Keywords
intersubjectivity, parent-child dyad, Laban Movement Analysis, attachment, non-verbal communication, mirror neurons
This article was previously published in The Signal, Newsletter of the World Association for Infant Mental Health, Vol. 19, No. 3, July – September 2011, pp.1-8. We are grateful to Debbie Weatherston, the editor of The Signal, who kindly gave us permission to reprint it in the DTAA ‘Moving On Journal’.
This article gives an in-depth discussion of the DMT based program called ‘Ways of seeing’ developed by Suzi Tortora, in her work supporting parent-child relationships. “‘Ways of Seeing‘ utilises nonverbal movement observation, dance, movement, motor development and body awareness activities, music, and play for the assessment, intervention and educational programing of children and their families. These programs are based on the observational analysis principles of Laban Movement Analysis (LMA); Infancy and early childhood theory, and dance movement theory practice.” The program is described theoretically and with a case study of a mother and her 6 month old baby, exemplifying the processes and protocols of the program, including use of the observational tool: ‘Dyadic Atachement-based Nonverbal Communication Expressions (D.A.N.C.E.) also designed by Tortora. (pp 41-51)