychology while maintaining her love of dance through classes held at the university. She then went on to obtain her
MSc. degree in dance/movement therapy at Hunter College in New York City. Upon first moving to Canada, van der Laan was employed at the Muki Baum Treatment Centre for approximately four years, working with developmentally delayed, often dual diagnosis, children and adolescents.
Van der Laan's passion for dance began at the age of 3 with primary focus initially placed on ballet, then jazz in her younger years, and modern dance throughout her university career. During her time in Buffalo, van der Laan was exposed to African dance, an experience which she would continue to expand upon for years in adult open classes held by a Toronto company, the Collective of Black Artists (COBA). While she is currently no longer attending classes at COBA, she actively supports their professional company through continued patronage at their local performances.
For van der Laan, dance/movement therapy is an equal marriage of movement and psychology. Her love of both drew her to the profession initially; her desire to provide those who have lost the energy to fight with the renewed ability to believe in themselves, has kept her there. Van der Laan continuously provides the support required
81 to ensure group members feel that they are individually worth committing to. She does this by completing a variety of tasks outside her sessions, including:
• attending organizational business meetings • planning the annual fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation • organizing an annual summer trip • facilitating the Holiday party • placing individual phone calls to group members who need a reminder about the session • inquiring into individual health.
Every Monday morning, the staff at the Psychiatric Day Hospital (PDH) meets for approximately forty-five minutes to discuss their clients' current level of depression, needs, possible solutions to individual issues, and incidents that occurred during the previous week. Clients at the PDH generally attend the program for four to five months, leaving with the tools to fight their illness and a concrete plan to attend activities outside the home. Due to the constant departure and arrival of new clients, van der Laan has to remain cognizant of the ever-evolving group dynamic in order to establish a cohesive environment in the moment. Attendance at the Monday morning meetings prior to her session is crucial to the successful execution of this goal. It is this extra care which is apparent in the individual interactions that occur throughout the session.
At the Wagman Centre, Stroke Recovery Group members have been actively participating in an annual fundraiser for the Heart & Stroke Foundation. The money- making component of the event involves the sale of home-made, construction paper hearts for a minimum of a toonie or a heart sticker for any donation, depending on the resources available to the project. Prior to the day of the actual event, group members
82 sell the hearts to friends and family members, bringing the monetary total closer to the annually raised final goal of approximately $500. The majority of the funds are raised by group members and caregivers who hand out information regarding preventative measures in heart protection, display their artwork, and share their success stories with those who stop by the display tables in the lobby of the Wagman Centre. In organizing this event, van der Laan provides group members with the opportunity to take pride in their accomplishments, share in a common goal, and contribute to a cause that has affected all of their lives.
A second annual event organized by van der Laan for the Stroke Recovery Group is a summer day trip. A specially equipped bus is rented for the occasion one year in advance and a democratic group decision regarding the destination of the trip begins months prior. Hours of preparation are involved in the successful execution of an excursion that provides all attendees with a much-needed diversion from the tedium of daily life. Ensuring that all members feel safe in committing to the day and providing a gentle push for those whose knee-jerk reaction may be to automatically refuse, are both important factors to consider in the planning process.
Three years ago, the majority of the group agreed that the best way to spend a warm summer afternoon was at Kew Beach, Toronto, enjoying a picnic, a walk along the waterfront, and some ice-cream. As talks of the trip continued, van der Laan and I began to discuss the possibility of an outdoor performance created specifically for the occasion.
After lunch, midway through their walk, the group was met by two musicians and three dancers performing a structured improvisation underneath a few trees in front of the
83 boardwalk. Keeping in mind the participatory nature of dance/movement therapy, we brought along noisemakers for everyone to support the dance with their own natural rhythms. The moment provided all of us with a mutual sharing of energy that remained for the rest of the day. In the two years to follow we have traveled to the Science Centre and WindReach Farm.
During the holiday season, van der Laan organizes a party for the stroke survivors involving food, treats, decorations, music and a gift exchange game. The objective of the initiative is to provide the group with the opportunity to socialize and celebrate. The highlight of the event is the gift exchange game where all participants draw a number, choose a wrapped gift from the table, and open it for the rest of the group to view. Each open gift has the potential to be stolen up to three times sending the empty-handed member back to choose another gift. While the objective of the game seems to go against the sentiment of the holidays, it is a fun way to encourage group interaction and establish a light, happy atmosphere.
