The first entrance exam took place last Saturday. One candidate commented: “I didn’t think an entrance exam could be so interesting.

The next and final entrance exams will take place on Saturdays, May 2 and June 6, 2021. You will meet the lecturers of the first course of the program, Lorella Rapisarda and Brigitte Züger.

You must send us your dossier and your registration for the practical entrance exam day by 10 days before the entrance exam. You can find out what the dossier must contain on our website www.zoeschool.ch in the section STRUCTURE, PROCEDURE and APPLICATION PROCEDURE for the COURSE in the document Admission criteria.

At the ZOE SCHOOL FOR DANCE MOVEMENT THERAPY, we attach great importance to dance therapists being able to exchange ideas with other professional colleagues as equals in their future professional practice and to discuss and jointly plan therapy processes. We also teach you therapeutic communication in parallel and together with all dance therapy skills.

Our lecturer for medical disorders, a former family doctor, has been involved in interprofessional communication for more than 20 years, which he teaches in the course together with medical disorders.
Students also learn a lot about communication psychology, not only theoretically but also practically in relation to embodiment, communication is the be-all and end-all for therapeutic effectiveness. This is why we combine communication in relation to embodiment with therapeutic effectiveness factors in the course. You will also be taught and accompanied in these areas by lecturers who are specialists in this field.

If you have any questions or uncertainties about the admission procedure, please do not hesitate to contact us by telephone on 061 382 60 76 or by e-mail at brigitte.zueger@zoeschool.ch. We will be happy to help you.

If you would like more information about the school or the training process, we recommend our next information evenings. They will take place online at ZOOM on Friday, April 23 and Friday, May 7 at 7 pm. Participation in the information evening costs CHF 30.

Greetings from a warm and pre-Easter Basel

Brigitte Züger

You were interested in our course some time ago or only recently. That is why you are receiving this newsletter.

Here is an example of how I develop dance therapy topics:

Working as a dance therapist, you are always keen to describe what you offer in the most “human” way possible. This means that your interest is aroused by a (current or desired) topic, you are curious or already inspired as to how you could implement the topic in dance therapy. You learn how to do this from scratch during your studies in our Concept Creation course.

This is exactly what I did recently when I found an article on the subject of Languishing. It refers to the long-term effects of Covid. When I read the article, I was not only amazed but also really pleased: finally an article that does not “psychiatrize” or “pathologize” a disturbing element of the psyche, but describes and deals with it in a human and empathetic way. I could relate to this from a dance therapy perspective, as Languishing is largely about held back emotions that, in my experience, flow easily with movement and movement expression. I have created a FB post series for this. Check it out, it’s included at the bottom of this newsletter.

And now on our own behalf as a reminder for you:

HERE you will find the dates for the information evenings for the course

HERE you will find the dates for the introductory days (taster days) and the entrance examination days

We have also created a BROCHURE Workbook Admission and Registration Procedure for you, which you can also download.

I would now like to extend my warmest greetings and wish you a wonderful late summer

Brigitte Züger
School management

You were interested in our course some time ago or only recently. That is why you are receiving this newsletter.

We are now in the process of expanding the range of courses offered under the ZOE SCHOOL umbrella. We now offer different course formats: the Specialized Courses, the Crash Courses and the Associated Courses for students at ZOE SCHOOL.

Specialized training courses are a combination of courses from the training course and last around 200 to 400 hours. They are aimed at people who are already working as dance therapists or teachers, psychologists, psychotherapists or other helping professionals who would like to integrate dance therapy aspects into their work.
If you wish to complete the entire course at a later date, we will give you credit for some of the courses you have completed in the specialized further training. The duration is two years.

The crash courses are short forms of the existing courses in the program and last between 10 and 20 hours. They provide you with an insight into the skills from the courses in the program in a short space of time.

Associate courses are courses offered by the Y Harkness Center for Dance Movement Therapy in New York. These are online courses on specific topics such as dance therapy with the elderly or with dementia, dance therapy and social change, dance therapy and neurobiology, a critical review, etc. These courses are available to ZOE SCHOOL students as free electives for a fee.

In addition, two info videos on courses or topics in the course have now been produced. You can find them here on our website.

If you would like to start studying art therapy movement and dance therapy with us at ZOE SCHOOL, please remember that the entrance examinations will only take place on October 9, 21, November 27, 21 and January 15, 22. We need the admission dossier at least 10 days before these dates. Further information and an explanatory brochure for admission canbe found here.

