master dance therapy - the programme
The Master in Dance Therapy is a two-year programme which starts every two years. The next programme will start in September 2010.
The Rotterdam Dance Academy has offered a (postgraduate) programme in dance therapy since 1995. One of the principal objectives of this programme, which in 2008 will have the full status of a master’s programme, is to broaden the scope of professional opportunities available to dancers, dance teachers, creative arts therapists, psychologists, movement researchers, physical therapists and social workers. It is the first Master in Dance Therapy in the Netherlands.
The Master in Dance Therapy trains dance therapists to combine therapeutic with research skills. Students learn a professional approach that uses a dance and movement vocabulary based on modern dance, improvisation, and Laban Movement Analysis. The content of the programme and the unambiguously international character of the curriculum and faculty team make this master’s programme unique in Europe. It is recognised as one of the leading programmes in this field.
A dance therapist uses dance and movement to achieve psychotherapeutic goals in providing social and psychological services to children, youth, adults and the elderly. Dance therapy is a nonverbal therapy appropriate for treating patients with psychosocial problems and psychiatric illnesses. The goal of dance therapy is to stimulate change and to help the patient deal with issues through the use of movement and the body. Dance and the creative therapeutic process are the most important tools in this therapy.
Dance therapists work in a variety of professional settings, ranging from (mental) health care, special education and geriatrics to preventive health care. Depending on the specific need, the dance therapist can work either with individual clients or in groups.
There are three components to the curriculum:
- Main subjects: dance therapy theories and methods, the dance therapy group process, Laban Movement Analysis;
- Supporting subjects: psychology/psychotherapy, anatomy/kinesiology, research;
- Professional Practice: therapeutic skills learned through internships and research skills learned through conducting research in the field and writing a thesis.
The relationship between dance/movement and therapy is the central theme of the main subjects. In addition, the programme also devotes attention to specific themes and target groups.
The integration of theory and practice is a connecting thread that runs through the entire programme. This integration is manifested in the content of the different curriculum modules and the way in which the modules link up with each other.
By ensuring that the programme’s learning outcomes are consistent with the requirements maintained by professional associations, students graduating from the programme are qualified to register themselves with associations like the Dutch Federatie Vaktherapeutische Beroepen and the American Dance Therapy Association, an international professional association.
The Master in Dance Therapy is a two-year programme, with the possibility of prolonging the study into a third year. The programme, which is taught in English, begins once every two years, with the next two-year cycle beginning in September 2008. Classes are taught on Fridays and once a month also on Saturdays. Each year, there are also three intensive weeks of classes, taught in October, February and July. Students need to remember to plan sufficient time for independent study, assignments and internships.
A student who successfully completes the programme (120 European credits) will receive the diploma Master of Dance Therapy, which is recognised by the Dutch government.
