For many years already, we’ve known that climate change is happening and that its consequences on human life are inevitable, if not irreversible. Moreover, the state of current scientific knowledge allows us to state that human influence plays an essential role in the climate system, amplifying what’s already happening. Confronted with this, some people develop a disorder known as eco-anxiety (a feeling of anxiety caused by climate change and the act of worrying and anticipating its consequences).
Dance therapy approaches can be relevant to help people and organizations better understand and adapt to the events caused by climate change. This workshop, offered by Céline Verchère, provides an overview of the tools that can be used by movement and dance professionals to facilitate interventions with those suffering from the disorder. There will be a first theoretical part, during which eco-anxiety and eco-therapies will be reviewed and the specific impact of dance therapy will be explored. Then, an experiential part will allow participants to experiment directly with dance and movement.
This event is presented by the National Centre for Dance Therapy and supported by the RBC Foundation. It is dedicated to all the dance professionals, dance therapists, educators and practitioners who want to use dance-based practices to support those suffering from eco-anxiety.
We are only accepting a small number of participants. Please reserve your spot below and, if you cannot make it, let us know in advance, so we can free your space for someone on the waiting list.
Originally from France, since 2014 Céline Verchère lives in Quebec, where she is a sociologist at the University of Sherbrooke and she is also a supervised dance therapy intern, graduated from the Alternate Route program of the National Centre for Dance Therapy (NCDT) of the Grands Ballets Canadiens (2019-2021). She is a member of the Dance/Movement Therapy Association of Canada (DMTAC) and the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA). Her research practice focuses on innovation and social change, with a focus on the issues caused by climate change. Among the tools she has developed, she focuses on sensible and body approaches, specifically using dance therapy, to grasp the implications of eco-anxiety and the impact of climate change.
