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Friday, September 11, 2015

Dance Therapy

Using a Dance/Movement Therapy-Based Wellness Curriculum: An Adolescent Case Study

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between an adolescent female’s overall wellness, defined by quality of life, and her participation in a dance/movement therapy (DMT)-based holistic wellness curriculum. The curriculum focused on the topics of nutrition, mindfulness, movement, body image, and friendships. Research indicates that the curriculum topics, holistic wellness models, and DMT are each relatively effective for work with adolescent females, but their combination had yet to be explored using the format of the current study. Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered using the Youth Quality of Life-Research Version, as well as parent surveys and session transcriptions. Themes emerging from these data suggest that through engagement with the curriculum the participant increased knowledge about herself and how her body functioned, and that the use of DMT was appropriate in this particular situation. Future in-depth research with groups and different populations is warranted.

Dance and Aging: A Critical Review of Findings in Neuroscience

Abstract

Significant developments in health applications for dance have occurred over the past 40 years. While neurological changes associated with physical exercise have been well researched and documented, dance has yet to receive the same attention and represents an area of extreme interest for further study given its many reported benefits. The objective of this review is to critically examine the existing literature on observed neurological effects of dance interventions within the elderly population. A comprehensive literature search was performed using six different databases, and included dance interventions involving ballet, ballroom, tango, several cultural dances, and dance/movement therapy, with five elderly population types comprised of both healthy individuals and those exhibiting neurological impairments. The articles were critically appraised using formal research guidelines. In total, 44 appropriate and relevant studies were identified and short listed. Together, all studies examined three major domains: (1) cognition, (2) sensorimotor performance, and (3) underlying neurobiological factors. Twenty-one studies investigated the effects of dance on cognition, 27 on sensorimotor performance (gait, static and dynamic balance), and seven evaluated the effects on underlying neurobiological factors. Post-dance intervention findings showed significant improvements in several aspects of brain function involving cognition and sensorimotor performance; however, only a few studies were found which related the significance of dance interventions to its potential affect on various neurobiological factors. There is a need for future research investigating the direct effects of dance interventions on neurobiological changes in the elderly which this review begins to address.

Editorial

How Culture Shapes Dance/Movement Therapy Education: Unique Aspects Throughout the World—The 2014 International Panel

Marian Chace Foundation Lecture: Introduction of Dr. Lenore Hervey

In Memoriam: Arlynne S. Stark, 1942–2014

Abstracts from the 2014 Research and Thesis Poster Session 49th Annual American Dance Therapy Association Conference

Bindings, Boundaries and Pathways: Dancing on the Edge

Film Review: Alive Inside 

Abstract

Alive Inside is a documentary film promoting the use of music, specifically the creation of playlists of preferred music on a digital media player such as an iPod, among elders living in long-term care. In the United States, 5.4 million individuals are living with Alzheimer’s disease, and researchers anticipate that number to increase 30 % by 2025. Viewers of Alive Inside can empathically climb inside the experience of an elder living with memory loss who is hearing his or her favorite song and feel overwhelmed with joy, sadness, memory, and sensation. In this way, music awakens the most profound sense of connection to ourselves and to one another. As dance/movement therapists, we know that rhythm unites, creating a sense of solidarity. The film tackles the question, “can a pair of headphones change the lives of millions of Americans suffering from Alzheimer’s and dementia?” It also highlights an opportunity to address scope of practice and professionalization along the arts and health continuum from arts and health practitioners to creative arts therapists.

Of Note

Abstract

Of Note features a list of recent notable publications, films, and other media that may inform the theory and practice of dance/movement therapy. In this issue, 14 publications on topics such as infancy and attachment, expressive arts interventions in school counseling, somatic awareness, emotional regulation, sexuality and gender issues, and dance/movement therapy and eating disorders are included.

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