The dates for the information evenings can be found here, the next information evening will take place on 17.9.21 via Zoom.

Now I wish you wonderful fall days and send you my best regards
Brigitte Züger

The topic of this newsletter: Spirituality in Dance Movement Therapy/ Spirituality in Dance Movement Therapy

Dear Reader

You were interested in our course some time ago or only recently. That is why you are receiving this newsletter.

I am often asked what place spirituality has in the ZOE SCHOOL FOR DANCE MOVEMENT THERPY course. This is a very good and important question. First of all, a statement from me personally: spirituality is a vibration that resides in each of our cells and is therefore deeply rooted in our being. In this newsletter, I would like to talk primarily about spiritual attitude and spiritual experience.

From my point of view, spirituality knows no dualization, e.g. of body and mind/spirituality: a spiritual attitude overcomes this and knows neither judgement nor condemnation. This spiritual attitude promotes deep experience and insight into things themselves or the experiential realization of the essence of things. From this flows the experience of “more than what our external senses can grasp”. This awakens intuition and inner wisdom and leads to the absolute presence of all that is.

In the ZOE SCHOOL you learn to observe and perceive your movement and subsequently the movement of your clients as pure movement and to grasp it without judgment or condemnation. As you become familiar with this during the course, you will automatically approach the essence of experience and the “more than what our external senses can perceive”, which corresponds to a spiritual attitude. We also call this “therapeutic intuition”.

Here is another way of looking at dance therapy and spirituality: the body basically knows no duality. It expresses what is, regardless of whether it is pleasant, unpleasant, desired or undesired. “Pleasant”, ‘unpleasant’, ‘desirable’ or ‘undesirable’ comes from our dualizing interpretation. With every so-called negative interpretation, we increasingly distance ourselves from our (physical) experience, split off, create our shadows and dualize, which can lead to physical and psychological disorders.

In the therapy process, we dance therapists therefore strive to dissolve this dualization by accompanying our clients on their journey into the presence of the body, life and experience and thus into their vitality. Doesn’t that also sound like a growth process of mystics and sages or of truly spiritual people?

I would like to quote a poem by Marion Woodman from her book “Coming Home to myself”:

“We can swing back and forth
Between opposites indefinitely
Better to stand
On the stillpoint
At the center where all is pure motion, pure live and fulfillment in spirit.”

Both the dance therapist Anna Halprin and all the dance therapists who have developed the Authentic Movement method for many years, which is also part of our curriculum, convey to us the depth of the movement we experience. They have all encountered spiritual experience on this path and have discovered that this is the true path to healing.
In the course, they embark on a journey that places great emphasis on the spiritual attitude on the basis of academic-oriented knowledge. ZOE SCHOOL is also breaking new and significant ground in this respect.

If you want to start your studies with us next February, it is high time to take the entrance exam next November 27th. We need the admission dossier at least 10 days before this date. Further information and an explanatory brochure for admission can be found here.

The dates for the information evenings can be found here,

Now I wish you a wonderful late fall
Brigitte Züger, Head of School

The topic of this newsletter: How do prospective dance therapists learn in an intelligent and body-oriented way?

How do our students learn?
Why does the ZOE SCHOOL focus on experience-based learning?
What is experiential learning? How does it differ from self-awareness?

Dear Reader

You were interested in our course some time ago or recently and are thinking about becoming a dance therapist. That’s why you are receiving this newsletter.

ZOE SCHOOL is all about experiential learning. It is fun, interesting and has extraordinary learning effects.

In experience-based learning, the learning content in all movement courses is presented to you on a practical, movement-experiencing level. This is usually followed by an explanation of the theory, after which you can compare your own experiences with the theory through guided self-reflection: What did I experience and what of my experience did I find reflected in the theory? What was missing from the theory in my experience? In the subsequent “doing and experiencing”, the aspects experienced through the theory can then be explored and thus in turn explored and integrated in movement. The advantage of this is that the students experience what it feels like to enter new territory or to acquire previously unknown knowledge through moving experience.

Experience-based learning opens up both your senses and your body, making you alert, lively and curious. Your abilities are automatically expanded through curiosity.

