Dancing Communities in health institutions
Promoting mental health and social integration
Dancing Communities in health institutions
Our goal is to promote mental health by fighting social isolation which is one of the major causes and consequences of mental disorders and the weakening of social competences.
For this purpose Dance With Me has developed Dancing Communities program based on the Dulaine educational method that uses, for the last 17 years, ballroom dancing as a means of preventing violence in schools in the United States.
This program is now proposed in the framework of institutions working for the mental health of individuals and for integration. We develop programs tailored to the needs of institutions and their beneficiaries. We work closely with the medical staff and educators to establish the best conditions for its implementation. We have been working for 5 years at the psychiatric clinic La Métairie in Nyon (Switzerland) and since 2012 in the Etablissements Publics pour l’Intégration (Public Institutions for Integration) in Geneva. So far, the program has benefited more than 400 people suffering from depression, bipolar disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, addiction and burnout.
An evaluation of the program over 2 years showed that thanks to its structured methodology which is flexible, accessible and innovative, Dancing Communities has a strong impact on the morale of participants and encourages respect, mutual support and active participation in the group.
Dancing Communities offers a space of integration where joy overcomes wounds and fears. It allows everyone to be aware of his/her own worth, to develop self-esteem and confidence and to build social skills.
In order to encourage a sense of belonging and the desire to contribute to the well – being of the community, we support the active participation of the beneficiaries in the implementation of our programs.
We evaluate each program using questionnaires and interviews. To assess the medium-term impact, we also carry out interviews 3-6 months after the end of the program.
A program accessible to all, even outside institutions
Patients who participated in Dancing Communities in a health and social institution can find again the program outside of the institutional walls in a context open to the general public which promotes integration and community cohesion.
This helps the participants to find their place in the community therefore preventing problems of social isolation and exclusion that often follow hospitalization.
This program is also open to patients in day hospital and social institutions.
The peculiarity and novelty of the approach Dancing Communities lie in the fact that the program is not in itself a therapeutic one or presented as such. The beneficiaries do not participate as “patients” but as “dancers”. This aspect makes the program accessible to all, enables to drop labels and allows the participants to discover their creative and relational resources beyond their social or health status.
The implementation of the program and the supervision are provided by Dance with me.
Our teachers – Teaching Artists – are trained by a Senior Teaching Artist who has been trained by Pierre Dulaine, creator of the program, and authorized by the American Ballroom Theatre. The Teaching Artists follow an ongoing training and supervision to ensure the program quality.
The Teaching Artist is accompanied by a Coordinator who is responsible for the support of the participants, the overall organization and the liaison with the various associations and institutional partners.
Please contact us for more information. We can offer you a program tailored to the specific needs of your institution and your beneficiaries.
Do you want to know more about this program?
We can offer you a program tailored to the specific needs of your institution and your beneficiaries.
The experience at the psychiatric clinic La Métairie in Nyon
Dancing Communities has been established for five years in the psychiatric clinic La Métairie in Nyon with the aim of opening new opportunities for dialogue and interaction between caregivers and patients.
More information about our experience at the Clinic de la Métairie?
Video presenting the program in health institutions
Video presenting Dancing Communities in institutions promoting mental health and social integration:
