Developing Metaphors in Dance Movement Therapy

Presented by: Elizabeth Connor Kelly
Hosted by: DTAA

Date: Saturday, 27 June 2026

Time: 10.00am to 1.00pm AEST 

Location: Online via Zoom

CPD: 3 Hours, Category A

ABOUT THIS ONE DAY WORKSHOP:

This workshop will offer two developed experiential explorations to look at image and metaphor creation. The first practice after an initial warm up will be to brainstorm body part metaphors e.g. standing on your own two feet. Next participants will be in dyads or triads and explore two to three of these in movement and dance first literally and then allowing these to develop. Finally they will discover a phrase to share with the larger community and if there is time we will dance these together as a large group. We will discuss how this might apply in clinical settings. The second experiential involves half the group dancing/moving together will the other half make marks on a piece of paper. All participates will make marks on the paper and turn it into an image. In dyads (one from the moving group and one from the witnessing group) will then tell a story or fairytale to the partner. The first part of the discussion will elucidate how moving/dancing together has layers of images and metaphors and then a discussion about how this applies in clinical settings.

WHO THIS WORKSHOP IS FOR:

This workshop is ideal for:
-Dance Movement Therapists
-Creative Arts Therapists
-Body-Inclusive Therapists
-Psychologists & Psychotherapists
-Arts in Health Practitioners
-Allied Health Professionals (OT, PT, Social Work, Mental Health)
-Students & emerging professionals in the Creative Arts Therapies

LEARNING OBJECTIVES:

• Explore metaphor making with body part metaphors
• Engage with a dance and scribble process to demonstrate how images and stories can evolve
• Discuss applications within DMT practice

TICKET PRICING-EVENT REGISTRATION

RECOMMENDED READINGS:

Meekums, B. (2002). Dance Movement Therapy. London: SAGE Publications. Chapter 2 p. 13-36.

Sandel, S. (1993). Imagery in Dance Therapy Groups. In Sandel, S., Chaiklin,S. & Lohn, A. (Eds.).

Foundations of Dance/Movement Therapy: Life and Work of Marian Chace. (p 112-119). Maryland:

American Dance Therapy Assn.

Goodill, S. (2017). The Essentialness of Improvisation. In Guthrie, J., Mullane, S. & Loughlin, E. (Eds.).

Dance Therapy Collections Number 4. (p. 5-11). Melbourne: Dance Movement Therapy Association of Australasia.

EARLY REGISTRATION IS RECOMMENDED!

ALL YOU WILL NEED:

Colour pencils or crayons/ pastels , paper, comfort items (eg. cushions) for sitting, space for moving/dancing.

CONTACTS

Event Organisers:
Anjali Sengupta (PDC Convener)
embracingspirit@gmail.com
Sandi Middleton (PDC Member)
dhammadancesandi@gmail.com

Ticket Enquiries:
Donna Parker
admin@dtaa.org.au

DTAA CANCELLATION POLICY

To qualify for a refund, event cancellations must be made in writing (via email) as follows: 7 or more days prior to event date = 100% refund. Cancellations made 3-6 days prior to the event date = 50% refund. No refund is due for cancellation received within 48 hours of the event. If there are extenuating circumstances, please email the event contact person. All refunds will be processed no more than 14 days after the event. Email: admin@dtaa.org.au Subject: Cancellation Request.