Healing through Dance & Movement

Aligning the mind, body, heart and soul underwent several creative and scientific interventions in recent times, accelerating a societal change in mental health acceptance as another curable ailment. Gaining momentum in quiet circles in India is Dance Movement Therapy (DMT), a form of psychotherapy utilising dance and movement to kindle emotional, psychological, and physical well-being. Corporate Citizen interacted with one of India’s DMT pioneers, Sohini Chakraborty, Secretary and Founder Director, Kolkata Sanved, a women-led DMT institute for trauma healing, empowering marginalised individuals in society. She shares her journey in leveraging DMT as a tool to enhance the quality of life of survivors of sex trafficking and gender-based violence and enabling individuals to process their emotions, thoughts and experiences towards holistic healing

It began some 30 years ago when Sohini Chakraborty, Founder-Director of Kolkata Sanved, an Ashoka Fellow, sociologist, dance activist, and dance movement therapist, chanced upon a poster at the annual Kolkata Book Fair. The poster read – “I sell my blood for some gold and some silver, I rinse and rinse my mouth, but the taste of treachery remains; I am no more right to me; I am no more mother to me, and I am no more future.”

It was an anti-trafficking poster with a girl's face which kindled Sohini’s consciousness to tread on an uncharted path, mobilising dance to liberate negative feelings amongst victims of the flesh trade. Her idea was to act upon those defeatist lines and create a more liberated and positive stance which would read “I am mother to be, bright to be, future to be”, which became her calling.

Stepping stone

The poster triggered Sohini to research global trends in movement therapy. She promptly contacted Sanlaap India (http://sanlaap.org/), a non-profit organisation (NGO) and the original creator of the book fair poster. She shared her intentions with the founder-director, the late Indrani Sinha. While they applauded her brilliant idea, the NGO explicitly expressed their lack of funding to explore an artistic form in aiding victims of trafficking and gender- based violence. She, however, convinced them to donate space rather than money to work with the traumatised girls. Sohini’s passion convinced Indrani to believe that dance could indeed change lives.

Sohini initiated a month-long project in 1992-1993, setting the stage for her journey into movement therapy. Her younger self ideated new ways of connecting her passion for dance with the intensity of people’s movements, by leveraging her sociology qualifications. She experimented with 120 Sanlaap India children, a successful attempt that led to developing a curriculum under its direct outreach programme named Sampoornata or “fulfillment”. It enables participants to find their own potential and move ahead in their lives. The Sampoornata approach mobilises individuals to various career options including dance therapy, advocacy, campaigns, training potentials and performances. Sharpened over the past two decades, the Sampoornata model approach has been globally accepted.

Forging connections

A trained Bharatanatyam dancer, young Sohini had been exploring dance, slightly different from its depiction of pure forms. She trained under the Late Manjushree Chaki Sarkar, a renowned danseuse and choreographer. Sohini explored theatre under the guidance of Usha Ganguly, an Indian theatre director, actor, and activist, in the 1980s, known for her work in Hindi theatre in Kolkata. Given the cultural context in Kolkata, these women performed for their own happiness, beyond professional bindings. Their enthusiasm inspired Sohini to join them in their pursuits. “It was a phase when I was exploring the realm of dance, engaging with it on different planes and exploring success via the medium,” said Sohini.

"I knew that whichever model I constitute will bring forth my explorations, and has to be cost-effective. It will be by the community, for the community and accessible to them. The focus is on good mental health, gender equality and livelihood, as the prime objectives"

As she fine-tuned her requirements for a dance-based therapeutic answer, she connected with another pioneer, Tripura Kashyap, co-founder, Creative Movement Therapy Association of India (CMTAI) (Delhi and Bengaluru), who had been steering India's DMT movement since 1990. The learning and associations encouraged Sohini to take the plunge in 1994-95.

The awakening

She pursued her M.A. in sociology from Calcutta University, and in 1997 was armed with a postgraduate degree, specialised in Criminology. She completed her Ph.D. in Social Sciences in 2019 from Mumbai’s Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS).

The DMT trigger occurred while pursuing her post-graduation in criminology, becoming aware of studies related to rehabilitation and domestic and sexual violence. It was within the framework that she explored the ‘body’ and theology of movement in psychotherapy. Her conviction grew stronger as she encountered real life stories of the victims that she interviewed for her dissertation paper. It led her to believe that dance might be a viable path to link psycho-social wellness, germinating her DMT idea in 1996. With willing intention and armed with approvals, Sohini established her dance-based therapeutic cure, beginning her arduous journey, in an era when internet accessibility was not as robust. Her in-depth research on global happenings and trends led to her discovering DMT, affirming that she was on the right track.

Testing grounds

Sohini tested principles of Laban movement analysis (LMA) or the Bartenieff movement that unifies anatomy, psychology, and kinesiology. It is based on the original work of Rudolf Laban, an Austro-Hungarian, German and British dance artist, choreographer and dance theorist. His theoretical innovations paved the way for further developments in dance notation and movement analysis and was progressively developed by German dancer Lisa Ullmann. Irmgard Bartenieff, a dance theorist, choreographer, physical therapist, pioneered dance therapy. It gained momentum with Warren Lamb, a British management consultant and pioneer in the field of nonverbal behavior, who developed Movement Pattern Analysis, and subsequently many other illustrious performers globally developed their DMT versions.

