Breathing, sensing and expressing emotions: the influence of Elsa Gindler and Mary Wigman on body psychotherapy and dance/movement therapy

Abstract

This article examines the parallel development of the gymnastic movement and the expressive dance movement in Berlin, Germany from a historical perspective. Key historical moments are reflected upon and reveal the little acknowledged role of women, in particular Gindler’s and Wigman’s profound ground work contributions to the emerging fields of body psychotherapy and dance/movement therapy in the twentieth century. Even though Wigman was not formally psychologically trained, her lifelong associations with the field of psychiatry are acknowledged. Special attention is given to the activities that took place in Berlin, a focal point for historical as well as more recent relevant developments in these fields. The historical lineage of some of the early dance/movement therapists is outlined and discussed in the context of ongoing transatlantic exchange between the USA and Germany, culminating in a rare international dance/movement therapy conference in Berlin, in 1994, dedicated to Mary Wigman.