Biocentric Dance (aka Biodanza), started in Chile in the 1960s. Its roots go back to a psychiatric hospital in Santiago, where a psychologist named R. Toro discovered the power of music to trigger positive emotions, i.e. to uplift patients with depression, soothe those struggling with anxiety, and bring back to reality those who had slipped into psychosis. |
Philosophy becomes therapy on the dance floor, where its concepts come alive and are directly understood through the felt-sense of the ‘vivencias’ experienced during the sessions. Dances of fluidity bring us the direct realization of Heraclitus teachings on change and flow, which we can then apply during periods of uncertainty and transition. Archetypal dances tap into the power of the collective unconscious and unleash the human potential inherited from our ancestors, helping us to navigate the adventure of life. Moving to music we rediscover the joy of living, get back to our senses, get creative, open our hearts, and find our place in the world. |
The psychologist who created Biodanza saw himself primarily as a poet. With poetry books published in Chile, Venezuela, Mexico, Italy, and Brazil, it is no wonder that he has found a way to include poetry in it. Although the main activity is guided dance-movement to music, on occasion’s people might be invited to sing, write a poem, draw, paint, or make something out of clay. That said Biodanza has been called the ‘Arts Magna’ - not because it prioritises artistic self-expression but because it encourages us to view our own life as the greatest work of art. |