Dance and Movement Therapy

By: Emily Sexton

This is a brief timeline of important events and dates in the history of Dance and Movement Therapy

• 1916- The idea of dance as psychotherapy was first recorded by Carl Gustav Jung.  His original paper was widely circulated but remained unpublished until 1957[1].
• 1942- Marian Chace, one of the founders of modern dance and dance therapy, was invited to work at St. Elizabeths Hospital in Washington, D.C.[2]
• 1947- Trudi Schoop began working in facilities with schizophrenic patients.  She pioneered the combination of comedy and dance therapy working jointly together[3].
• 1947- Marian Chace was made the first full time dance therapist[4].
• 1950s- Authentic movement was created by Mary Whitehouse. Authentic movement is a branch of dance therapy that involves deep inner listening and expressive movement[5].
• 1966- The American Dance Therapy Association was founded.  The ADTA advocates nationally and internationally for the development and expansion of dance therapy training and services. The first president of the ADTA was Marian Chace[6].
• 1977- Dance therapy was represented on President Carter’s Commission on Mental Health[7].
• 1993- The Office of Alternative Medicine of the National Institute of Health awarded one of its first exploratory research grants to investigate dance therapy for those with medical illnesses[8].
• 1993- The Authentic Movement Institute was founded[9].
• 1993- The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine of the National Institutes of Health awarded the ADTA one of the first grants to explore dance therapy in patients with medical illnesses[10].