There is no denying that dancing is an important social skill, but recent research has also shown that dancing possesses great therapeutic value and can significantly improve mental health issues.

According to the definition coined by the Creative Movement Therapy Association of India (CMTAI), Creative Movement Therapy (CMT) is a psychotherapeutic framework that works with the mind-body connection to use personal movement language and dance for the health and wellness of an individual’s physical, emotional, cognitive, social and behavioural aspects.

Following on from the success of CMT in India, Tripura Kashyap, co-founder of CMTAI, will be hosting a two-day workshop for UAE residents called Movement for Mind-Body Optimisation in partnership with Movement Mantra, which will take place on June 21 and 22 at Enlighten Yoga Centre in Oud Metha, Dubai.

Trained as a classical dancer back in India, Kashyap moved to Wisconsin in America to learn more about the discipline and the science behind it.

As her understanding deepened, she realised the numerous benefits associated with creative movement and the profound impact it can have on the life of an individual.

“CMT has many benefits. It increases body co-ordination, self-awareness, social skills, confidence, and self-esteem as well as enhancing emotional expression,” she said.

“It also improves memory and sequencing skills, concentration and group coordination while reducing hyperactive energies, enhancing eye contact and imitation skills necessary in our daily lives.

“CMT is done in individual and group sessions to also improve movement control alongside fine and gross motor skills. These are just a few of the benefits and there are so many more.”

The 56-year-old is a pioneer of CMT in India and also wrote the book My body, My Wisdom, which was published in 2005.

The workshop is open for all age groups and abilities, and Kashyap insists that people attending the two-day event will not only benefit from the physical experience but also understand the theory behind CMT.

“People attending the workshop will be exposed to a myriad of therapeutic movement activities, understand the theory behind CMT. They will understand how dance is not about learning a form but that it can be created by each of us using our personal movement vocabulary which is creative and expressive simultaneously,” she said.

“Movement is the medium we live in and the universal mother tongue that is understood all over the world. We need to move because that’s what keeps us human and alive. It also helps us to interact with others and tune into our own body language that is so important for our well-being.”

The workshop fee is AED 650 per person and for a group of three or more participants it is AED500 per person.

WHAT: Movement for Mind-Body Optimisation workshop

WHEN: Friday, June 21 and Saturday, June 22

WHERE: Enlighten Yoga Centre, Oud Metha

CONTACT: To register for the workshop, please send an email to info@iicdgroup.com or team.movementmantra@gmail.com with the Subject: I want to attend CMT workshop.