This is not a dance class

Venn diagram of dance class and dance therapy

All dancing can improve coordination, strength and range of motion. It can increase your self-confidence as you achieve mastery over leaps, and spins. It can help you feel a sense of belonging when you make the same shapes at the same time as the rest of the class.

Just as talking things through with a friend is not the same as going to a counsellor or psychologist, this is NOT a dance class:

Instead of focusing on choreographed movement for you to repeat and perfect, it's about using movement to empower yourself. It is a non-judgmental, non-competitive space when you can move freely. There is no 'right' way to dance. For example, the movement rules in Soul Gesture sessions are:

1. It's only wrong if you hurt yourself

2. All movement is useful and meaningful

3. Move as much or as little as you like

4. Do what you can, don't worry about what you can't

5. Remember to breath

Empowering you

In dance and movement therapy you can take control over the sensations in your body, the unpleasant feelings of anxiety, stress and depression. This is not a dance class: your therapist will support you to find the best ways to regulate when you feel overwhelmed or struggle to get moving at all.

Dance and movement therapy is a reciprocal space where you will explore different movement types in your own time. You try on different movements and see how they feel, notice what brings you joy and question what is uncomfortable.

When you are ready, you can explore the unpleasant sensations.

For example, your therapist may ask where you feel the anxiety, can you move that around? Does it help to move it small and fast or to exaggerate the shape and move in slow motion? Maybe you will lay on the floor, wrap yourself in some material and just breath. Or maybe you would like to push all the stresses into a hacky sack and throw it across the room.

The point is that a therapy session is led by you. It is paced by you. One session you might want to tell a story and the next you might want to stretch and breath. Your therapist is there as your guide and your companion. Not your teacher. You can share as much or as little as you like in each session. You can verbalise your thoughts as you go or stay silent and express emotions entirely through the body. Your therapist will not analyse your movement for you but will counsel you to analyse it for yourself, to come to your own realisations about why you feel certain things and how you can take control and seek wellbeing.

Other differences to a dance class are:

• wear whatever you like

• no mirrors

• no performances

• no need to remember a sequence for the next session

• choose the music you like