Dance your blues away

AHMEDABAD: Imagine being in a state ofconstant pain, stress and trauma. Now, imagine being freed from those emotions,almost immediately as if by magic. We aren''t talking of Harry Potter''ssupernatural histrionics at work, but about a very scientific and creative formof treatment - dance therapy. Shweta Mathur would know. After seeinga building collapse right in front of her eyes and having lost her cousin in theearthquake tragedy three years back, she also lost touch with her best friend,Aaliya, who had to leave the city with her family during the riots two yearsback. Mentally shattered and depressed, Shweta started dance therapytwo years back. After several sessions of dance, Shweta now has a more positiveattitude towards the future. She said, "dance has helped me cope with the harshrealities of life."After the traumatic double whammies that Gujaratexperienced in the form of the earthquake and riots, more and more people areturning to arts for a peace of mind. "I have had people coming to meafter the earthquake and the riots, asking if dance could help them get back toa normal state of mind. These are people who have suffered immense psychologicaltrauma during these testing times," said Bijoy Shivram, a Bharatnatyam dancer,who runs a dance group by the name of ''Preksha''.Shivram informed, "I havestarting giving dance lessons for the people who have approached me. My studentsfor these special sessions are in the age group of forty to seventy five years.The emphasis is on expression of feelings through dance and not only on theobvious physical aspects of dance. I believe that dance has the power to healthe deepest of wounds."Another staunch believer in dance therapy isSmita Shastri, an exponent of Bharatnatyam and Kuchipudi forms of classicaldances. According to her, "therapy through dance has helped me come out of anacute problem that I had in my knee joints. Doctors advised me to goin for a painful knee replacement operation but being a dancer I believed in thepower of my art. Today after systematic training and practice, I am stillperforming on the stage and I am well in to my fifties!"Like in thecase of most alternative healing methods, one needs to exercise caution whilepracticing dance therapy. Visiting an orthopaedic surgeon for an overallexamination and training under an experienced practitioner is crucial."Dancing if done in moderation really tones up your muscles and is agreat exercise for the entire body. Unlike other exercises, there are minimalchances of injury while one is dancing," said Dr Kirit Shah, an orthopedicsurgeon.The best part of dancetherapy is that it doesn''t seem like treatment. It slowly becomes an intrinsicpart of ones routine and cures slowly but effectively. "Dance has an amazingability to take you closer to your own original self. It is a catharsis of youremotions sublimated in a constructive way," said Madhavi Jhala, who is anexponent and teacher of Kathak dance and an MA in clinical psychology.Jhala also talks about many instances where she could use herPsychology background and her expertise in dance for the benefit of herstudents. For some this form of therapy has shaped their entirelives. dance has literally brought them back to life. Take the case of RuchiParekh who was at a verge of giving up on life when her parents persuaded her togo in for dance therapy. Completely disheartened after gettingdismal results in her final year masters examination and a broken engagement,she was depressed and very disturbed. Within a few dance sessions,all her pent up emotions came out and she started looking at life moreoptimistically. Now, married and settled in the US, she said, "dance is life forme. Today, I can''t imagine a life without dance. It gave me a new lease oflife!"Around the world, dance therapy is gaining prominence and isbeing accepted as a scientific form of treatment. Why not live our life to thefullest and start dancing towards happiness,today!