Dance Movement Therapy and Flamenco: Relationships Through Traditional Rhythms

Elena Cristobal Linares

Image 17.1 Flamenco in the community

INTRODUCTION

This chapter will:

• 1. Introduce to the reader an experience of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) in which flamenco was part of the methodology.
• 2. Delimit the opportunities that flamenco can provide for people with severe mental disorders who have difficulties with introspection and a limited and/or distorted knowledge of their bodies.
• 3. Present an empirical study that collected objective measures of the effectiveness of a treatment integrating flamenco into DMT.

ASPECTS OF FLAMENCO THAT CONTRIBUTE TO THE HEALTH OF PEOPLE WITH SEVERE MENTAL DISORDERS

Flamenco reflects all the vital experiences and the emotions of a people through its songs, touches and dance, from passion to death, hence its cathartic function. It has an enormous wealth of musical forms and rhythms and is a powerful channel of emotional expression, so it can be used as a tool in social intervention developed through art.

(Grätsch, 2012)

While recognized throughout the world as a dance of the Iberian Peninsula, flamenco can be adapted to the possibilities, tastes, abilities, and preferences of individuals and groups to meet their situation and needs as they can work from the creation of rhythms or melodies with different instruments (including the palms of hands), lyrics, dances, and use of accessories (fans, flowers, shawls, handkerchiefs, and so on). The history of a people and the events that took place around the formation of flamenco—art, photography, architecture, poetry'— can also be implemented in DMT.

In this chapter I will present some aspects of flamenco that align to principles of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) as outlined by the pioneer Marian Chace. It will be shown how these aspects of flamenco can contribute to the treatment of people with severe mental disorders. Although presented separately, the different aspects interact simultaneously.¹

Expression and Communication

Chace’s foundational concept is that dance is communication. Since flamenco is a dance genre that privileges expression of feeling and communication, this form is well suited for use in DMT. It is this aspect that has become basic for the application of flamenco in our workshop experience. It has allowed us to use, in a dynamic and relational way, the different resources of flamenco art, thereby tuning the DMT workshop to the needs and circumstances of those who attend it.

Flamenco is part of a ritual that, along with singing, guitars, and percussion instruments, occupies circular spaces to facilitate intercommunication, coexistence between groups, mutual learning, the exchange of roles, and so on. It is capable of giving structure to a space, providing it with order and also with timing, rhythm, and silence (Cruces Roldan, 2002a). When flamenco is used within a group model, it enables the sharing of experiences and knowing of other people directly, allowing participants to acquire a more realistic experience of themselves and the others in the group (Gonzalez de Chavez, 2008).

The basic structure of flamenco dancing allows for three main elements of flamenco art— dance, song, and guitar—to be integrated in a harmonious way. Through this structure, there is communication in the group. Similarly, in DMT, there are also fundamental elements that provide structure: rhythm, as a special way of connecting movement in space, time, music, as well as the body in relation to weight and gravity. In the structured space of DMT, the person who dances realizes that their dance is understood up by the therapist (Fischman, 2008).

This communication between dancer and therapist in DMT gives further credence to the use of flamenco in Dance Movement Therapy. Flamenco allows for the interaction between individuality and group experience. The participants in a group are encouraged to be aware of their sensations and emotions in the present moment. Further, while its execution is individual, flamenco is also a collective art that acquires meaning through the forms of sociability in which it is inserted (i.e., parties, meetings, and other social events). During these social events, all present are participants. Thus, when integrated into DMT, the communicative aspect of flamenco laid onto the structured space can enable therapeutic processes to be carried out.

Time and Rhythm

Time is fundamental in flamenco—an art full of rhythm, tempo, and speed. The rhythm is the arrangement of musical time and indicates, through a numerical expression, the sequence in which the accent of a melody falls. The tempo is the metric entity composed of several units of time that are organized in groups in which there is a contrast between stressed and unstressed parts. In flamenco music, accents are especially important since the metrics of the different flamenco styles or musical forms (palos) rest on those accents, which gives them their characteristic rhythm. The regularity of these accents is one way to indicate the corresponding palo.

