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Dance Therapist - Career Profile |
Career OverviewThe use of dance as a therapeutic tool is based on the belief that the body and mind are completely integrated. Dance therapy stems from the theory that body movements reflect the inner state of a human being. By moving the body within a controlled therapeutic setting, a process of healing can begin. Conflicts and issues that emerge from the unconscious to the person’s consciousness can be addressed on physical, emotional, mental, social and spiritual levels. The dance therapist seeks full integration of mind and body, and tries to achieve harmony of all those levels of the human being.
The concept of the dance therapy process had its origins in three distinct areas. The first was modern dance, as it was expressed by pioneers like Isadora Duncan, Doris Humphrey and Martha Graham, who opened the doors to creativity, spontaneity and individuality. Many performers who were dancers in these innovators’ companies learned the tremendous benefits of dance as a form of personal expression.
The second was the emergence of movement analysis and movement expression as put forward by Rudolf Laban. Laban helped performing artists understand how their bodies worked. He was able to use his knowledge to help industrial workers increase their efficiency.
The third area was the field of psychoanalytic philosophy and thinking ushered in by Sigmund Freud and his followers, Alfred Adler, Carl Jung and Wilhem Reich. Their work revolutionized the understanding of the mind and emotions, as well as understanding of the different levels of consciousness at which these inner states exist.
Dance therapy was founded by Marion Chace, a dancer and choreographer in New York City in the 1920s. She observed that dance met many more needs than those of performance, and she began to teach her ideas. Health professionals watching her work in hospitals saw the positive effects. In the 1960s Marion Chace founded a training program for dance therapists at a New York music school. In 1966 she participated in the establishment of the American Dance Therapy Association and became its first president.
Dance therapists work closely with patients who suffer from physical, emotional and mental disabilities. The dance therapist helps these clients improve their self-esteem, self-growth and understanding. The patient learns to deal with things like anger, grief and disappointment within the safety of therapy.
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Career RequirementsA dance therapist must have a masters degree in dance movement therapy or a related degree title. The dance therapist will have a liberal arts background, extensive dance experience, and coursework in psychology.
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Job OutlookDance therapy is a steadily growing field that is gaining more and more community awareness. As more institutions open their doors to dance therapy, dance therapists are being hired by schools, hospitals, mental institutions, rehabilitation centres, nursing homes and crisis centres. Dance therapy is also a means by which older dancers can prolong their professional careers.
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Career TrackThe world of dance is a very large one. Once a dancer is connected to the internal network, career opportunities multiply. He or she might move from a health related career in dance to television productions, dance ensembles or teaching dance, to name just a few possibilities.
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CompensationA dance therapist’s pay usually begins at about $20,000 per year. As the dance therapist becomes more experienced, and of course depending upon the employer’s financial situation, this can go up to $45,000 per year.
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