An exploration of the subjective experience of recreational dance : implications for counselling

Abstract

Background information: Dance transcends all cultures and has long existed as a form of ritual, celebration, communication, and healing. Whilst the therapeutic benefits of dance have been widely explored, primarily within the field of dance movement psychotherapy, the experience of recreational dance and its implications for counselling has received less attention. Method: Using purposive sampling, seven semi-structured interviews were conducted. An Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) of the data was then carried out. Findings: Four themes emerged from the analysis of participants' experiences of recreational dance: dance as a metaphoric other; dance as connection to an actual other; relating to the self through dance; and the meaning in individual movement. Conclusions: Findings of this study suggest that how a client moves in dance could be a window onto how they move socially, emotionally, and relationally in the world. Exploration of a client's experience of dance within counselling sessions could therefore provide useful insight into how they "move" in the world. As an embodied form of communication dance/movement could also be used to facilitate verbal expression, both inside and outside of the counselling room.