There is a second way, called “theory-led learning”. This involves presenting a theory that is compared with the experiences already acquired through self-reflection on one’s own actions or life experiences. This takes place at ZOE SCHOOL, for example, in the “Biography”, “Mental Hygiene” and “Psychology” courses: the theory invites participants to find personal examples of the theory and to reflect on them on the basis of the theory. Questions such as: “How would I look at something or act now that I know the theory?”, or: “What insights have I gained from the theory to make my observations and actions easier and more helpful?” are asked for self-reflection.

A study has shown that experience-based learning significantly increases enjoyment. Not only that, but experiential learning increases the capacity for (verbal and non-verbal) empathy and the emotional intelligence of the learning therapist. We must not forget that these are central skills for a (dance) therapist.

Now, what is the difference between self-reflection and self-awareness? Self-reflection is self-observation and questioning from a realistic and critical perspective. This questioning extends the self-experience, as it takes place in self-awareness, to self-reflection. Except that self-reflection brings with it extraordinary learning effects, as described in the text above.

Did you know that you can alsoattend our courses as an external visitor? Not only will you gain an insight into our everyday school life and get to know our students, but you will also experience what experience-based learning feels like. Take a look at our course program here.

If you would like a personal and free consultation with me, you can register via email here. We organize monthly information evenings, the dates can be found here,

Now I wish you wonderful early summer days and send you my best wishes.

Brigitte Züger, Head of School

The topic of this newsletter: The language of the heart, or how do we use language when it comes to experience?

Language and experience, how can they be combined? How should language be so that our experience can be deepened and understood?

Dear Reader

You were interested in our course some time ago or recently and are thinking about becoming a dance therapist. That’s why you are receiving this newsletter.

ZOE SCHOOL cultivates the language needed for our (future) clients to feel understood in their experience

I remember well how my boss at the time – let’s call him Rolf – said that dance therapy was an exclusively non-verbal therapy. I had just taken on the task of setting up a dance therapy center at his clinic. His statement astonished me. My thoughts searched for good reasons for this: Did he perhaps know that certain mystical experiences that can be evoked through dance would lose their power through language? Or did he know that physical experience has a much more lasting effect than words? Or was he simply looking for a method that could bring healing or a connection to the world of his patients who had lost their speech or understanding of language due to a brain injury?

I had to explain to Rolf, by way of example, that dance therapy involves conversation and that the dance therapy experience often finds its way into full consciousness with the help of therapeutic conversation. It is the conversation that includes the emotional content or even places it in the foreground and results in the additional dimension of the understanding experience being opened up. It is the conversation in which the words flow from the experience and thus the conversation partners come into a common resonance or into what we call “resonating with each other”. It is the harmony of understanding and being understood. The result is an understanding face, the feeling when a person’s words make us feel that the other person empathizes with us and our experience and thus understands us. It is the language of the heart, of sharing, of confirming what has been experienced – directly, without factual or informative content: shared experience that settles deep in the memory.

How often have I experienced in the past as a client or as a training therapy candidate and today as a dance therapist that the conversation and verbal exchange about the deepest, innermost and sometimes unclassifiable dance experience enables me to gain insight, understanding and reconnection to our deeper layers? The memory of these conversations still enables me to bring my past experience clearly into the present. In our training you learn the language of the heart, perhaps we should use it more often, not only as dance therapists.

Did you know that you can alsoattend our courses as an external visitor? Not only will you gain an insight into our everyday school life and get to know our students, but you will also experience what experience-based learning feels like. Take a look at our course program here.

We are in the middle of preparations for the next course starting in February 2023, with information evenings, introductory days and entrance examstaking place regularly until mid-January. You can find the dates here, Are you interested in becoming a dance therapist and do you have any questions about the course? You can arrange a personal consultation/information session with me. You can register via email here

Now I wish you wonderful fall days and send you my best regards.

Brigitte Züger, Head of School

Our big event:
PERFORMANCE on September 9, 2023

Saturday, September 9, 17h on stage in room H95 Horburgstrasse 95 4057 Basel, followed by an aperitif
More information here

Dedar Reader

You were interested in our course some time ago or recently and are thinking about becoming a dance therapist. That’s why you are receiving this newsletter.

Why do prospective dance therapists have to deal with artistic design? This newsletter provides answers.

The question is obvious: if the goal of dance therapy is not to present dances on stage, why do future dance therapists have to create stage plays? The answer is pragmatic and formal: dance is an art form and dance therapy is a branch of art therapy. This answer may not be entirely satisfactory. I would like to give you a more plausible answer by addressing the following questions:

– What is the connection between dance art and dance therapy?
– What is the therapeutic purpose of dance creation?

