timesofindia.com
Dance as Diplomacy
The US president and saxophone-player, Bill Clinton, spoke in India of
the possible peaceful co-existence between Indian ``raga-based'' music
and western symphony with all its improvisations. The US secretary of
state, Madeleine Albright, underlined a new dimension of 21st century
diplomacy by persuading South East Asian ministers to sing at an APEC
meeting. Now we have Dr Petra Klein, director of the Institute of
International Dance Therapy, Canary Islands, who says that ``movement,
dance and music offer a powerful medium'' to cure individual ailments
and tension between nations. She asserts that ``what is true of the
micro cosmos holds for the macro cosmos, except that the song and
dance should be part of a psychological strategy''. On a visit to
India, another psychologist, Dr Peter Erlenwein, now in Pune, confirms
the efficacy of dance as therapy. Psychological counselling has its
limitations but physical expression (which releases all pent-up
energy) is the ideal way to dissolve emotional trauma and frustration.
African dance styles help people who are very structured and rigid,
while jazz works better with people having chaotic lifestyles. Western
dance, with its elements of drama, contact improvisation, voice and
exploration of space, unfolds the emotional pattern between the sexes.
India's Bharatanatyam and Kathakali dance forms offer less scope
because of their religious and mythological elements. Dr Klein says
dance therapy can cure psychic and psychosomatic ailments in a world
where personal isolation, social estrangement and spiritual emptiness
are rampant. She asserts that ``dance, music and movements'' could
provide an alternate way for international diplomacy in the 21st
century. ``We can facilitate the transition and shape a new `Gestalt'
yet to be born. Innovative solutions might come through these bodily
felt experiences''. She concedes that many leaders are, as yet, unable
to express themselves beyond mere words or to use universal language
of movement to get in touch with their intuitive knowledge. These
bodily-felt experiences could help in problem-solving and culminate in
shaping the global strategy that is to come. Alas, only time will tell
whether or when the ``key catalyst'' Dr Klein is looking for, who is
``adept with the specifics of non-verbal interaction'' will be on
hand. While the dance therapist regards this process as the ``next big
step for mankind'', philosophers might dismiss such idealism as mere
song and dance.