Beyond planning events and leading sessions, van der Laan also did her part to increase the visibility of dance/movement therapy in Canada through her efforts as one of the founding members and secretary of the DMTAO. It was her dedication to the work that also motivated her to give presentations at a variety of conferences and work with the
Stroke Leaders' Coalition. Van der Laan feels that it is "useful as a dance therapist but also just in general, there's strength in numbers, to be a part of something bigger than yourself." (Interview, 13 November 2008)
84 Van der Laan was elected Secretary of the DMTAO in November of 1986. Prior to this development, she had been chair of the Membership Committee which she would continue to do throughout her time as an elected executive member of the organization.
Active at DMTAO functions, she held pot luck dinners as well as business meetings at her home, recorded meeting minutes, maintained the membership list, responded to potential student inquiries, and attended many of the workshops organized by the group.
In all of these efforts to increase the visibility and accessibility of dance/movement therapy in Canada, van der Laan's most influential work lies in her desire and ability to connect people. In reports from the Membership Committee in the
DMTAO newsletter, she took the time to introduce new members through brief discussions on their work while continuing to welcome back returning members to the organization.
Van der Laan's attention to the individual needs of those around her as well as the more general needs of the profession are apparent not only in her past efforts with the
DMTAO or current relationships with clients at the Baycrest Centre, but also with interested students who contact her to learn about the field. Van der Laan's desire for the profession to continue beyond her own work is apparent in the support she dispenses to volunteers who demonstrate a desire to become dance/movement therapists. She actively provides them with the tools required to develop an understanding of the work and the information needed to assess their future potential within the field.
Each dance/movement therapist throughout their work develops their own personal style. When asked about hers, van der Laan responded:
85 My professional style is me. For me, I think that working with the geriatric population is a good fit in terms of my nature and personality. I'm an only child, I didn't have siblings growing up but I shared a bedroom with my grandmother. ... I like to work with rhythm in movement. I like to work with creating cohesiveness and support within a group. I like using expressivity, being a little bit 'zany'. Playfulness, I think is very important. The dance of discovery, letting people grow to be a little bit fuller, embody more of who they are and how they can be in the world. (Interview, 13 November 2008)
Throughout their development, therapists experience challenges that assist in the shaping of their responses to the experience as a whole. For van der Laan, her two main obstacles include:
1. clients who are close-minded and unable to commit to the process 2. the constant clarification of what the work involves for those who do not understand the practice
There are some clients who will be lost no matter the amount of effort invested in establishing a relationship, building trust, or explaining the benefits. They are unable to see the positive attributes of the work due to life-long beliefs regarding dance or an inability to re-invest in themselves. Combating preconceived ideas of what a dance/movement therapy group will include is a never-ending chore. For van der Laan, it is "an ongoing process of trying to develop language to explain, to bring across what you are doing because language is powerful." (Interview, 13 November 2008) Continuously struggling to obtain understanding, van der Laan's commitment to her clients establishes an ongoing need for dance/movement therapy at Baycrest Hospital.
Over the past 20 years, there are countless stories to share and many clients who have made an impression on her life. When asked to tell a few stories that have inspired
86 her to remain in the profession all of this time, van der Laan remembered the people rather than specific events.
Amy Davis1 lived in the assisted living home attached to the Wagman Centre and attended both Stroke Recovery Groups. Since moving into her new residence she has had difficulty socializing with the other residents in both the dining hall or in organized activities. Davis was however able to connect with fellow participants in van der Laan's
Stroke Recovery Group as she felt she would be accepted for who she was. Van der Laan made sure to remind Davis when the session was each day and to accommodate her needs when planning the annual summer outing.
A second member of the Stroke Group, Daniel Boyd1 had a very difficult time socializing with his fellow participants upon first attending the sessions. Now comfortable, through van der Laan's ability to establish a trusting environment with which to create individual relationships and a cohesive group, he is now very involved with his fellow stroke survivors. He not only attends the holiday parties, annual summer trips, and Stroke Leaders' Coalition Luncheon, but has recently also donated money to the group for new supplies. Due to health issues, facial affect can be painful for Boyd, but occasionally the group has recently had the opportunity to witness his smile.
