Pioneering Dance Movement Therapy in Britain: Results of narrative research

Abstract

This article reports research concerning life narratives of Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) pioneers in Britain. Nine pioneers were identified using a snowballing sampling technique. Participants were asked about the training and experiential influences on their career trajectory, first via a questionnaire. Each individual was then encouraged to narrate their story in their own way. Some did so in writing and others were interviewed by telephone. Validity of the narratives was enhanced by circulating the written account for comments, and by cross-checking references with each other within individual accounts. Narratives were analysed thematically, giving rise to the following categories: isolation; dance, affect and symbolisation; serendipity and choice; beginner's mind (a childlike attitude) and the search for theory. The following conclusions are made: the phenomenon of pioneering DMT in Britain was historically and culturally situated; career trajectories can be conceptualised as “falling forwards”; an attitude of exploration with tacit, embodied knowledge must be balanced alongside the thrust towards expertise and external evidence.