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The American Dance Therapy Association, 1966
- Wesleyan University Press
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The American Dance Therapy Association, 1966--More than any of the other organizations, the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) functions as a definitive source of information, structural organization, and policy for its field of specialization, dance as a therapeutic practice. The ADTA web site (www.adta.org, 2007) lists its functions as a “(1) Guardian of professionalism, (2) Pioneering the mindbody interface, and (3) Serving people around the globe.” Most of these functions are enacted through its extensive web site. The site includes a detailed description of the field, its significance, and recognition awarded from the federal government, the scientific community, and the health profession. The site lists professional and alternative opportunities for those interested in dance therapy. It contains a special section for students. This section includes a guide for preparing oneself to become a dance therapist, with information and application forms for acquiring certification through the Dance Therapist Registry and the American Dance Therapist Registry. In addition to this immediately accessible information, the site also contains an extensive bibliography of resources for further research. Dance therapy is a part of the medical field, and consequently its activity is subject to legal review and licensing. Thus ADTA functions as a structure to ensure, accredit, and legally implement clear standards and policies that govern the activity of dance therapists. ADTA has formed a number of standing committees whose responsibility it is to focus on specific areas that affect the practice of dance therapy. They include the Standards and Ethics committee, Credentials committee, Education and Research committee, Public Relations committee, and Government Affairs committee. ADTA offers national and local leadership opportunities in the form of a central board that includes president, vice-president, treasurer , and secretary, and regional directors. ADTA members insist that its greatest benefits consist of the camaraderie , collegiality, and friendships that have formed over the years. ADTA has fostered cooperation and research collaboration among its members. ADTA emerged directly out of a collaborative research project, which was chaired by dance therapist Claire Schmais. In 1964, a questionnaire was designed and distributed by a group of dance therapists “to determine the extent of interest in forming an Association of dance ther105 106 Movable Pillars Cover of ADTA Mongraph Number 1, 1971, Writings on Body Movement and Communication, edited by Fran Donelan. Courtesy of the American Dance Therapy Association. [34.230.66.177] Project MUSE (2024-03-19 11:25 GMT) apists” (Schmais 1967:34). Dance therapy had been practiced at least since the 1940s by Marian Chace at Saint Elizabeths Hospital in Washington , D.C. Yet, “up to that point, which was late 1964, no organized attempt had been made to assess the extent of dance therapy in America” (Schmais 1967:34). Eighty-nine percent of the respondents indicated that they wanted an organization of dance therapists and listed the following goals: “Furnishing a means of communication among dance therapists; providing a base for exerting pressure to include dance therapy in college curricula; and setting up standards for practice and education” (findings reported in May 1965 and cited in Schmais 1967:35). ADTA continues to promote community interaction through the sponsorship of a listserve, annual conferences, workshops, seminars, a newsletter , and a public member listing. ADTA promotes scholarship and research through its biannual journal, the American Journal of Dance Therapy, and through the publication of monographs, bibliographies, and conference proceedings. Its membership has become increasingly international. Currently, ADTA has members in 48 states and U.S. territories and 24 countries. Sharon Chaiklin The telephone interview with Sharon Chaiklin was conducted at her home in Columbia, Maryland, on April 5, 1999. Sharon Chaiklin (b. March 6, 1934, New York City) has worked as a dance therapist with children, adults, and the elderly in psychiatric hospitals, in private practice, and in other settings. Sharon Chaiklin was on the faculty of Goucher Graduate Dance/Movement Therapy Program from 1981 to 1994 and the University of Haifa Dance Therapy Program in 1980 to 1981. She has conducted numerous workshops throughout the United States, Israel, Japan, Argentina, Korea, and Spain. She was featured in the film The Power of Movement, produced by ADTA in 1982. Her writing includes “Dance Therapy,” in The American Handbook of Psychiatry, volume 5 (1975), and “The Chace Approach to Dance Therapy,” co-authored with Claire Schmais in Eight Theoretical Approaches in Dance-Movement Therapy. She coedited Foundations of Dance/Movement Therapy: The Life and Work of Marian Chace (1993) and co-authored an article in that publication. She also...