Teenage Girls’ Dance Group in a Residential Setting: The Use of Singing and Dance as Therapy
Our next illustration involves a dance therapy group in a psychiatric setting. Group members were girls aged 13 to 16 with various levels of disturbance. Their worker described their common characteristics as poor body awareness and image, concerns over their sexuality, and significant problems in expressing feelings. Staff felt these clients were “overloaded” with talking groups yet unable to make effective use of groups that were verbally oriented. The worker contracted with the members to develop a weekly dance group in which she would help them develop the ability to express their feelings through dance. She openly explained the purposes of the group and her hopes that through these activities they might discover new feelings and insights and that this could lead to their ability to talk with her and other staff about things that concerned them.
She also explained that as they developed confidence in their bodies, they would find it easier to develop confidence in other areas of their lives. Her contract included the agreement that they would select the music they wished to use and would take control over what they wanted to express, the concerns they wished to work on, and so on. They would use video equipment to record sessions and then view their tapes, and group members would be expected to provide critical feedback to each other on the dance techniques as well as the related discussion. A critical factor to be underlined at this point was that the worker was suggesting the use of activity as a tool for the members’ use. The group members, not the worker, would be in control over the medium, so that they would experience the activity as something they did with the other group members and the worker, as opposed to something the worker was doing to them.
In the following illustration from this group, two of the group members are sick. The worker continued with the remaining member, Sandy, aged 16. The opening of the session demonstrates the group member’s control as she selects the music and decides to use singing as a medium instead of dance.
Sandy arrived early today and ready for work. She noted the others were absent and said, “Good, I can have a one-to-one with you — there are some things I want to work on.” I asked what, to which she replied, “‘The Dog’ — with the Harmonica Man Music, but I’m a bit tight, a bit scared, can we start with something else?” I agreed that it made sense to loosen up a bit and not rush into the heavy things right away. At times Sandy becomes impatient, and there is a need to slow the process down and give her controls within which to work.
We looked at the records, and she picked out “I Can See Clearly Now” and said she wanted to work with it. I asked if we could use the video, to which she agreed. When I asked how she wanted it, Sandy said she didn’t feel like dancing but she would like to sing, but wasn’t sure she would sound or look very good. I suggested that we use the music as an exercise and try it several different ways. In the first of three versions, her affect was flat, she was unable to look directly into the camera, and her body movements were stiff, with nervous gestures with the hand-held mike. Her voice was also flat and hushed. After looking at it on replay, Sandy was disappointed, to which I replied, “Let’s keep going — add something into the next taping — pretend you’re on TV, that you’re a professional singer, try looking into the camera, sing to somebody, and don’t worry how your voice sounds; let the feeling come out.”
The second version began to come alive. She smiled, looked into the camera, and began to build up some confidence. Sandy became more stylized in her singing and began to move the mike back and forth. She tossed her hair and did stepping movements as she sang. On viewing the replay, Sandy was really surprised to see the changes in her appearance and wondered if she should go on to something else. I suggested she stay with this piece and do another version — putting as much as she could into It — exaggerating — really feeling the music. She shared that it is one of her wishes to be a rock singer. She liked the feeling of being the center of so much attention and of being able to really sing about what is inside. I said, “OK — let those feelings go — let them out, let’s see what really does come out.”
In the third version, Sandy was like a person totally removed from her former identities. There was a surging sense of power in her voice, a ventilation of emotion that reached a climax in which she threw her hair back, holding the mike up over her mouth, and she held a high note strongly until her energy dissipated and she gasped for air, choking forward. The jerking movement and relaxation of the tension was clearly orgasmic in quality. She appeared to be stupefied at her own power and physical reaction—grabbing her throat and trying to regain her balance and composure. She lost several lines of the music then began again to complete the song. Her outpouring of feeling, movement, and charisma was definite and exciting. While her voice lacked true singing quality, its impact was unmistakable. In replaying the tape, she became a little giddy and excited with the results and expressed concern with the voice quality and that maybe she’d overdone it. I reassured her that we were learning and experimenting and she should not make a final decision on the results yet. I gave her feedback as to how much more animated and alive she was than the first and second version and just how much feeling she had inside. I asked how she felt after letting the feeling go, to which she replied, “I feel just exhausted — so much rushed out at once.” I suggested we move on to something else and asked if she felt ready for the “Harmonica Man Music.” She said she would try but wasn’t sure if she could get into it now. She said the music frightens her, but she is also haunted by it and wants to understand why it has this effect on her. I replied that we must move slowly — take one step at a time.
