Andrea de Almeida, a Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT), holds an M.A. in Physical Education and Recreation (Specialization in Dance Education) from the University of Alberta and New York University.
Since 2015, she has been working with several populations including adolescents with eating disorders (CHU Sainte-Justine), children on the autism spectrum (Giant Steps School and Les Grands Ballets summer camps) and seniors (IUGM, Montreal Museum of Fine Arts and Les Grands Ballets), in several clinical and academic settings in Montreal. She has also collaborated as a dance therapist with various local universities to look at the benefits of dance therapy on these clienteles.
Since 2015, she has offered the class Dance Therapy – 50 Years +, open to the public, at Les Grands Ballets’ STUDIOS. As a result of the pandemic and the closing of Les STUDIOS in March 2020, Andrea has had to adapt her work and the structure of this class for an online format, as the class now takes place virtually or Zoom .
Today, she shares with us her experience and the lessons she has learned from teaching in an online environment.
The goals of the class are based on objectives participants set for themselves when they sign up for the class. I usually share a short questionnaire with participants during the first week of the session. I ask them to take a few minutes to reflect on their physical and psychological/emotional goals that have led them to partake in dance therapy.
In class, participants experience a great level of physical engagement through movement and dance, as well as increased awareness of their emotions and interpersonal relationships. These are all components of dance therapy.
I think the main challenge has been the impossibility of physical contact through dance and movement.
It can also be complicated for participants to interact. We are exploring the idea of working in breakout rooms in Zoom. It would be fun to have smaller group discussions and reflections which could then be shared with the group as a whole. It’s just a variation of a technique that can be adapted to the online experience.
The goals of the class have not changed, but we have had to adapt to the virtual format, which went well.
On a physical level, it’s a bit harder to correct participants during warm up, but it’s still possible to call attention to body alignment, posture, balance, etc.
The main emotional goals remain the same, for instance, attention as a means for self-expression and connection, creativity, body awareness, empathy, building social connections and developing good group dynamics.
My advice is to get familiar with the online platform you are going to use. In my case, we use Zoom and it took a few weeks until I was comfortable with it. The trail period and the set up period before classes are also important.
Other factors to consider are your internet connection and sound. It wasn’t easy to get used to using a microphone!
I feel lucky to work with a great group of people who engage in the therapeutic process each week. The group has a good dynamic and they are able to support each other, showing great empathy. We have participants that are willing to create and to sharemovement stories every week. This process of telling our life stories through movement is in itself a great positive experience.
I’m extremely glad that we are able to continue our work thanks to these online platforms.
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