ABSTRACT
In Slovakia, a pilot research aimed at Laban Movement Analyses of five selected Slovak folk dances has been conducted for potential use in dance art and dance movement therapy (DMT). Five regional folk dances of Zemplin Horehronie, Goral, Podpolanie and Myjava underwent the basic Laban Movement Analysis looking at the four elementary categories of body, effort, shape and space. Folk dances in general present a rich source of set, predictable movement metaphors in different anthropological kinesthetic models bound to different cultural areas. According to Parvia, most DMT students seem to have trained in post-modern dance forms that give ample freedom for moving, experimentation and expression. Folk dances can be seen as a source of collective memory, tying together generations, giving meaning to the movement and serving as the objective of groups, which permit the beginning of the feeling of "belonging" and reinforcing socio-cultural identity.