It is interesting to note how the words of the music can be used to express, in a poetic manner, the group member’s inner feelings and aspirations. For example, the words of the song Sandy selected are as follows:
I can see clearly now—the rain is gone
I can see all obstacles in my way
Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind
It’s gonna be a bright, bright sunshiny day.
Sandy used this music to begin to express the part of her that was reaching for growth — the hopeful part. The second song, to which she danced later in the session, enabled her to express some of her fears, which up until that point she had not felt free enough to share with the staff. The discussion of these feelings followed her improvised dancing as she and the worker attempted to understand the reactions evoked by the music.
Another group, in the same setting, decided to develop a dance routine that the three members would perform at the institution’s annual Christmas party concert. The dance involved dressing in Tahitian costumes and performing a dance before staff and other residents. The three girls in the group had all been shy, concerned about their bodies and their sexuality. The idea of performing was quite frightening. At the last moment, Jeannine decided she could not go on, and the other two girls performed the dance with the worker. This illustration is from the first meeting after the concert. The two girls who danced are preparing to leave the institution, and the discussion at the start of the meeting began with their impending endings. The discussion shifted to the Christmas concert and revealed the learning that had taken place for the girls who danced and the one who did not.
To this point, none of the girls had mentioned the Christmas party concert or the Tahitian dance performed by Terry, Joanne, and myself. I said, “We’ve done a lot together over the last few months, and I’m realizing our group, too, will be ending , and we won’t be able to continue on as we were before Christmas.” There was silence. Joanne and Terry both indicated the Christmas concert had been exciting but a real struggle, and they hadn’t believed they could do it.
Jeannie, who had been quiet throughout the discussion, looked up, twisted her fingers, looked down, then looked straight toward Terry and Joanne and said quietly, “You looked really beautiful — I wished I had been up there with you, but I couldn’t stick with it — I was having a bad time before Christmas. I was scared, and I couldn’t do it — but you guys did — and they (the kids in the cottage) loved it. You were good.” Jeannine was choked with emotion as she spoke. She was soft-spoken and looked vulnerable. Joanne burst into smiles and chatter, saying, “Were we really? Gee, I was so nervous and I made so many mistakes — you know I had to be on medication, I was so anxious I didn’t think I could do it — but Sharon (the worker) came over and I did it!” Terry asked Jeannine, “Did they really like it?” She added, “It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done — I can move my hips to the music, but I don’t do steps and I usually get mixed up.”
The girls went on to compare notes on their highly successful performance and remembered their encore and the kids whistling and applauding. Terry added, “I didn’t believe I could do such a dance in front of the boys, especially from our own cottage. I was afraid they’d laugh.” I said, “I had the jitters, too — I knew you could do it, but for a while there it was touch and go for all of us!” The girls started to laugh saying, “You weren’t nervous, too!” I reminded them the rehearsals had been difficult, and it was natural to get nervous before a performance.
I looked at Jeannine, who was glowing with the excitement, and said, “That was very special of you to tell Joanne and Terry they looked beautiful. I wish you could have been up there doing it with us, too.” I moved and put my arm around Jeannine. “It’s not easy to watch others do something you couldn’t follow through on — but you know, it feels like you really were up there with us in spirit.” Jeannine nodded her head, saying, “I do that all the time — I know the steps, but I just wouldn’t do it.” Terry and Joanne listened to Jeannine, attempting to reassure her by pointing out their own misgivings. I said, “I’m really proud of all of you; you’ve worked so hard, and it sounds like you want to get more for yourself, Jeannine.”
I looked at Jeannine and asked, “What about you — do you want to continue in the dance group?” Jeannine was embarrassed and quiet but said, “If there is a group, I’d like to stay — but maybe I will be the only one.” I indicated that I would be glad to work with her, even alone.
In the weeks that followed this session, Jeannine struggled to take new risks in the dancing area with the encouragement and support of the new group members. A close working relationship usually developed between the group members and the worker that encouraged them to use her for discussions in sensitive areas, such as trouble with other staff or their fears about leaving the institution. At times, the worker would point out the connections between their fears of risking new dances or exposing themselves to criticism (e.g., using the video) and similar concerns in other areas of their lives. Thus, the work moved between activity and talking, and the supposed dichotomy between the two was proved to be false. Similar creative group work has been demonstrated using other mediums, showing the potential power of mutual aid offered without words.