One of van der Laan's long-time clients and now friend, George Smith1 came to the group reluctantly. After his stroke, he felt a sense of loss and a lack of hope due to his paralysis directly resulting from the stroke. These feelings brought on serious depression resulting in little motivation to progress in his recovery. When approached
Name has been changed for privacy
87 with the possibility of joining the Dance/Movement Therapy Stroke Recovery Group at the Wagman Centre his response was a resounding "no" as he did not feel that dance would improve his current state of health. After some convincing he decided to join and since that time has regained his ability to feel joy, has been inspired to start painting again, provides support for fellow group members, and has greatly improved his mobility.
It is through Debbie van der Laan's commitment to the group and attention to each individual that dance/movement therapy has maintained an active presence within the Wagman Centre and Baycrest Hospital. Each moment that one of her clients chooses to re-invest in themselves proves the efficacy of the work.
A Personal Story: My Discovery of Dance/Movement Therapy
Dance has historically played many roles. Some examples include: serving as a tool for individual expression, defining groups culturally, entertaining, inspiring social change, assisting in therapeutic healing, and connecting our physical and emotional beings. Similarly dance has inhabited many homes within the space of my own life. As a child it challenged me to master a variety of new skills, as an adolescent it provided me with a social outlet, as a teenager it gave me direction, in my early twenties it forced me to define what I wanted from life, in my late twenties it required from me that I understand myself, and currently, it has provided me with a journey. However, throughout my life, dance has inspired me to celebrate the moment.
88 In 2005, with the looming reality of my thirtieth year on this earth approaching, if there was any hope for survival within the profession I began to understand that I needed to address more than just the performing dancer in myself. It was becoming increasingly apparent that while I never specifically intended to dance for therapeutic purposes, the act of creative movement in the many rooms of my life was healing in nature. Whether it is in the joyous celebration of small triumphs in my living room, the feeling of accomplishment achieved by mastering a difficult combination or step in technique class, the discovery of my own creative voice through choreography, or sharing in movement with loved ones and friends at social events, dance is inextricably connected to the core of my life experience.
Understanding this, I then began to search for a career that would address the duality of purpose, fulfillment of both the personal and professional self. My desire to combine my love of dance and need to affect positive change in the world, almost inadvertently, led me to the field of dance/movement therapy. At the outset of my own individual inquiry, I was initially curious as to whether or not any dance or movement work had been done with Alzheimer's patients. This path of discovery led me to the
Alzheimer Society of Toronto and a book by Australian dance/movement therapist,
Heather Hill, entitled Invitation to the Dance: Dance for People with Dementia and Their
Carers.
Inspired by Hill's work, I chose to volunteer at a day program for Alzheimer's patients in order to assess my own interest in working with the population. My experience in this program was an amazing, memorable, and rewarding one. Being
89 unaware of the members' personalities prior to their cognitive impairment, I was able to form bonds with them individually as the person they were in that moment. Unlike their caregivers, I was not burdened with the losses they had experienced. My main challenge was to explore non-verbal forms of communication with those whose conversation had become nonsensical, irrational, or non-existent.
As my comfort level grew, I was given more specific tasks with those members who were experiencing more advanced stages of the disease. Katherine Roberts1, a member with lower cognitive functioning for whom English was a second language, was generally uncommunicative, aggressive and frustrated. On one occasion, just prior to lunch, Roberts was sitting at a table, with three other group members and myself, pounding her fists angrily in frustration. Instinctively, I mirrored the intensity of the pounding but turned it into a call and response rhythm exercise. While the rhythms with which Roberts responded were not complex, the motivation of her pounding had been redirected from the frustrated response to her challenges. The game caught the attention of the rest of the table, allowing Roberts a brief moment of social interaction, laughter, and much-needed distraction.
I simultaneously began to volunteer with Debbie van der Laan at the Wagman
Centre with her Stroke Recovery Group. Van der Laan's sessions allowed me to realize that I needed to be supported in my own explorations. Over the past three years, van der
Laan has provided me with invaluable lessons regarding the theory and practice of
1 Name has been changed for privacy.
90 dance/movement therapy while simultaneously supporting the development of my own style.
