Voices from the Field: Investigating the Emergent Form of an Indigenous Dance Movement Therapy Training Program in South Africa

Article Information

Creative Arts Educ Ther (2023) 9(2):195–208 DOI: 10.15212/CAET/2023/9/11

Voices from the Field: Investigating the Emergent Form of an Indigenous Dance Movement Therapy Training Program in South Africa

Abstract

The article describes the author’s involvement in the development of an innovative academic dance movement therapy (DMT) training program during her Fulbright Senior Scholar assignments in Johannesburg, South Africa, spanning from the early 2020 to her subsequent return in 2023. It highlights the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and emphasizes the author’s dedication to engaging with key interested parties and some of the significant voices in the fields of dance and movement education, community work, training, and therapy in South Africa. Situated within the Drama for Life program at the University of the Witwatersrand, this article explores the author’s goal of participating in the dialogue about the crafting of an Afro-centric training program in DMT. This program is designed to integrate existing practices and forms in dance movement and performance with cultural and spiritual elements, incorporating multiple histories, and including indigenous knowledge systems to inspire, and to integrate some of these perspectives and collaborative opportunities within the program design.

Keywords: dance movement therapy (DMT), Ubuntu, dance and healing.

摘要

文章介绍了作者在南非约翰内斯堡担任富布赖特(Fulbright)高级学者期间(从 2020 年初到 2023 年回国)参与发展创新性舞蹈动作治疗(DMT)学术培训项目的情况。报告强调了全球新冠疫情(COVID-19)所带来的挑战，并注重于作者致力接触南非舞蹈和动作教育、社区工作、培训和治疗领域的主要相关方和一些重要人士，建立联系。在威特沃特斯兰德大学的 "生活戏剧 "项目中，这篇文章探讨了作者参与对话、精心设计以非洲为中心的舞蹈动作治疗(DMT) 培训项目的目标。该项目旨在整合舞蹈动作和表演中现有的实践和形式，以及文化和精神元素，融合多元历史，纳入本土知识体系以激发灵感，并在课程设计中融入一部分 这些观点与合作机会。

关键词： 舞蹈动作治疗(DMT), 乌班图(Ubuntu)(注：非洲南部祖鲁语或豪萨语“人性”/“我的存在是因为大家的存在”), 舞蹈与疗愈