Film: The Power of Movement
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Unit: The Language of Movement
Theme: Watching & Responding
Introduction
The Power of Movement is a film that focuses on the use of dance therapy to allow individuals to reach into themselves and also to facilitate interaction among people. It was produced in 1982 by film-maker Norris Brock and dance/movement therapists Diane Duggan and Judith Bunney.
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Check In
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Learning Objectives
- Understand the diversity of populations dance/movement therapy can help to heal
- Explain the different approaches of the dance/movement therapists featured in the film
- Gain an awareness of the role of the dance/movement therapists
- Experience a hypothetical scenario in which dance/movement therapy can be used
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Main Lesson
Film
The Power of Movement by Norris Brock
Featured Dance/Movement Therapists
- Sharon Chaiklin
- Joan Chodorow
- Jane Downes
- Barbara Stain
- Susan Sandel
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A Note to Remember
The main role of dance/movement therapists, no matter the population they work with, is to watch the behaviors of their clients and respond to them in order help the clients to connect and know more about themselves.
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Case Study
Sharon Chaiklin
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Discussion Questions
- As you watch the video, match the therapist from the list above with the type of population they work with.
- Explain in your own words the approach of each one of these therapists.
VIII
Activity
Go to your groups and choose one of the populations you want to work with. Based on the video, design a brief session tailored to the needs of that specific population.
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Journaling
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Glossary
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Sources
Dance Therapy: The Power of Movement: A Film. https://www.worldcat.org/title/dance-therapy-the-power-of-movement-a-film/oclc/191864582
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Students' Work
Sharon Chalkin worked with the women in the psychiatric hospital and used music to create group identity through shared movement.
Jane Downes used parallel dance with child to move in synchrony which strengthens the relationship between client and therpist.
Joan Chodorow works with young adult, Pamela, and focused on self exploration by movement expression.
Barbara Stain works in prison unit of psychiatric hospital with men and uses movement that expression self expression with repetitve movement. This creates a safe space for the men to be themselves.
Susan Sandel worked at the nursing home with elderly patients and used touch therapy with modified movements and using language of movement to overcome age and conformity.
Elderly Population
Our group would be elderly and they are lonely so we plan to use touch and movement to make them feel unified. A movement that could help in this would be standing or sitting in a circle and reaching our arms out in both directions and touching hands with palms facing each other almost like a high five.
Group 2: Itzel Cuevas, Victoria Torres, Kemeria Baraso
1. 1st Therapist Joan Chodorow worked with the older population
2nd Therapist Jane Downes worked with the little girl who had a need for nurturing.
3rd Therapist Susan Sandell worked with the eldery population, as well.
4th Therapist Barbra Stain worked with the men in the prison unit in psychiatric ward.
2. Joan: Joan used her therapy space to make sense of the consciousness, patients responded with kenesthetic movement. Patients movements expressed the primary theme in their life. Movement is used for self-exploration.
Jane: Jane really utilized costumes and play therapy to connect with the child one-on-one. She also tried to integrate herself in the the child's movements and dance with her.
Susan: Susan worked the elderly and used movements to diminish feelings of confinement that develops with age and physical capacity. She created a more interactive environment, included everyone in the circle.
Barbra: Barbra used simple repetitive movements and it cultivated. Sense of reassurance, allowed the patients to be
Sharon: aware and responding to each member's needs and used different mechanisms to respond to each individual's needs. Purposeful movements useful to develop a sense of identity. Also used methods of hugging and music to connect with members. Sharon also allowed the members to be active in the decision-making process.
Elderly Population
I think this group would like to work best with the elderly population.
Have the members sitting down and stomping their feet as a way to feel grounded and release any kind of tension they may be holding unconsciously.
Group 3: Lauren Lusardi, Elizabeth Arrowsmith, Sam Peene
Susan Sandel worked with the elderly that were in wheelchairs to make them feel seen.
Barbra Stain was working with the patients in a prison psychiatric hospital to help create inner control and group trust.
Joan worked with Pamala to connect her mind and body to find her inner self.
Jane Downes worked with the young girl in the youth psychiatric ward where she joined in movement to establish a connection.
Sharon Chaiklin worked with women in a psychiatric ward to help them better express outside what they are feeling inside.
Wheelchair Group
When working with the wheelchair group we would want to make sure they do not feel left out. Many of these individuals feel on the outside/isolated because they cannot participate in many activities.
This movement therapy would allow them feel more connected in society.
We would be able to come together in a circle and hold hands to
establish a connection. We can work on deep breathing together to feel
unity.