Sohini’s indigenous DMT model is a tool for psycho-social rehabilitation, reintegration, and empowerment for India and South Asia. Several of her DMT participants and students have progressed as DMT practitioners, making the therapy accessible to survivors, and transforming them into healers and change-makers. “Because the entire DMT methodology begins from the body context; knowledge of the body and movement is not merely somatic but experiential, laying the foundation to become a dignified artist and a DMT practitioner, ” said Sohini.

Building communication

Around 2001, she introduced a revolutionary Training of Trainers' (TOT) programme under the Dance Movement Therapy Leadership Academy (DMTLA). It witnessed ten participants from its existing project coming forward to heal others, leading DMT practice beyond the confines of clinical treatment. The TOT programme deep-dived into the larger community where survivors became facilitators. The ten graduating DMT aspirants were beacons in building a ground-breaking DMT curriculum as a tool for social change. It earned Sohini the 2003 ‘Ashoka Fellow’ honour for her DMT interventions within marginalised communities. Five of the ten survivors were keen on forming an organisation with Sohini for social change. Thus, Kolkata Sanved was born on 29th April 2004, bearing fruition to Sohini's nine years of exploration, experimentation and research work. It has spread its wings in seven Indian states and inching towards global territories. In the past 19 years, it has touched the lives of 65,000+ survivors across India, Bangladesh and Nepal and more than 2,00,000+ individuals and still counting.

Sohini specialised herself and enabled Kolkata Sanved, to heal sexual and gender-based violence survivors, including sex-trafficking survivors, primarily engaging with marginalised communities. Kolkata Sanved operates via a wide network of partners in India and South Asia. The organisation has established an academy that runs the Kolkata Sanved-Centre for Lifelong Learning, School of Social Work, TISS Diploma in Dance Movement Therapy and Post Graduate Diploma in Dance Movement Therapy, one of India’s first University-affiliated programme. The coursework runs for 1.6 years and is offered in Kolkata and Mumbai, augmenting the role of dance in DMT for social change.

DMT – Made in India

Sohini developed the Sampoornata model over two decades, creating a concept despite criticism on breaking the “elitist” appeal of movement or dance therapy. She built a curriculum, providing possible career options for individuals interested in the DMT stream. Sohini’s efforts have been recognised, bagging multiple awards including the prestigious “True Legend Award 2015”, ‘The Diane von Furstenberg (DVF) Award’ in 2011 for transforming the lives of women. The Department of Women and Child Development and the Department of Social Welfare, Govt. of West Bengal in 2016, felicitated her work at the grassroots. She also received the ‘Newsmaker 2012’ award by Zee 24 Ghanta (a leading news channel in West Bengal). Kolkata Sanved received the 2009 Beyond Sport Award for best health project.

Her thinking is rooted in the Indian cultural context as she realised early on in her practice that DMT could get limited within the boundaries of strict clinical approach. “I am not against the clinical approach but there exists a huge unexplored potential. That is how I began developing an entire DMT curriculum based on psycho-social rehabilitation which is my contribution,” she said. Her culturally contextualised Indian model is based on global standardised DMT technique. Sohini’s collaboration with Sharon Chaiklin, a global DMT therapy pioneer and founding member of the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) and President of Marian Chace Foundation, adds to her body of work, gaining collaborative references to ADTA’s practices. While she does not hold any affiliation to any Western University, she has actively worked with Professor Bonnie Bernstein, M.Ed., MFT, BC-DMT, USA, an international DMT faculty at Kolkata Sanved.

“I knew that whichever model I constitute will bring forth my explorations and has to be cost-effective. It will be by the community, for the community and accessible to them. The focus is on good mental health, gender equality and livelihood, as the prime objectives,” said Sohini.

"As I develop my dance; I am processing it all. I am here, I am alive, I am using my movements because when my movement is stopped, so will my life"

Future take

Sohini has added yet another dimension as she embarks on a month long talk tour, based on her new book – ‘Dance Movement Therapy and Psychosocial Rehabilitation: The Sampoornata Model’. Her itinerary includes invites from international organisations including Vital Voices and American Dance Therapy Association, Drexel University, Philadelphia; Brigham Young University, Utah; University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; the American Dance Therapy Association (ADTA) LA, California, and its California Chapter, UCLA.

As Sohini’s movement gains global momentum, her team resolve to impact society not just experientially but also keeping themselves relevant and invested through research. They aim for an inclusive structure with their facilitators and victims, rising as ‘Phoenix’ to ‘Fire’, the DMT cause. “When I experience DMT and its spontaneous movement, all I do is create and re-create my spontaneity and my creativity. As I develop my dance; I am processing it all. I am here, I am alive, I am using my movements because when my movement is stopped, so will my life,” signs off Sohini.