I am writing this newsletter at a time when our students are preparing for the presentation of their artistic works, two choreographies, one solo and one duo. They have been preparing for this since February in our “Artistic Design” course. In this course, they learn how to use the stage space. It makes a difference whether a dancer stands at the back left with her back to the audience or whether she stands at the front center of the stage and faces you. In the first case, I ask myself whether the dancer is coming back or whether she is consciously distancing herself from the stage scene. In the second case, I experience a powerful presentation by the dancer, possibly intended to challenge or provoke the audience.

On the other hand, in the “Artistic Design” course, students learn how to move from movement improvisation to a choreography that conveys a personal statement and is fixed and repeatable.

They have to make a selection from a variety of improvised movements, they have to decide which movements or movement sequences are meaningful to them and which personal themes emerge in the movement improvisation. The students are faced with the challenge of making a choice in order to be able to make an artistic statement:

– Which experiences and personal themes emerge through the movement improvisation and speak to them or “move” them?
– Which (movement) themes do they want to deepen or develop further and develop into a fixed movement sequence (choreography)?

On this path, the students go through emotional highs and lows, memories or associations, exits and sections of their lives or experiences. They have to decide whether and how to shape these through dance in order to create a statement that they can stand by and present on stage. There they have an audience that witnesses their very personal statement.
This is precisely where we find ourselves in a dance therapy phase:

Movement opens up memories, associations and inner attitudes towards the experience, an essential and desired feature of the dance therapy process.

These are the memories from the body’s memory, usually in direct connection with the emotions that arise. As a rule, the extent and type of emotionality determines the process: too much can be overwhelming, too little can leave a void.
In the therapeutic process, the therapist is there to support the regulation of emotions through movement and conversation. The aim is to avoid emotional overload or to replace emptiness with meaningfulness. In the artistic process, on the other hand, the students should ask themselves what is to be expressed and how the expression is choreographed in order to convey the message and theme of the dance to the audience.

“E-”motion becomes motion and expression.

The impressive thing about it is that much becomes recognizable when we look at the artistic design with a dance-therapeutic eye. It becomes clear how the dancer deals with her subject.

The designed form and the choice of movements or movement sequences reveal approaches to solutions and further development that previously lay dormant in the intangible.

How is this possible? The answer is simple: the design also follows intuition in places; it is the gateway to the unconscious and the connection to the higher self. Both the unconscious and the higher self know the solutions; it is the intelligence of the body that allows us to recognize and grasp solutions and personal development through dance design.

Can you now answer the questions posed at the beginning?

Would you like to find out more about dance therapy? You can find information here.
Would you like to take part in the course with the next training group? Please contact us

I hope to see you at our performance on September 9 and look forward to an exciting evening

Brigitte Züger, Head of School

What works in Dance Movement Therapy?

This question can provoke two reactions: Does “impact” mean an instrumentalization of dance therapy, where we are only chasing results? Or is it a relief that it actually works – and that we can use it in a targeted and meaningful way for our clients? We can use impact factors to understand why and how dance therapy works

Either way, the central question remains:

What exactly makes dance therapy effective?

Dear Reader

You were interested in our course some time ago or only recently and are thinking about becoming a dance therapist. That is why you are receiving this newsletter.

From the research of Prof. Dr. Sabine Koch (Heidelberg) it is known that the body-mind connection, imagination, expression, non-verbal communication, creativity, creative power and transpersonality. These impact factors illustrate that dance therapy works on several levels: physical, emotional, social and cognitive. It makes change tangible, not just mentally tangible.

In the following, we would like to give you two examples of how impact factors are described (in light color) and how they are experienced by clients.

The body as a means of expression
Dance opens up the possibility of expressing thoughts and feelings non-verbally. Movement creates new ways of making experiences visible and meeting oneself on a deeper level.

I stand barefoot on the floor, feeling the coolness under my feet. Breathe in. Breathe out. The music begins, a gentle rhythm, I feel myself swaying to the music. Hesitantly and very carefully at first, then more courageously and more confidently. I let my arms speak, my feet tell their own story. I don’t need words – my body knows what it wants to express, I feel-understand it!