Group 4: Nicole Gorbatov, Leah Nolan, Emily Tano, Allie Hopfenberg
1. Joan Chodorow- Pamela (individual client)
- bridge of consciousness
- watch and respond
-express unresolved childhood issues
- battle of dependence and independence
-moves through dream image, finds superiority and insignificance to create image of bright beautiful diamond that is covered by dark coal
2. Jane Downes- Child Therapy Session
- attunement to needs of child (ex: nurturing), expressing empathy
- empathetic and emotional empathy is usually women
- play therapy
- mimicking movement
3. Susan Sandell- nursing home
- led elderly people to communicate through movement
- circle (ends the way it started)- sitting at the same level
- use practices of reading and reaching out to each other (greeting)
- isolation gave way to the community, and movement carries therapy session
4. Barbra Stain- prison unit (psychiatric ward)
- allows for expression of feelings without losing control through repeated, structured movement
- provides a release of tension
- cooperation and vulnerability
5. Sharon Chaiklin- female psychiatric hospital
- understand their body and the space they occupy
- build group identity to create community
- sense of individuality taken for granted, some found, but others weren't able to find it
- aware of response to many concerns of each member of the group
- led members lead and express their emotions at times
- synchrony adds to closeness of group members
Group Population: Individual Child
-due to...
- most relatable to our own experience
- while we can't project our own experiences, we better know how to approach them
Group 5: Ambi Pu & Junjie Huang
Our sessions are designed for people with anxiety disorders. Because patients with anxiety disorders often face the inability to correctly guide their emotional fluctuations, and do not know how and to whom to release this emotion.
Therefore, we believe that dance therapy for them cannot start directly with contact with others, with a lot of interaction with others, because this may be counterproductive and make them more anxious in the beginning.
So, we want to use some props for therapy, such as ribbons, drums, small instruments and some props that can be played freely and can expand the body and range of motion as much as possible.
We can ask patients to describe their mood and emotions at this moment, and use this kind of props to express this emotion with actions.
This helps them vent their emotions and realize their emotions, and then use a dance movement to freely play and express, so that they no longer worry about their anxiety.
Group 6: Veronica Serber, Sophia Hussain, Rachel Fein, Julia Russell
1. Joan Chodorow: individualized therapy (intergrating traumatic experiences from subconcious to concious mind); experiences experience of growing and becoming herself, movements are cold and controlling
2. Jane Downes: individulzied therapy with child in psychiatric hospital (need for nurtuting, something she couldnt express in words); movement is the solid base of the relationship
3. Susan Sandel: group therapy with elders in nursing home (all seated, making eyecontact, using touch, cirlce); overcome confinment of age, the spark of touch catches around the cirlce and carries the word
4. Barbara Stain: leads men in prison unit of psychiatric hopsital (helps men express feelings without losing control); by using simple, repetitive actions, she helps build safe expression. Group movement depends on cooperation
5. Sharon Chaiklin: group therapy with woman using music (transform expressions into movements); her role as a therapist is to be aware and response to each member of the group (mediator and protector). One of the clients is freely join the other in a shared dance of connectedness.
Women with Stress
Choice of Population: the population that we would want to work with
is the group of women, just like Sharon Chaiklin so we can translate
emotions into movement and see how they're communicating and
responding.
1. Joan Chodorow matched with Pamela
- She let the client move freely to allow her subconcious thoughts to come to the concious mind. They therapist then helped the client analze and understand her thoughts
2. Susan Sandal was with the retirement home
- Susan used the movement of touch to bring the people together
3. Barbra Stain worked with prisoners in a pschiatric hospital
- She brought them all together in a circle to make them feel safe in the prescence of other people to help release tention and learn to let go
4. Sharon worked with the group of people
- she worked with the group identity
5. Jane Down was working with the child
- She moved with the child to create a safe connection that allowed the child to communicate her needs
Group 8: Molly Ferris
- Sharon Chaiklin: pyschiatric hospital with a group of women
- The music used within the experience builds structure and identity. The individuality of each member is taken into account by Sharon, and she bases her analysis off of the movements and identity of each member. The various movements enable the growth of confidence and character within her clientele.
- Joan Chodorow: works with individuals who want to connect to their inner resources in order to know more about themselves
- She watches and responds to her clients movements, she uses their movements to evaluate and connect with their emotional and mental state. After witnessing her performance, Joan Chodorow and her client discuss the common themes within the movements and reflect upon their meaning.
- Jane Downes: works with children in psychiatric hospitals.
- The child uses a costume and creates a movement, with the therapist copying that movement is create cohesion. They move together, side by side, and create a synchronous movement experience. The experience progresses to a use of words and movement, which demonstrate the needs of the child who cannot verbally express them.
- Barbara Stain: helping individuals to experience and build trust
- She helps the men establish trust and control through shared movement and reliability on eachother. The group movement relies on cooperation by all members, and Barbara structures the movement and routine based on the experience and individual movements of each man.
- Susan Sandel: uses music to help individuals who are confined to wheelchairs (mostly older adults)
- They begin by greeting eachother, and are able to use small body movements to create a shared experience between all in the group. The therapist uses these small movements to enable the clients to move beyond the confines of their wheelchair.
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