Dance movement therapy has grown into an internationally recognized field and is practiced around the world.

 

In the USA, dance movement therapy (DMT) emerged as a distinct profession in the 1940’s. The primary pioneer of the work was Marian Chace. Her work with psychiatric patients and war veterans, first called “Dance for Communication” was the start of a new mental health profession, which would eventually be known as dance movement therapy. The American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) was formed in 1966, and Master’s programs were developed in several American universities, leading to certification to practice dance movement therapy.

 

In the UK, the dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) pioneers started to develop their practice in the early part of the second half of the last century (1960s-1970s). This lineage came from health and education backgrounds, some having been trained in Laban movement, which values the individual’s choice of movement and self-initiated vocabularies.

 

In Canada, dance movement therapy grew from connections with US institutions, and York University in Toronto offered an undergraduate program from 1970-1988, particularly focused on Laban movement analysis. The program was developed and taught by Juliana Lau, the first Registered Dance Therapist in Canada in 1972. As there was no association, no system for accreditation, and no one else working in the field yet in Canada, this registration was through the ADTA. Lau initiated and maintained relationships with The Clarke Institute of Psychiatry, Etobicoke General Hospital 5th floor psychiatric unit, Dublin Public School in Downsview, and Pleasant Public School in Willowdale and the Thistletown Regional Centre for Emotionally Disturbed Children. In 1977, the ADTA held its first international conference in Toronto, Ontario.

 

The Dance Movement Therapy Association of Ontario began working in the 1980s and 1990s to create an alternate route to certification, bringing in several outstanding teachers to teach courses. DMTAO worked at building membership, communicating through newsletters, offering workshops, advocating for a Canadian graduate program in DMT, and fighting for DMT accreditation in Canada. The organization ceased operating in the late 1990s. 

 

DMTAC is now the leader in dance movement therapy in Canada, and has been working hard in the past few years to create a Canadian certification program for practicing DMTs, as well as an accreditation program for educational programs. The certification program is set to launch in January 2025.