With every movement, something inside me loosens. Thoughts that were still holding me down give way or turn into new insights. Feelings that I can hardly put into words become clearer and more tangible. Joy, sadness, longing – everything is in this movement. Suddenly I am no longer afraid of them. They are simply there, alive within me. I am amazed, touched. Is it because they are flowing instead of getting caught up in my thoughts? I feel myself more deeply and clearly than I have for a long time.

This dance allows me to understand myself – by experiencing without having to explain myself. In the movement I find ways to myself. As I express myself, I open up from the inside out, in a pleasant, almost gentle way. It is as if I am meeting myself – honest, raw, full of life.

And that is exactly what dance means to me: an expression of myself, a journey inwards, a moment of freedom.

Promoting body awareness and self-perception (Body Mind)
Dancing means feeling yourself intensely. Through conscious movement, we learn to be aware of our body, recognize tensions and develop a new body awareness. Dance therapy strengthens the self-image and inner balance, the body-mind connection is created.

I step into the room, the air is warm, a soft light falls through the windows. My heart beats a little faster – not out of nervousness, but out of anticipation. I know that a special moment awaits me here: Time just for me, for connecting with myself, with my body.

The music starts, I can feel the calm rhythm that carries me along, makes me resonate. My movements flow – one merges seamlessly into the next, like a river meandering its way through the landscape. It feels as if I am drifting in an invisible stream. Every movement is different – sometimes light, sometimes full of resistance. I can feel my feet carrying me safely, my arms widening, my breath flowing deep inside me.

Then comes a moment of realization. My back is tense, my shoulders are hunched. I wouldn’t have noticed if I hadn’t been so attentive to my inner self. So I let go – slowly, consciously. With every movement, the tension flows out of me, as if the dance is showing me how I can free myself.

It is as if I am rediscovering my body – its strength, its limits, its stories. I feel myself in a way that I often forget in everyday life. No distractions, no thoughts, just this immediate experience.

As the music fades, I stand still for a moment. My heart beats more calmly, my breathing is deep. I feel centered, clear, at peace with myself: Every part of my body is awake and connected to the others. And I know that I have just learned something valuable – about my body, about myself as a whole person.

In the next newsletter, in 3 weeks, you will learn about the systematic application and effect of research results on Parkinson’s disease, which Dr. Cecilia Fontanesi will present to us in our free online-learning LAB on March 29 (link below).

A warm welcome to spring

Brigitte Züger, Head of School

OUR LABS – Turning data into action – How research becomes practice

In this newsletter we would like to once again draw your attention to our upcoming learning LAB on March 29, 2025 and our moving/living LAB (ZOE Summer School) from July 26 to 29, 2025.

The learning LAB on March 29, 2025:

Inspiration from research for practice:

In this LAB, Dr. Cecilia Fontanesi will present her study “Beauty that Moves”. She explains how intrinsic artistic motivation has a positive effect on the mental and physical condition of people with Parkinson’s disease. She will also provide valuable impulses for the practical application of the study results. We will then discuss this transfer into practice together.

This event is free of charge, you can register here.

Here are a few insights into the study:

Emotional activation:
Dance brings emotional experience into focus and promotes emotional engagement. This is particularly important for people with Parkinson’s, as depressive moods are often accompanied by a limited emotional experience.

Increasing self-efficacy:
Dance awakens and heightens the senses, strengthens the sense of beauty and promotes self-confidence.

Social identity & connection:
Contact with oneself and other people through (shared) movement creates an atmosphere that strengthens identity and self-confidence and fosters a positive attitude towards one’s own body and the world.

The living / moving LAB (ZOE Summer School) from July 26 – 29, 2025:

Do you accompany Parkinson’s patients as a doctor, physiotherapist, psychologist, psychotherapist, dance therapist, etc.? Are you affected yourself, a family member or caregiver and would like to learn more about the effects of dance therapy?

We invite you as a health professional or you as an affected person and/or family member to join us in the fascinating field of research and application of dance therapy.
In this LAB, we will provide you with in-depth knowledge based on current research findings and invite you to get to know the practical application we have derived from this.

On the mornings, you will be presented with studies on the effectiveness of dance therapy for various clinical pictures. These are

– Alzheimer’s disease
– Parkinson’s syndrome
– Chronic pain
– Mental health

In the afternoons, we will develop a dance therapy session from each of these, in which we will then reflect together on the resulting experiences. Of course, we welcome different perspectives from you as a health professional, affected person and/or their relatives.