Time in flamenco includes the time within oneself, in the world, the natural succession of natural events. The emphasis on time is rooted in the history of the dance, for flamenco resulted from historical processes in continuous formation, change, and consolidation. The notion of temporality, as a result of experiences and the behavioral expression of it, becomes a marker for organization of the self. Temporality, then, becomes important not only to individual development but also to the field studying and helping those with mental disorders. Concepts, such as impulsivity, passivity, or tolerance of frustration, are determined by a temporal aspect that marks the appropriateness of a behavior (Garcia, 2010).

In psychosis, a person is broken and their story is interrupted. It is the job of therapists to help an individual rebuild it in some way. During this time, a person has to reinvent their self to be able to live. Rhythm, a fundamental component in the temporal aspect of dance and music, is a vital element that awakens in every human when in the womb and accompanies them throughout life in the heartbeat, in the circulation of blood, in breathing, in marching, and in conversation.

The innate predisposition towards rhythm is one of the aspects that allows for empathizing and connecting with others, speaking, walking, dancing, or making love. However, urban life and the processes of mechanization force people to adapt, in many cases, to external rhythms opposed to their internal ones (Reca, 2007). To facilitate the recovery of rhythmic experience, diverse strategies exist. For example, activating the voice by singing or reciting song lyrics while listening to music and dancing. These strategies favor the integration of movement, music, and words, which helps to express emotions, to release tension, and to focus a person or group through external rhythms (recorded music and instruments) and/ or internal rhythms (breathing, heartbeat, voice). All of this helps the breathing to be deeper and improve the body-mind connection (Fischman, 2008).

In flamenco, following the beat with the feet, clapping, or using another part of the body as an instrument helps to focus attention on the rhythmic structure and allows an individual to become more aware of their self. Emotions become conscious and are communicated through shared, symbolic rhythmic action (Chace, 1975).

Flamenco within DMT, then, has an effective integrating capacity. In the sessions, rhythm can be used as a communicative force between therapist and patient and among patients. An example of this can be found in the following quote:

In their daily life Gypsies take the different rhythms of flamenco, manifesting them with their hands, feet or sounds, until the moment comes when their breathing becomes one with the rhythm. Thus their actions are transformed into small dances. By keeping the rhythm of their lives, they reach a state of connection with their being, where everything is and turns in harmony with nature, “a long sustained movement leads to trance.”

(Garaudy, 1987)

Body Action and Body Awareness, Movement, and Dance

Our body image, the mental representation of the body, is formed through the integration of information coming from the different sensor)' modalities, the history of interpersonal relationships, and the influences of the environment/culture. Body image is fundamental for the development of the concept of oneself. People with psychosis have limited and distorted knowledge of their bodies. The stormy and apprehensive self can often be observed as these individuals move with great tension, with a limited range of movement variation, and have a reduced use of space. Often, their posture is rigid and passive, lacking in relaxation (Lopez, 2014). They may make unnecessary, jerky movements due to the secondary effects of neuroleptics, such as agitations, strange hand gestures, or rigid postures.

Another key aspect of individuals dealing with psychosis is how the sensor}' aspect affects body image. Usually this information is congruent, and our brain combines it effectively. That integration makes us perceive a coherent world and ourselves in it. Psychosis involves a certain disorder in the field of the senses that leads the person suffering from it to have a distorted images of things, including their self. When the information is received in an uncoupled way between some senses and others, the brain warns that an incongruence is taking place, which, at least, produces a sensation of strangeness. In people with psychosis, there are situations in which there is a lack of concordance between the senses, that is, they may hear something that does not match up with what they see.

