18 Using Dance in Hand Therapy Marietta Tartaglia Long before the dawn of history, long before man could sing or even speak, he danced. Moving to his own internal rhythms, the pounding to his heart, the beating of his pulse. Man danced. It is within us all… always. —Gene Kelly, from the film, That’s Dancing!, 1985 A Therapist’s Occupations “What’s in your hand?” That is a question I once heard a prominent speaker ask when talking about the tools we have to engage in life successfully. It is a question all therapists should ask themselves when considering the best ways to interact with their patients. I am a ballroom dancer/instructor turned occupational therapist. In this chapter I hope to illustrate the unique partnership that is “the dance” of therapy. At the end of the chapter, I will describe how dance can be incorporated into hand therapy to promote upper extremity recovery. The Basics of Ballroom Connection Ballroom dancing is an umbrella term that encompasses a group of many partner dances. A few examples are waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba, salsa, samba, and swing. While some of these dances draw from the more popular singular styles of ballet and jazz, they differ in one elemental way: ballroom dancing, like therapy, always requires a partner. In fact, it would not be considered ballroom dancing if there were not another person present, and the rules for engaging require the consideration and connection of the other person. When a new student arrives to the studio for their first dance lesson, regardless of the dance they would like to learn, the very first thing I teach is connection. Whether they come in with a partner or by themselves, we practice moving as a unit. The basis of every lesson is learning not only how to move one’s own body, but how to make two bodies cooperate as one unit. This connection requires a very special style of communication that occurs primarily through the hands. In ballroom dance, specifically in open position, the hands are an extension of the center and are extended outward from the body to connect in various ways to the partner’s hands. Most of the information about body position, direction and intention communicated by both partners is coming through this hand connection and flowing in an open and dynamic fashion as an active channel. In partner dancing, there is an active role and a passive role. Often the leader is in the active role, and the follower is in the passive role. The leader intends the movements and steps; the follower receives the information and responds to the intention. If the intention is not communicated clearly by the leader through the hands or is not received by the follower clearly through the hands, then the move will not be executed correctly, and the two partners lose their feeling of oneness. The range of motion, responsiveness, stability and sensitivity of the wrists, hands and fingers are requisite to making the dance beautiful and successful. This is what makes partner dancing a salient form of hand therapy. In addition to thinking about connection while partner dancing, the student of dance must also learn a skeleton of standardized dance steps. It matters not whether the student is learning salsa or waltz; what is important is that the steps will become like second nature, as all of one’s attention moves into the partner connection of providing or receiving direction. Adding the Music and the Joy Once the basic steps are learned and the connection is established, the appropriate music is played, and the student begins to perform these new movements to rhythm. This is where the moment of truth arrives. There is an exhilaration that is felt once the student begins to step in time with the music hand-to-hand and in unison with another person. This is the moment when if dance is going to have an analgesic effect, it will. As two move as one, distracted by the timeless feel of moving to rhythm and being in connection with another human being, the previous feelings of pain, incompetence, frustration, and inhibition that often accompany injury can seem to melt away. Dance becomes a beautiful method of shifting the focus from disablement to empowerment. Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: Some Thoughts on Professionalism How Hand Therapists’ Words Affect the Therapeutic Relationship Edema Reduction Techniques: A Biologic Rationale for Selection Burns Flexor Tendon Injury Peripheral Nerve Problems Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join Tags: Fundamentals of Hand Therapy Clinical Reasoning and Treatment Gu Sep 9, 2016 | Posted by admin in MANUAL THERAPIST | Comments Off on Using Dance in Hand Therapy Full access? Get Clinical Tree
18 Using Dance in Hand Therapy Marietta Tartaglia Long before the dawn of history, long before man could sing or even speak, he danced. Moving to his own internal rhythms, the pounding to his heart, the beating of his pulse. Man danced. It is within us all… always. —Gene Kelly, from the film, That’s Dancing!, 1985 A Therapist’s Occupations “What’s in your hand?” That is a question I once heard a prominent speaker ask when talking about the tools we have to engage in life successfully. It is a question all therapists should ask themselves when considering the best ways to interact with their patients. I am a ballroom dancer/instructor turned occupational therapist. In this chapter I hope to illustrate the unique partnership that is “the dance” of therapy. At the end of the chapter, I will describe how dance can be incorporated into hand therapy to promote upper extremity recovery. The Basics of Ballroom Connection Ballroom dancing is an umbrella term that encompasses a group of many partner dances. A few examples are waltz, tango, foxtrot, rumba, salsa, samba, and swing. While some of these dances draw from the more popular singular styles of ballet and jazz, they differ in one elemental way: ballroom dancing, like therapy, always requires a partner. In fact, it would not be considered ballroom dancing if there were not another person present, and the rules for engaging require the consideration and connection of the other person. When a new student arrives to the studio for their first dance lesson, regardless of the dance they would like to learn, the very first thing I teach is connection. Whether they come in with a partner or by themselves, we practice moving as a unit. The basis of every lesson is learning not only how to move one’s own body, but how to make two bodies cooperate as one unit. This connection requires a very special style of communication that occurs primarily through the hands. In ballroom dance, specifically in open position, the hands are an extension of the center and are extended outward from the body to connect in various ways to the partner’s hands. Most of the information about body position, direction and intention communicated by both partners is coming through this hand connection and flowing in an open and dynamic fashion as an active channel. In partner dancing, there is an active role and a passive role. Often the leader is in the active role, and the follower is in the passive role. The leader intends the movements and steps; the follower receives the information and responds to the intention. If the intention is not communicated clearly by the leader through the hands or is not received by the follower clearly through the hands, then the move will not be executed correctly, and the two partners lose their feeling of oneness. The range of motion, responsiveness, stability and sensitivity of the wrists, hands and fingers are requisite to making the dance beautiful and successful. This is what makes partner dancing a salient form of hand therapy. In addition to thinking about connection while partner dancing, the student of dance must also learn a skeleton of standardized dance steps. It matters not whether the student is learning salsa or waltz; what is important is that the steps will become like second nature, as all of one’s attention moves into the partner connection of providing or receiving direction. Adding the Music and the Joy Once the basic steps are learned and the connection is established, the appropriate music is played, and the student begins to perform these new movements to rhythm. This is where the moment of truth arrives. There is an exhilaration that is felt once the student begins to step in time with the music hand-to-hand and in unison with another person. This is the moment when if dance is going to have an analgesic effect, it will. As two move as one, distracted by the timeless feel of moving to rhythm and being in connection with another human being, the previous feelings of pain, incompetence, frustration, and inhibition that often accompany injury can seem to melt away. Dance becomes a beautiful method of shifting the focus from disablement to empowerment. Only gold members can continue reading. Log In or Register to continue Share this:Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Related Related posts: Some Thoughts on Professionalism How Hand Therapists’ Words Affect the Therapeutic Relationship Edema Reduction Techniques: A Biologic Rationale for Selection Burns Flexor Tendon Injury Peripheral Nerve Problems Stay updated, free articles. Join our Telegram channel Join Tags: Fundamentals of Hand Therapy Clinical Reasoning and Treatment Gu Sep 9, 2016 | Posted by admin in MANUAL THERAPIST | Comments Off on Using Dance in Hand Therapy Full access? Get Clinical Tree
