Dance is beautiful, passionate, and revitalizing. For some, dance can also be therapeutic. What you may not know is that it can be used to understand and manage emotions in the context of a parent-child relationship.
Children communicate their feelings not only with their voices but also through gestures, body language, and facial expressions. On the parents’ end, they must tune into the feelings that can arise within themselves during the experience of parenthood and how to deal with it, according to Inspirees Institute of Creative Education (IICE), an international training institute specializing in creative education.
“By focusing on these areas of non-verbal expression, parents can begin to have more satisfying experiences with their child,” says Zhou Yu, founder of the organization.
“Since dance is a kinesthetic art that is experienced in the entire body, it can be an especially powerful tool for [the]expression of feelings and the development of empathy.”
Understanding through empathy can be a tool for encouraging self-expression, regulating anxiety, and more.
In an upcoming IICE workshop, participants will examine empathy through dance/movement and explore its influence on ones’ body, brain, and relationships. Parents and caregivers who are interested in these learning tools are encouraged to attend.
Before the workshop, there will be a lecture on improving parent-child relationship via dance therapy with IICE senior trainer Christina Devereaux, who received her doctorate in Clinical Psychology and a Master’s degree in dance/movement therapy from the US. She has extensive clinical experience with children with severe emotional disturbances and disorders, physical disabilities, victims of abuse and neglect, families in crisis, and adults with mental illnesses.
The lecture is free, but the workshop is RMB 200 per pair (parent/caretaker with children). Contact Ms. Shen (400 661 8717, 15911509565, dmt@inspirees.com) to reserve a spot. Hurry – there’s only room for 20 participants.
Time and date: Friday, March 14 from 7-9.30pm (lecture: 7-8.30pm; workshop: 8.45-9.30pm)
Venue: Starlight and Dance Center, 2/F, Biru World Shopping Center, 111 Jingshun Lu, Chaoyang District
Read more about dance therapy here and Inspirees Institute of Creative Education here.
Photos: Courtesy of Inspirees Institute of Creative Education