Do you have specific questions about the Summer School? Visit our free online information event.

Have we sparked your interest?

All information and registration for the Summer School can be found here.

At the end of this newsletter, a short description of an affected person’s experience on the subject of self-efficacy:

“I remember a dance therapy session that showed me how deeply movement is connected to our inner world. One afternoon, trapped in doubt, I hesitantly began to dance. But with each movement I found myself, becoming more fluid, more powerful – my dance told a story of overcoming and self-empowerment.

After the session, I felt an unfamiliar clarity. The dance helped me to shift inner boundaries and recognize my own creative power. This experience showed me that dance therapy is more than movement – it is a mirror of my inner self and an expression of my strength.”

Have we sparked your interest or do you have any questions? We will be happy to answer them: admin@zoeschool.ch.

We look forward to hearing from you!
Best regards,
the LAB team

Tanzvereinigung Schweiz März 2022

 TVS Interview – Tanztherapie/Emotionen

Du bist Tanz- und Bewegungstherapeutin und hast dich im Verlauf deines Lebens mit diversen Körper- und Bewegungsmethoden auseinandergesetzt, was fasziniert dich an Tanz und an der bewegten Körper- und Therapiearbeit?

Ersteinmal möchte ich darlegen, wie wir Tanztherpeut:innen den Tanz definieren: Tanz ist erlebte Bewegung, welche ihre Dynamik durch  emotionale Anbindung und innere Haltung bekommt.

Mich fasziniert, wie jeder Mensch sich anders ausdrückt, obwohl wir alle dieselbe Körperstruktur haben. An der Therapiearbeit fasziniert mich, dass einerseits die bewegte Person mit der Zeit erlebt, dass der Körper in Bewegung immer tiefere Einsichten und Erkenntnisse offenbart und anderseits die bewegende Person sehr schnell merkt, was ihr gut tut und was nicht. Mich fasziniert es, Menschen darin zu begleiten: Welche Bewegungs- und Erlebensanleitung braucht jemand, damit dieser Prozess in Gang kommt. Als Guidline dienen mir dafür meinen tanztherapeutisch spezifischen Bewegungsassessments und -interventionen. Da dieser Prozess bei jedem Menschen einzigartig und ausgesprochen individuell ist, braucht es von meiner Seite viel Gegenwärtigkeit, Wissen und auch Intuition. Meine langjährige Erfahrung ist natürlich auch sehr hilfreich….Diese Mischung fasziniert mich ausserordentlich und gelingt mir dann, wenn ich mich wahrhaftig auf mein Gegegenüber einlasse.Gelingt das, entsteht Neues, Unvorhergesehenes, Beindruckendes, nicht Erwartetes, auch das ist ausserordentlich faszinierend.

Was ist Tanztherapie?

Dafür gibt es die Definition von der European Association for Dance Movement Therapy (EADMT) die mir entspricht und mir gefällt:

Tanztherapie ist die therapeutische Nutzung von Bewegung zur Förderung der emotionalen, kognitiven, körperlichen, spirituellen und sozialen Integration des Einzelnen. Tanz als Körperbewegung, kreativer Ausdruck und Kommunikation ist der Kernbestandteil von Tanztherapie. Ausgehend von der Tatsache, dass der Geist, der Körper, der emotionale Zustand und die sozialen Interaktionen miteinander verbunden sind, stellt die Körperbewegung gleichzeitig das Mittel zur Beurteilung und die Art der Intervention für die Tanztherapie dar.

Was hat dich dazu bewegt dein Leben dem Tanz und der Bewegungstherapie zu verschreiben? Wie bist du zum Tanz gekommen?

Als ich 18 Jahre alt war, wurde mir klar, dass ich nur Mensch werden kann, wenn ich mehr Verbindung zu meinem Körper habe. Also bin ich Gymnastiklehrerin geworden, weil mich die anmutige Bewegung sehr faszinierte. In dieser Ausbildung bin ich mit dem Moderem Tanz in Verbindung gekommen, was mich ausdrucksstark und vital hat werden lassen. Es war ein Gefühl von tiefer Zufriedenheit, die keine Worten nahe kommt: erlebte und gelebte Lebendigkeit in allen Variationen und weiterreichender als meine Körpergrenzen: Ein Ruf und Hall durch das ganze Universum. Das hat mir das befriedigende Gefühl der Verbundenheit und Aufgehobenheit vermittelt. Nach meinem Tanzstudium in New York war mir klar, war mir  klar, dass ich nicht in erster Linie „Tanzschritte“ vermitteln will, sondern das durch den Tanz erlebare vitale Körpergefühl in seinem ganzen Ausdruck vermitteln möchte. Das gelang mir erst, als ich merkte, dass „die Seele mittanzen muss“.