In February of 2009,1 was given the opportunity to participate in a pilot project, for the Wagman Centre and Circle of Care, aimed at providing a place for caregivers of partners with dementia a place to socialize in a public setting with their loved ones.
Planning for the facilitation of two sessions brought about the realization that I had accumulated enough knowledge through my work with van der Laan to confidently lead my own group. For the first time, I was facilitating a session with people who did not know me as a student. While I have always connected with dance as a means of self- expression, the discovery of dance/movement therapy has brought me home. Once I have completed my Master's degree in Dance at York University, I will continue to research innovative ways to establish a larger space for dance/movement therapy in
Canada.
91 CONCLUSION
Thoughts for the Future of Dance/Movement Therapy
This inquiry was initiated by a desire to comprehend the lack of available employment and education for a field possessing the potential to benefit a number of populations within the healthcare milieu. Through the completion of a study based on the history and work of Canadian dance/movement therapists, I have realized that the continued journey and conceivable success of the field depends solely on individuals.
The next generation of dance/movement therapists will have to redefine an era for the field while building on work completed prior to their own. Some successes of the past cannot be repeated due to the changing landscape of policy in regards to in-patient care. As a direct result of budgetary cuts and medical advancements many of the populations that would have remained institutionalized are now being supported in the general community. Another factor to carefully consider is the recent research surrounding the positive effects of physical and creative activity on the longevity of cognitive functioning.
Megan English's research into establishing her own business through providing services within the gerontological community at long term care facilities and retirement homes may prove to be timely. Laurel Bridges' desire to connect the dance/movement therapy community electronically addresses the lack of numbers available to connect physically within the vast Canadian landscape while acknowledging the potential of technological advancements to develop the field nationally.
92 Julianna Lau would join her clients in their movement choice and then slowly bring them with her into a new movement pattern. Similarly, this research aims to meet the needs of the field in the present. By providing interested students with a viable education, clearly delineating the scope of the work, and establishing an organization with a mandate to connect the Canadian dance/movement therapy community, the work will not slowly become extinct.
The ethical practice of creating a university program without promise of viable employment opportunities for graduates depends solely on its ability to provide students with the tools to innovatively carve out their own career paths. Without a common place to inspire research and discussion while simultaneously supporting students in the development of new ideas, the field stagnates.
There are many options yet to be explored in the structural development of a program for potential dance/movement therapists. While a graduate level education including theory, practice, and inquiry provides students with the strength of knowledge to confidently build a fledgling field: alternate route, college level or undergraduate level programs could potentially be explored as a starting place. In any case, a careful study of factors pertaining to timing, structure and support in designing the proposal will most likely affect its approval within any Canadian institution.
The simultaneous development of an organization that connects the Canadian community of dance/movement therapists would be advantageous to the growth of the field. Through the utilization of technological advancements, the vast landscape is virtually non-existent in exploring electronic relationships and furthering the
93 dissemination of information. Choosing the structure of an on-line journal will not only encourage the publication of local research, but also inspire further inquiry and discussion.
A combined investment of time, knowledge and resources into the establishment of a Canadian identity within the international community through organizational structure will ensure the development of local career opportunities. Canada has based its professional requirements on those of the American Dance Therapy Association. This is no longer effective as many dance/movement therapists have trained at different international institutions.
Prior attempts to establish a future inclusive of these outlined elements can be witnessed in the past efforts of those who worked tirelessly to:
• establish local programs for dance/movement therapy students • advocate on behalf of the profession • build opportunity through the advancement of their own careers
• provide accessible forums for the dissemination of information
In order to build on the past, further research on the components of dance/movement therapy that directly correlate to advancements in health and technology needs to take place. Forging connections between dance/movement therapy and related professions, within a de-compartmentalized society, will provide future opportunities for those able to envision such relationships.
The inherent healing nature of expressing the lived experience through movement provides dance/movement therapy with the essence of its value to society.
The people who have passionately devoted lifetimes to its development prove the strength of the work. Innovatively marrying past ideologies with an interdisciplinary approach to future development will move dance/movement therapy into the next generation.
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