The Alternate Route training program offers classes in dance therapy approved by the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) and has been created with the 92nd Street Y Harknesss Centre. It is designed for dancers and health professionals who want to obtain the professional accreditation of Registered Dance/Movement Therapist, by the ADTA.
A unique program in Canada, it offers ADTA-approved dance therapy courses developed in partnership with the 92nd Street Y Harkness Dance Centre. Selected students will take 270 hours of classes taught by American and Canadian dance therapists recognized as pioneers in the field.
It is important to note that completing the Alternate Route won’t result immediately in the certification. Together with other criteria, this program allows to replace a master’s in dance therapy, not yet available in Canada.
The ADTA Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board (DMTCB) delivers the Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT) accreditation. To obtain this, you need to complete a master’s degree in dance therapy. Since this is currently unavailable in Canada, another option is to gather the following:
The Alternate Route is a private program equivalent to 27 master’s credits in dance therapy, for a total of 405 hours:
Training dates:
2025 - June 16 to July 4
2026 - June 16 to July 4
2027 - June 15 to July 3
These dates are subject to change
One-time administration fees:
330$ plus taxes (file opening, non-refundable)
Annual tuition fees:
Quebec residents - $2150 plus taxes
Canadian students - $2520 plus taxes
International students - $2890 plus taxes
Our admission criteria are based on those of the closest organization delivering accreditation: the Dance/Movement Therapy Certification Board (DMTCB) of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA). These criteria are very similar to those of other international organizations.
We suggest that all those interested in the program consult the R-DMT Applicant Handbook.
*What is the required dance experience?
More than 5 years of dance experience can be acquired by completing a professional, university, or college program. It can also be obtained through cumulative participation in intensive workshops, master classes, or ongoing technical maintenance in intermediate and advanced level classes. This type of experience ensures an understanding of movement anatomy and technical expertise. In addition, mastery of two dance styles is essential. It guarantees a thorough technique, a varied vocabulary, and a sufficient movement repertoire to creatively adapt dance and movement interventions to the specific needs of participants. Finally, dance teaching experience is highly recommended and is a valuable asset for enriching the pedagogical aspects of dance therapy practice.
Dr. Miriam Roskin Berger is the Director of the Dance Therapy Program at the 92Y Harkness Dance Center, NYC. Since 2013, this Alternate Route program has also been offered at the NCDT.
She has performed with the Jean Erdman Theatre of Dance in the sixties and, through her focus on dance therapy both through the lens of art and the lens of science, she has been an important force in the development of the dance therapy profession. Past President and charter member of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA), Dr. Berger has taught at New York University since 1975, where she was the Director of the Dance Education Program from 1993 to 2002. From 1970 to 1990, she was Director of the Creative Arts Therapies Dept. at Bronx Psychiatric Center. A past Chair of the National Coalition of Creative Arts Therapies and former co-editor of the American Journal of Dance Therapy, she is now on the Board of Arts in Psychotherapy.
Dr. Berger has created dance therapy training programs in the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, and Sweden, and has taught in France, Germany, Greece, Korea, Norway, Poland, Russia, Slovenia, Spain and Taiwan. She is the Chair of the ADTA International Panel, and she has received the Marian Chace Award for fostering the international growth of dance therapy in 2002.
In 2005, Dr. Berger was inducted into the Dance Library of Israel Hall of Fame. She has received the ADTA Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007. Bard College awarded her the Charles Kellogg Award in Arts and Letters in 2009, and an honorary degree in 2021.
Zuzana Ševčíková is a board certified dance/movement therapist and drama therapist who holds degrees in physiotherapy and contemporary dance from the Czech Republic, her country of origin, and a Master's degree in drama therapy from Concordia University, Montreal. Zuzana also graduated from the Developmental Transformations Institute, Montreal, and is one of the first graduates of the dance therapy Alternate Route training program at the 92Y Harkness Dance Centre, New York City.
She is a co-founding member and a past President of Dance/Movement Therapy Association of Canada and a co-founding member and a board member of the Quebec Alliance of Creative Arts Therapists.
She works in elementary schools of the Lester B. Pearson school board in Montreal and works with people with Parkinson’s disease at Parkinson en movement.
Stay up to date with the latest news and promotions from the National Centre for Dance Therapy
