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Why dancing is such a joyous activity

Ever wondered why dancing is such a joyous activity? That's because movement is therapeutic as it helps us connect our body and mind via the inner recesses of our emotions, discovers Draupadi Rohera

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"Recall an incident that made you angry. Then say: 'Ja...ja...ja...' (Go...go...go) and simultaneously release the anger from your body with the help of strong vigorous movements," is the cue given to a bunch of nubile girls at a workshop in Mumbai.

Hesitantly, the girls attempt the steps, ejecting the pent up anger from every part of their body — the knees, the hips, the stomach.

This is no ordinary dance class. This is, in fact, no dance class at all. The girls are survivors of sex trafficking. Through the medium of dance and movement, therapists Renelle Snelleksz and Shalaka Sisodia are helping the girls discover their internal rhythm and give release to their pent-up emotions.

Welcome to Dance Movement Therapy (DMT). Based on the belief that emotions and movement are connected, working on the movement helps bring to the fore an individual's pattern of thinking and feeling. Using dance as a medium, therapists encourage the flow of natural movement.

Kolkata-based Sohini Chakraborty, a DMT pioneer and founder of Sanved, has conducted over 5,000 workshops across India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Indonesia, using dance as an alternative therapeutic tool to heal underprivileged children on railway platforms, mentally-ill patients in hospitals, victims of sexual abuse and other marginalised groups. "Dance, by nature, is freedom. Movement gives you liberation," says Chakraborty.

"Without having to say anything, you can open up and express yourself through movement. DMT enables victims of sexual abuse to reconnect with their bodies in an empowering way.''

Chakraborty explains that those who undergo extreme trauma, violence or sexual abuse usually have issues with their bodies. "They are likely to think that 'I am impure' or 'My body is impure'. They mentally detach themselves from their bodies. This is a coping mechanism." DMT, she says, helps them heal and transform their lives.

Tripura Kashyap, a dance movement therapist for two decades and the author of the book My Body My Wisdom, says that movement therapy is like parallel psychotherapy. "It helps you get in touch with yourself, and releases all that one is repressing," says the Bangalore-based therapist. "Most people are fragmented versions of themselves — our mind is split from our body. DMT helps one hold it all together.''

Participants in DMT classes are encouraged to write 10 positive qualities about one's self and translate them into movements. "The participant is exploring his own movement, discovering his own language and slowly allowing a lot of subconscious material to surface," says Kashyap, adding that there are no set instructions or structured dance steps in DMT.

The efficacy of this tool can be gauged from the voices of the girls themselves. Antara, a 19-year-old survivor, says that she often felt locked in her body. "I tried to open this lock but was unable to get out. I was bound and confined. Dance became my key to unlock and free myself and my body."

Ruksar (name changed), another survivor, too vouches for DMT. "Before I took this workshop, I could not dream. I was non-communicative and I hated myself and my body. Dance has freed me. It has enabled me to create a beautiful, new me."

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