(“Dance movement therapy focuses on the foundation of meaning built through shared intersubjective experiences and thus makes us living, sensitive, and creative human beings.” – Sabine c. Kanch and Diana Fischman) (November 2014 ) (Dance is a way to have freedom and to heal.) (Volume 1 issue 1) (Dance therapy (1)History of dance used as healing (2)Why dance therapy is effective(2)How dance therapy is effective (3)Newsletter sources (4)) (in this issuse) (“sometimes i hurt because i dance, other times i dance because i hurt. either way, dancing FIXES IT all.”) (Dance has been around for ages, and for ages people have used dance as a way of escaping. Dr. Nager said “It has been known to have powerful effects on the mind, body, and emotions. Dance is a way of dealing with feelings and releasing them instead of locking them and going to the doctor with depression and anxiety.”₁ So why not use dance to keep healing people, as it has been used for ages? This where dance therapy came from.Dance therapy is more complex than most believe. Dance therapy is the psychotherapeutic use of movement and dance. It supports intellectual, emotional, and motor functions of the body. As a form of expressive therapy, it looks at the correlation between movement and emotion.₂ Dance therapists work with all ages,with groups and in private dance therapy is also a growing job and intrudtry. It has become even more imporant in today’s world. It can not heal the person but it can and may help that person to heal their soul or emotions to be let out.) (Dance therapy ) (dance therapy: a new way of healing) (The principle concept behind dance therapy is that the mind and body work together. It is the idea that if there is a change in movement it affects the whole body - movement reflects personality. “Through the unity of the body, mind, and spirit, dance therapy provides a sense of wholeness to all individuals. It treats the full person. They will gain a deeper sense of self-awareness, they will gain realization.” ₄ There are many aspects to dance therapy. One is music. Music can reduce pain and help with relaxation. Another is the social aspect. Dancers have to interact one with another. When people are ill or feel like they don’t belong they cut themselves off from others. ) (The concept of Dance therapy has actually been around for thousands of years. Back then dancing was more than just for celebration; it was the first way to heal a person. “In fact the first healing was music and dance in hunter gatherer cultures freeing what the Kalahari Bushman called healing boiling energy. Each night people of the tribe would dance wildly and go into a trance or meditative state. The people believed that the dance itself freed the persons own healing energy. Eventually, music and dance were combined with costumes and storytelling and with objects and paintings in the creation of a ritual that we would now call theater or performance art. But in ancient times this ritual was sacred and it was part of the cultures medicine. In a very real way the first artist and the first healer were one figure in society, one person, the shaman.”₃ Dance therapy has evolved since then, we still use it for healing today but in a different way. Dance therapy is now used to easy the soul and help deal with the hardships of life, a way to enjoy life and maintain happiness.) (November 2014 ) (Volume 1 issue 1) (why dance therapy is effective ) (Dance therapy class.) (“Whether the issue is the will to live, a search for meaning or motility, or the ability to feel love for life, for the dance therapists healing has always meant mobilizing resources from that place within where body and mind are one.” (allied health profession, 2005)) (A Native American dance. They danced for everything, joy, healing, even hunting.) (history of dance used for healing) ( Dance therapy might not heal a person but it helps them to be healthier and happier which helps them to face their other challenges easier.) ( “As babies, we use movement to explore the environment and ourselves. It is only as we become conscious of our bodies and that our movements become task-oriented.”₅ This is how dance therapy helps; we move then study our movements to better understand ourselves. Dance therapy can be used for physical and emotional parts of life. “Reports suggest dance therapy helps in developing: body image, improving self-concept, self-esteem, reducing stress, anxiety, depression, decreasing isolation, chronic pain, body tension, hypertension, angina, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and addictions.” ₆ Dance therapy does not heal, but it can be a powerful addition to help deal with these problems and help us be better, happier, and healthy. With some diseases people have also seen short term help. For example, people with Parkinson’s have seen more ability to function, balance, and are happier. These are just a few ways of how dance therapy is effective.) (November 2014) (Volume 1 issue 1) (Whether it be people with social issues or medical or even cancer we as dance therapists can help people to enjoy life more fully, gain not only happiness but also to ease their pain and have another way for them to let out emotions. ) (A dance therapist helping a young student.) ( Dance therapy is used all over the world including many places you wouldn’t think it could be. Dance therapists work at: mental health care facilities, rehabilitation, medical, educational, nursing homes, day care centers, health promotion / disease prevention programs, hospitals, and in private practice.) (dance therapists work just about everywhere) (how dance therapy is effective) (Newsletter sources Nager, d. v. (n.d.). Retrieved 2014, from www.omenad.net. Dance therapy. (2014, september). Retrieved 2014, from wikipediaThe history of art and healing. (n.d.). Retrieved 2014, from www.artashealing.org.Ibid, dance therapy Ibid, NagerIbid, NagerAllied health profession. (2005, april ). Retrieved 2014, from www.healthpronet.org. American cancer society. (2008, november). Retrieved 2014, from www.cancer.org. American dance therapy association. (2009-2014). Retrieved 2014, from www.adta.org. Good therapy.org. (2014, may). Retrieved 2014, from www.goodtherpy.org.) (Picture sources Google.com (2014). Retrieved 2014 . Google images under dance therapy. ) (dance therapy: a new way of healing) (November 2014 ) (Volume 1 issue 1)