 Welche Grundhaltung liegt deiner therapeutischen, pädagogischen und künstlerischen Arbeit zugrunde?

Definitiv und absolut eine humanistische Grundhaltung. Dafür bin ich dankbar. Hier die Definition dafür:

Jeder Mensch ist einzigartig und wird als ein Individuum betrachtet, dessen Körper, Geist und Seele miteinander verwoben sind und sich gegenseitig beeinflussen. Das kreative Potential jedes Menschen wird erkannt, erfasst, geschätzt und unterstützt. Dabei wird dem Individuum die Fähigkeit, anderen Menschen dieselben Rechte zu gewähren und darüber einen Diskurs zu führen, zugestanden und auch von ihm erwartet.

Die humanistische Sichtweise betrachtet den Menschen eingebettet in ein ökologisches und soziales Umfeld, mit dem er in Resonanz treten kann. Er hat ein Recht auf Freiheit sowie die Berechtigung und Verantwortung auf Selbstbestimmung. Dieses Menschenbild stellt die Wechselwirkung von inneren Prozessen und der Resonanz auf äussere Gegebenheiten in den Vordergrund. Aus diesem Grund betrachten wir den Menschen auch als holistisches Wesen.

In diesem Jahr begleitet uns das Thema Tanz und Emotionen. Kannst du uns aus tanztherapeutischer Sicht erzählen, was Emotionen sind, welche Funktion sie in unserem Leben haben und welche Rolle sie in der Tanztherapie spielen?

Emotionen sind sogenannte „Marker“. Sie zeigen uns auf, wie wir uns fühlen und geben uns Informationen darüber, wie wir uns verhalten sollten: Angst zeigt uns auf, dass wir vorsichtig sein müssen. Freude zeigt und auf, dass wir mit allen Umständen rund um uns herum an einem guten Ort sind. Wut ist die Kraft, die uns ermöglicht uns unseren eigenen Raum wieder einzunehmen usw.

Das Wort Emotion ist nicht weit weg vom Wort Motion. In der Tat berichtet uns Antonio Damasio davon, dass jede Emotion auch eine Veränderung des Muskeltonus ist. Er meint damit auch, dass der Körper, resp. die Bewegung und die Emotionen eigentlich EIN Vorgang sind, denn er sagt auch, dass jede Veränderung einer Emotion auch eine Veränderung des Muskeltonus ist oder umgekehrt. Somit bewegen wir uns in der Tanztherapie also ständig zwischen Erleben(der Bewegung, der Emotionen, stimmungen , innerer Bilder)  und aktiver Bewegung. Somit werden Erkenntnisse generiert, die bis dahin im Unbewussten gelebt haben.

Ich beobachte, dass Menschen, die ihre Emotionen vernachlässigen in dem Masse auch ausdruckslose Körper haben und Menschen, die Ihre Emotionen zurückhalten, eher verspannte Körper haben. Das kann mit dem oben beschriebenen Prozess bearbeitet werden.

Wir haben gelernt unsere Emotionen im digitalen Raum durch Emojis auszudrücken. Wie erlebst du den Umgang der Menschen mit Emotionen in deiner therapeutischen Arbeit?

Ich liebe Emojis, sie geben den Worten die „richtige Farbe und den Hinweis auf die Emotion der/des Sender:in. Sie tragen demzufolge zu einer klaren Kommunikation bei, weil sie die Emotion, die durch die kurzen Sätze verloren geht, durch das Emoji kommuniziert wird. 

 Welchen Umgang mit Emotionen und mit dem eigenen Körper würdest du dir in unserer Gesellschaft wünschen? Wo siehst du in dieser Hinsicht Entwicklungspotential?

Ich würde mir wünschen, dass es bekannter ist, dass unsere Emotionen in einer direkten Verbindung zu unserer Bewegung stehen: Wir sagen ja auch, dass wir „bewegt“ seien, wenn uns etwas emotional betrifft. Das stimmt, denn auch wieder Antonia Damasio sagt, dass jede Emotion mit einer Muskeltonusveränderung einher geht.

