Range of Motion Dance

Workshops

For centuries, dance has been recognized as a means of expressing oneself, celebrating life, or performing ritualistic healing.  Now, dance is increasingly accepted as a way to help people through one’s problems.  Whether someone is suffering from arthritis or depression, advocates say dance movement can help people gain insight into their behavior, improve their self-esteem, and provide options for coping.  Movement is a healing force.

Range of Motion Dance is a project that Living Fountain has been developing.  We’ve discovered that the use of poetry and imagery provides a perfect starting point for movement exploration.  Clients begin sitting in chairs and use the arms, legs and torso to act out the words of the poems as a warm-up.  Range of Motion Dance is not dance technique.  You do not have to be a dancer.  It’s about movement and movement can be anything. 

A study conducted by the dance therapy association in 1996, funded by the U.S. Administration on Aging, concluded that dance/movement therapy improved the functional abilities of seniors with neurological damage due to stroke or traumatic brain injury.  The participants, who averaged 74 years of age, reported improvements in mood, social interaction, physical function, and energy levels.

Imagine what your aspiration to begin a preventative and wellness program with dance in it will accomplish!  Range of Motion Dance is extremely effective and enjoyable.  It focuses on these points:
  • Attention to the present, bringing thoughts to the here and now, rather than to concerns about the past or the future.
  • Diaphragmatic or deep breathing, which promotes relaxation.
  • Postural Alignment.
  • Awareness of Movement.
  • Slow Movement.
  • Relaxed Movement, to focus on the quality of feelings within the body.
  • The use of imagination which can enrich the experience and contribute to a person’s  feelings of well-being.