{"id":278,"date":"2023-10-01T17:56:00","date_gmt":"2023-10-01T17:56:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/?p=278"},"modified":"2024-05-31T17:30:30","modified_gmt":"2024-05-31T17:30:30","slug":"how-dance-can-make-us-better-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/2023\/10\/01\/how-dance-can-make-us-better-people\/","title":{"rendered":"How dance can make us better people"},"content":{"rendered":"

Often times in dance, we can be very goal-oriented. We\u2019re perfectionists, always striving for a better line, one more turn, a little longer of a balance. And sometimes we get frustrated when it feels like we aren\u2019t achieving those things. Studios can get a bit insular when your day is spent studying yourself in the mirror.<\/p>\n

So today we\u2019re going to step outside of the studious studio mindset and remind you of something: you\u2019re human! All that training you do? It has effects that can\u2019t be seen onstage; your family, friends, classmates and coworkers see it sooner than an audience member would. Truth is, dancing doesn\u2019t just make you a better dancer, it helps make you a more informed, creative, and well-rounded person. <\/p>\n

We touched base with Board Certified Dance Movement Therapist Sara R. van Koningsveld to hear how she uses dance in her therapy practice to benefit her clients. On top of her BC-DMT certification, she is also a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor (LPCC), a Graduate Laban Certified Movement Analyst (GL-CMA) and registered yoga teacher. She has a deep understanding of how and why movement helps us be better humans.<\/p>\n

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\"Sara<\/a>
Sara R. van Koningsveld. Photo by by Chirs Ly\/OddLy Captured.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

Dancers have our own theories. It\u2019s hard not to dance an exercise on one side, then the other, then reverse it and not feel at least a little smart. We count ourselves to be team players when synchronizing corps de ballet choreography or mirroring fellow dancers. Creative problem solving is practically our job, especially when choreographing. Our time management tends to be on par with the best and busiest. We pride ourselves on being hardworking. Partnering encourages empathy and a sense for consent. These skills are all byproducts of the cognitive, physical, social and emotional awarenesses that van Koningsveld helps her clients access and build.<\/p>\n

Van Koningsveld defines DMT as \u201cthe integration of body and mind, through movement.\u201d And it isn\u2019t limited to dance \u2013 \u201cMovement can sometimes look more like mindfulness practices, such as walking or breathing, and\/or self-awareness practices focusing on the sensations of the body.\u201d<\/p>\n

Some of what van Koningsveld says of DMT supports dancers\u2019 hunches about dance sharpening their cognition and other skills. And some of it points to a lack of awareness \u2013 such intensively physical training can sometimes put the emotional and mental benefits of movement on the back burner. When we get so wrapped up in the technicality and performance of dance, we may miss out on some of its natural benefits. So van Koningsveld is here to help us reconnect with the (not so simple) foundations of movement. Let\u2019s start with what dancers do well. We\u2019ve got coordination literally from the tops of our head to the tips of our toes. \u201cIn dance\/movement therapy, as well as other mind-body professions, we call this physical intelligence or body awareness \u2018kinesthetic awareness,\u2019\u201d says van Koningsveld. \u201cKinesthetic awareness is one of the main elements of my DMT practice, because from that awareness change is possible.\u201d Our kinesthetic awareness is well honed; we practice it daily. When a move doesn\u2019t feel right, we practice and adjust until it does.<\/p>\n

But we make that change in our physicality for aesthetic purposes. What about changing our physicality for emotional purposes? Here\u2019s something dancers could build on. \u201cFor a very simple example, you notice butterflies in your stomach. Do you like them, or do you not? Are these butterflies for excitement, or is it anxiety? As a DMT client, you get to make that decision for yourself, and then decide what to do about the butterflies. We may move the butterflies or watch the butterflies. Either way, we are building kinesthetic awareness. Your body is giving you information about your current emotional state through your physical state.\u201d<\/p>\n

Van Koningsveld explains that Laban-Bartenieff technique takes kinesthetic awareness even further, building concepts of \u201cbody knowledge\u201d and \u201cbody prejudice\u201d from it.<\/p>\n

\u201cAt any time, we can try on new movements and choose to either become conscious or remain unconscious about them. Here is another short example. In (western) culture, we do not typically bow when greeting someone; we are used to shaking hands. Imagine being in a situation where a bow is customary – we try on bowing to greet someone, and maybe it makes us uncomfortable. But do we notice that discomfort, or do we just continue about our day? To expand our body knowledge, we would acknowledge the discomfort, get curious about it and expand our self-awareness about why it\u2019s uncomfortable. Is it because it’s something I don’t know? Or is it because I have problems with bending at my hips? We get to explore what makes bowing to someone feel so uncomfortable – physically, mentally and emotionally. Ignoring that sensation, ignoring information our bodies are giving us when we move in a new way, would lead to or reinforce body prejudice.\u201d<\/p>\n

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\"Sara<\/a>
Sara R. van Koningsveld. Photo by Nir Livni.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n

With all the kinesthetic awareness we engrain in ourselves for dance, we can apply that awareness to our world outside of the studio. We can pay attention to our physicality and foster our body knowledge, gain insight through our body into how the environment around us is affecting us, and either change our environment or change how we\u2019re interacting with it. We can notice other people\u2019s physicality, and help them feel more at ease or included. All through understanding how physicality links to emotionality and mental health.<\/p>\n

For such a human capability, it feels almost like a superpower. Does it sound too \u2018out there?\u2019 What if you paid attention to what constitutes the absolute best hug, how it feels to be wrapped in the most comforting embrace you can imagine? That kinesthetic awareness, that almost choreographic<\/em> understanding of an everyday gesture, can help you provide that comfort to other people.<\/p>\n

Professional dancers of this day and age are considered athletes, and rightly so. But thinking solely in physical terms can limit the benefits movement has to offer. Dance is also emotional and creative. Of course moving your body has physical benefits, but it also gives you a sense you can tap into that provides feedback on how you feel. So every so often, dance outside of the mirror, and instead of thinking about how it looks, notice how it feels. If you\u2019re looking for guidance on how to hone that superpower, talk to a Dance Movement Therapist like van Koningsveld about using DMT to care for your mental health, or even just to learn more about yourself.<\/p>\n

By Holly LaRoche of Dance Informa.<\/a> <\/p>\n

The post How dance can make us better people<\/a> appeared first on Dance Informa Magazine<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Often times in dance, we can be very goal-oriented. We\u2019re perfectionists, always striving for a better line, one more turn,<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":280,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[13],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=278"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":283,"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/278\/revisions\/283"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/280"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=278"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=278"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bigrecipes.net\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=278"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}