Dass wir nicht mehr von negativen Emotionen, sondern zwischen eher angenehmen resp, eher unangenehmen oder herausfordernden Emotionen sprechen. Negativ heisst in der Physik „nicht mehr fliessend“. Das deckt sich, denn wir haben die Tendenz, unangenehme Emotionen festzuhalten oder sogar zu unterdrücken, was wir mit unseren Muskeln machen. Der Krux ist, dass fliessende Emotionen sich sehr schnell verändern, was heisst, dass blockierte Emotionen sich nicht verändern können, was wir ja grade nicht wollen.  Man darf auch nicht vergessen, dass wenn wir Emotionen blockieren, wir auch uns, unser Bewusstsein, unsere Eindrücke, unser vitaler Ausdruck und im schlimmsten Fall auch unsere Organe blockieren. Es ist ein Zustand wie eingefroren sein.  Die Entwicklung in unserer Kultur sollte also auf den authentischen Emotionsausdruck ausgerichtet sein

 Welchen Einfluss nehmen Emotionen auf Lern- und Lehrprozesse und was bedeutet das für unsere tanzpädagogische Tätigkeit?

Erlebte Emotionen machen durchlässig öffnen uns und unsere Wahrnehmung. Wir werden neugierig, was die wichtigste Grundalge für den Lernprozess ist. Sobald wir überfordert sind, entsteht Stress und Verspannung. In Stresssituationen schaltet der Körper auf „“ und alle Kraft wird für die Reaktion auf die Gefahr, die Gefahrenminderung resp für das Ausschalten der Gefahr verwendet.  Neugierde und Offenheit verschwinden, der Lernprozess ist blockiert. Für die Pädagogik heisst das, dass eine vertrauensvolle Lernumgebung und Raum und Zeit für die Exploration wichtig sind. Für die Tanzpädagog:innen wünsche ich mir, dass sie wüssten, dass eine Emotion auch eine Muskeltonusveränderung, also eine Bewegung ist und dass sie auch mit diesem Bewusstsein unterrichten,

 Wie siehst du aus tanztherapeutischer Sicht das Verhältnis zwischen Körper und Psyche?

Da müssten wir erst einmal definieren, was die Psyche ist. Nehmen wir einmal an, dass die Psyche die Gesamtheit des Fühlens, Empfindens und der Gedanken (als Folge des Fühlens und Empfindens)  ist, ist der Körper das Mittel für diese Funktionen. In diesem Sinne ist der Körper ausführend und schafft auch Kommunikation und daraus folgend Beziehung zu den Dingen und Menschen in unserer Lebenswelt.

 Woraus schöpfst du? Was inspiriert dich in deiner Tätigkeit?

Mich inspiriert der Mut meiner Klient:innen, sich immer wieder mit ihren verborgenen, zurückgehaltenen oder noch unbekannten Emotionen zu verbinden und ich schöpfe aus dem Staunen über das auftauchen von beeindruckenden Erkenntnissen für den persönlichen Wachstumsprozess, wenn Menschen ihre Emotionen und ihre Bewegung (wieder) fliessen lassen können. Das ist auch pure Vitalität und Lebensfreude.

 Welche tanztherapeutischen Ansätze lassen sich in der tanzpädagogischen Arbeit integrieren und können diese bereichern?

Sicherlich das Laban Bartenieff Bewegungssystem. Es lehrt Bewegungsprinzipien und ist nicht eine Technik. Das heisst, dass es, wenn es angewendet wird, sehr persönlich erlebt werden kann und somit die (Bewegungs)persönlichkeit unterstützt. Der Kreative Ausdruckstanz, aber auch Tanztechniken können davon profitieren.

 Wie hat deine Auseinandersetzung mit Tanztherapie und verschiedenen Körpertechniken dein Leben und deine pädagogische Tätigkeit über die Jahre beeinflusst? Was hast du gelernt?

Ich habe gelernt, dass dem Körper eine undendliche und sehr beeindruckende Intelligenz zugrunde liegt: Der Schlüssel dazu ist das Bewusstsein für den Körper, seine Strukturen von den Knochen über die Organe bis hin zu den Zellen und natürlich der ganze und unendliche Reichtum der Bewegung.

Besten Dank Brigitte, das war interessant!

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