A: No. It is a system of human integration and affect education.
Q: Is there cultish behaviour in biodanza?
A: Interesting question. We live in a highly individualistic and materialistic society that idolises celebrities. And Biodanza is a microcosm where you can also find adulation of charismatic teachers. This may trigger cultish types of behaviour where people in fact belittle themselves by putting teachers or facilitators on a pedestal, often with disastrous results. Idolising Biodanza teachers as if they were flawless gurus is bound to lead to disillusionment as people eventually wake up to the fact that they are only human and, like any other human being, often unable to walk their talk and live up to their own highest ideals.
To avoid disappointment, you may want to check your attitude towards them. Do you view and treat Biodanza teachers as fellow human beings who have learned to facilitate a powerful process from which you can benefit? Or do you perceive them as the perfect embodiment of divine (maternal / sexual / creative) energy and almost worship them?
The reality is that student-teacher relationships are not always impeccable. This is a concern which has been expressed by several people in the Biodanza community. It is something that can become problematic if people blindly follow the suggestions and just do whatever they are invited to do by their teacher.
Although there is much talk about integrating "the 3 centres" (cognitive, affective and conative), I am yet to see people who come to Biodanza being encouraged to think for themselves and to maintain critical enquiry. We need to remember that Biodanza is about aligning thoughts, feelings and actions, not about doing away with our capacity to discern what kinds of behavioural responses are likely to lead to our long-term happiness.
To be loving does not mean to be "nice" and to do whatever the teacher proposes to prove how "good little children" we are. We need to develop our capacity for wise love and compassion. Even the Dalai Lama has pointed out that compassion without wisdom is idiot compassion! There is nothing loving about being a doormat or enabling unjust and abusive behaviour.
When it comes to teacher-student relationships, always respect and honour yourself first. If something doesn't feel right then trust your gut feelings and dare to speak up, to say no, or to walk away. Remember that Biodanza is also about authentic self-expression, assertiveness, ability to put limits, to walk away from toxic relationships, and to give yourself as much love and affection as you would give everyone else.