Lost in dance : the experience of dance as therapy as recounted by dancers

Abstract

This research aims to explore the possibility of dance therapy as an alternative branch of psychotherapy. This is done by means of a qualitative research approach which delves into the experiences of dancers, paying special attention to how dance affects stress, and emotional and psychological well-being. Semi-structured interviews are conducted with dancers aged between 18 and 30, with a minimum of five years’ experience with any dance institution. The Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis method is employed to analyse the data, exposing the subjective experiences of the dancers in all their depth. Four superordinate themes resulted from the data analysis, further dividing into emergent themes. The two broadest themes from the overarching ones include; the experience of dance in one’s life – which divides into dance as exploration, connection, its effects on identity, and the distinction between dance as a performance and as a feeling – and different genres and implications for dance therapy, dividing into the distinction between stress-relief and therapeutic implications, and the contributions of different genres to dance therapy. The other two themes are more directly linked to two important keywords; links between stress and dance – consisting of dance as a stressor, a stress-reliever, and as focusing on the negatives – and links between therapy and dance, dividing further into dance as a therapeutic outlet, emotional expression, a distraction, and as an art linked to passion. This research concludes that dance serves as therapy for the dancers, and involves various beneficial physical, emotional, and psychological effects. This makes dance a potential holistic branch of psychotherapy.