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Depressed and stressed? Dance your worries away |
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By: Aastha Atray Banan |
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Date:
2008-09-01 |
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Place: - |
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Dance therapist Dilshad Patel teaches Mid-Day Feature Writer Aastha Atray Banan (in purple) a few moves. PICs/SAYED SAMEER ABEDI | AS I spoke to dance therapist Dilshad Patel, who has trained at the The Harkness Dance Centre in New York, over the phone for an appointment, her enthusiasm was infectious. Her voice was vivacious and full of pep.
After a 20-minute session with her on the terrace of an unusually-large Bandra apartment, I felt an adrenaline rush creep up inside me, and I knew where Dilshad got her energy from.
All we did was flow with the music, letting our hands and feet wander as they wished. How did that feel so relaxing?
What is dance therapy? Dilshad explains, "Dance therapy is founded on the premise that the body and mind are connected, and that the state of the body affects the mental and emotional well-being.
By observing, and altering the movements of a client, a dance movement therapist diagnoses and solves various psychological problems."
This is how it works: Dilshad asks her students to just dance to the music, and then mirrors their movements.
Eventually, she starts making slight changes to their moves, so that students can mirror her. "For example, if a student is suffering from Schizophrenia, his body movements will tend to be very stiff. In the beginning, I will copy him. But, slowly, I will loosen up and stretch out my hands, and so will he. That's how it works."
Is it important? Most of us lead hectic lives, and depression is more common among young Mumbaikars, than we think. Dilshad, who got through tough times as a teenager by dancing, says, "I notice the way my students move, and I can tell who is depressed.
I try extra hard to make them forget their worries." She stresses on the fact that her class is not structured, but a place where "anything is possible".
We loved: I admired the positivity Dilshad brought to the class. Dancing with her made me feel relaxed, and uninhibited. It made me forget that I was late for work or that I had three stories to file. For those 20 minutes, life suddenly felt easy. You need to try this.
You can contact Dilshad on 9819844478. She conducts private sessions at her client's residence.
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