Indian classical dance: A study of its therapeutic exploration

Abstract

Dance movement therapy (DMT), a form of expressive art therapy, originated in the early 1940s utilizing the emotional, psychological, spiritual and creative benefits of dance as movement in the form of psychotherapeutic treatment. India has an ancient legacy of dance that recognizes this aspect with artists/therapists applying that rich history to inform their work. This article aims to delineate those therapeutic nuances within the unique technicalities of Indian classical dance (ICD) such as mudras (‘gestures’) and abhinaya (‘expressive features’) that are being practised, addressing various ailments. Through interviews, a set of practitioners from the fraternity who are exploring this curative path share their views and experience over the benefits offered by ICD to the individuals/social communities of non-dancers they work with. These observations combined with personal reflections and supported by citations of research literature, invite systematic investigation on implementing ICD’s potential to further expand its scope within DMT.