DANCE FOR A CHANGE
dance
for a change by anna saha i belong to a
country
with very dance forms like bharatnatyam
mohinyatum kuchipudi odyssey
i am from india i train in an indian
classical dance form called bharatnatyam
generally classical dances are used as
means of expressing stories and
narrating facts
which the people are very familiar with
recently
i had to deliver two speeches for the
trinity college of london examination
and my topics were to present my
personal interest
and to encourage participation in an
activity
now i have not practiced anything
on a scale as large as that of dance
and i very well realized that neither
can i give two speeches on the same
topic
nor can i talk about something i can’t
relate to at all
so as i was browsing through i learned
about something
very interesting called dance movement
therapy
or dmt dance movement therapy
is a psychotherapy for patients of
depression
and trauma who need immense support in
their lives
emotionally that is when i unlearned my
notion about dance
i understood the power of this wondrous
art and how any performing art can be
used for the betterment of society
and not only for entertainment here i
would like to mention about these
organizations
which have very successfully utilized
dmt as a medium of change for the
society
several of them have held in women’s
apartment by enabling women
who have been victims of abuse to
overcome the fear
and start their lives afresh being
inspired from my unknown notion
and these greatly appreciated
organizations i would propose
that we use the same principles to
assist people to heal themselves
through the artistic medium of dance in
particular youth
who have a million things that tie them
down
dancing offers exercise for the entire
body
all dance forms especially classical
dances
involve a great deal of eye movements
personally i
practice them every day just to ensure
that my eye power remains in control
for some people these exercises can be
so
beneficial that it can reduce their eye
power by keeping the eye muscles strong
and active
dancing improves flexibility of the body
and therefore keys from any sort of
muscle pain
it improves digestion and blood
circulation in the body
dancing indeed is a therapy in itself
movement is the first form of
communication
and dance therapists use this very
principle
dmt enables people to express their
innermost thoughts and emotions
which sometimes they themselves fail to
understand
as a result people understand their
bodies better
and can not do it accordingly people
gradually become
aware of the factors that lead to their
stress anxiety depression
lack of concentration etc dance
is an excellent way of relaxation after
tedious us
and thus plays a crucial role in stress
reduction
dmt reduces stress but stress is not bad
stress is rather a necessary evil
why though why get stressed upon things
when our blood pressure is high don’t
get enough sleep at night and then be
depressed after all
well some amount of stress is needful
studies reveal that a person gives his
best performance when stressed
not overstressed appropriate amount of
stress gets people walking at the right
time
and not at the 11th hour being over
stressed can be equally detrimental
when we are stressed we have immense
amount of energy or excitement stored
within us
dmt converts this stored energy into
power or agency or creativity
as a student i would consider for
example the stress of examinations
how does one combat this inevitable even
i say inevitable because we cannot run
away from the system of examinations and
evaluations
for a student dancing at the appropriate
intervals will convert the stored
excitement or fear
into something fruitful will help him
concentrate and therefore he will be
able to present
himself in a much better form
adolescence is the period of transition
from child to an adult
adolescents often become very cautious
about their bodies
associated with great levels of
depression anxiety lack of concentration
which is crucial at this stage
through dmt adolescents develop a unique
ability to control and coordinate
themselves
dance movement therapy can prove to be
very productive for those
lacking basic concentration and those
who switch their minds very frequently
for our educators and our parents stress
management is essential
such stress builds in them because of
their mindfulness for us
their thoughts of giving us a secure
future a saved life
our academic results drives them right
added to this
is the tension of their workplace
therefore stress management
is of utmost importance for adults for
the elderly dmt ensure that they are
independent
through dmt the clients move with the
therapists in certain particular ways
so that their minds and bodies are
always active and they can fulfill their
day-to-day needs
like going out for a walk taking
medicines getting dressed up
etc our curriculum should end courage
and trump
mgmt dmt sessions can be organized in
our schools
perhaps once in a week but in all
parents your grandparents will be
invited
to relieve the stress that builds in
them throughout the week
such sessions can be headed by the
school dance teacher or even some senior
students
will that not be unlearning to learn the
final
nuances of a creative art and
encouraging the community towards
bettering themselves
making themselves stronger thank you