Exploring the Nature of Walking in Dance/Movement Therapy: An Artistic Inquiry

References to the use of walking, not only as a basic total body action but also as an expressive element, are abundant in dance/movement therapy (DMT) literature. The researcher’s intent was to generate descriptions of its range of use in DMT practice and to find possible symbolic or psychological meanings of walking in this therapeutic medium. In order to so, the researcher used an artistic inquiry methodology. Four dance/movement therapists participated in a data collection workshop. They were asked to think of a time they used a walking intervention in a session, embody a client who walked in that session and then to create a movement motif based on this walking intervention. Then, participants performed their motifs, taught their motifs to the researcher and then wrote a brief poetic narrative about what they saw, felt or experienced. A focus group followed wherein these participants were asked to discuss ways they have used walking in their clinical practice. The researcher analyzed data that emerged from the workshop using theater and dance techniques and then generated a final creative synthesis in the form of a solo performance video. The video created was in response to the research question, “how is walking used in dance/movement therapy? And what are the sensations, emotions, themes and meanings that emerge from the use of walking in dance/movement therapy practice?” After the exploring the range of uses, sensations, emotions, themes and meanings that emerged from the data collected in this study, five major categorical themes were crystallized. These themes include, shifting awareness/grounding/opening, instability/stability, walking as a bridge to dance/movement, walking as a metaphor/relational process, and transforming disability into ability.M.A., Dance/Movement Therapy and Counseling -- Drexel University, 201