The right moves

As teenagers, we have all gone through the ordeal of feeling that nobody cares about or understands our thoughts, feelings and aspirations.

A dance workshop aims to improve communication and understanding between parents and children

As teenagers, we have all gone through the ordeal of feeling that nobody cares about or understands our thoughts, feelings and aspirations. That no matter how hard we try, things just don8217;t work out between our parents and us. For those of you caught in such a situation, here8217;s good reason to stop fretting.

8216;Let8217;s Talk in Dance8217; 8212; a workshop to facilitate communication between parents and their children will be held at the Father Barco Hall, St Xavier8217;s Church, Camp on December 13. The one-day experiential workshop is the brainchild of clinical psychologist Dr Natasha D8217;Cruz, who8217;s also a trained dancer. 8220;Dance is the hidden language of the soul. If you8217;ve ever wished that you and your parents spoke the same language or wished you could comprehend what your child is saying, then this is for you,8221; informs Dr D8217;Cruz.

For a clinical psychologist to also be a qualified dancer is a little unusual. So, how did her two varied interests came together in this venture? 8220;Movement therapy involving dance and music was part of my PhD thesis in Clinical Psychology and since I was already trained in jazz ballet, the amalgamation seemed quite natural,8221; says Dr D8217;Cruz. 8220;A large number of my patients are teenagers, who are distraught at having differences with their parents and claim that they have to rely solely on peer support to get their voices heard. The focus of this workshop will be to break barriers of communication by using expressive art forms as a medium,8221; she adds.

The workshop will be based on the principles of expressive therapy, that integrate the modalities of dance, drama, literature, music, poetry and the visual arts with the practice of psychotherapy. 8220;The main principle that unites the expressive therapy approaches is the belief that we all have an inbuilt movement in our psyche towards healing and wholeness. Expressive therapy methods aim to encourage and cooperate with this natural impulse and use the entire spectrum of an individual8217;s innate imagination and creativity to attain optimum behavioural, cognitive and physical functioning,8221; says Dr D8217;Cruz.

According to her, all you need to be a part of this workshop is the willingness and the right approach. 8220;You don8217;t have to be good at dance to be part of this exercise. The only pre-requisite is the will to be able to communicate better with your parent/child and understand what works for them. That8217;s all,8221; asserts this 26-year-old vivacious young lady, who8217;s already made a name for herself in Pune in fields as diverse as dance and clinical psychology.