An important step to redefine body image is in the kinesthetic identification of the different parts of the body, its joints, and the constructive use of the muscles—an aspect absent in most people with psychotic disorders. An improvement in these individuals’ situation may come from identifying body parts and being aware of how they use or used them. In DMT integrating flamenco, to establish body boundaries—that is, where the body ends and where another’s begins—some simple experiences of contact with one’s own body are proposed, such as stroking, applauding, clapping, and stomping. Working with weight (moving, grounding) and the use of forward and backward movements, push and stretch, join and separate help to establish awareness of those limits through moving in and being aware of space.²

DMT workshops using flamenco among people with severe mental disorders have proven effective in helping them to establish a sense of weight since, when striking the feet on the ground in a progressive way, one is able to feel presence, rootedness, connection with the ground (grounding) and with the "here and now.” In this movement, thinking ceases and one can connect with what is happening, with reality. While this population may have trouble concentrating on the sequence of movements, on both feet and palms, being part of the group as one in the production of the rhythm is a difficult, but highly rewarding, task.

For example, in some of our sessions, the break from isolation to group integration was easily observable. Some participants began the sessions disconnected from the group as if they weren’t there. Sessions would begin with a simple rhythm and synchronous handclapping. The structured sound produced by this body action/dance then facilitated connections between the others in the “here and now.” After several minutes, those who had isolated themselves would yawn and stretch, establish visual eye contact, and even greet others in the group.

In flamenco, the feet are fundamental because of the importance allotted in this dance to keeping beat, which contributes to its energetic aspect and makes it so appealing. “The tap of the foot” is perhaps the most insistent and particular aspect of flamenco dance and requires having the legs bent, which gives it a terrestrial and undulating sense (Cruces Roldan, 2012b).

The upper part of the body moves freely with the melody and lower part with the rhythm (Lowen, 2006). Earth provides support, a ground to be experienced and moved on, as through gravity Earth is literally our support and flamenco becomes Earth. Simple and adequate movements to stimulate the experience of contact with the ground and the group are proposed by the therapist and prove useful in DMT groups: pelvis, legs, feet pressing the floor according to the beat and the rhythm.

At a certain stage, introducing castanets to the DMT integrated with flamenco sessions adds an element of concentration and group cohesion. Using castanets requires unusual gestures that need much effort of coordination but achieve the isolated movements of the fingers and strengthen the torso, specifically the pectoral, dorsal, forearm, and solar plexus. Thus, the addition invites innovation to the posture.

These creative and integrating experiences help participants become aware of their body and their potential and reinforces their personal identity within the group. Being aware of how we move, how much space we use, and the personal and social distance we need are fundamental aspects in DMT interventions. As participants grow in understanding and gather insight, they are more prepared to establish contact with others and simultaneously acquire new information about the self.

The use of images in DMT provides a means through which a patient can remember, create, and reexperience. Some problems can be overcome at a purely symbolic level. A Dance Movement therapist accepts the symbolic meanings of the patient. Both the patient with a severe mental disorder and the dancer use symbolic body actions to communicate emotions and ideas. While the dancer can voluntarily choose bizarre and exaggerated postures to communicate with the public, the patient’s gestures communicate their internal emotions and convey feelings that cannot be verbalized. The dance therapist not only reacts to the symbolic expressions but also creates new symbolic interactions with the patient.

Thus, flamenco can be particularly useful toward this end goal. For example, if a patient feels anger, then the dance therapist may suggest that they stomp on the ground (zapa/eo) as if they could drill into it with their feet. This strong movement may then begin to unearth further feelings of anger or hostility or possibly evoke further memories.

In summary, DMT offers patients with severe mental disorders the possibility to express, reflect, and respond to emotional material. Put another way, to the extent that the subject shares individual emotions, the possibility of a feeling of belonging and being recognized is strengthened within a DMT group (Capello, 2008). When flamenco is integrated into DMT, it adds further benefits by offering the possibility of self-control, strengthening listening abilities, improving concentration and attention, and increasing organization of cognitive capacity. It can encourage verbal and nonverbal interaction and allows patients the experience of singularity (Gonzalez de Chavez, 2008).