In the USA, dance movement therapy (DMT) emerged as a distinct profession in the 1940’s. The primary pioneer of the work was Marian Chace. Her work with psychiatric patients and war veterans, first called “Dance for Communication” was the start of a new mental health profession, which would eventually be known as dance movement therapy. The American Dance Therapy Association was formed in 1966.

 

In the UK, the dance movement psychotherapy (DMP) pioneers started to develop their practice in the early part of the second half of the last century (1960s-1970s). This lineage came from health and education backgrounds, some having been trained in Laban movement, which values the individual’s choice of movement and self-initiated vocabularies.

 

Dance movement therapy has grown into an internationally recognized field and is practiced around the world.