ABSTRACT
This chapter brings together aspects of dance and aesthetics from a phenomenological and psychoanalytic perspective, including the so-called “positivity in psychoanalysis.” A very brief overview of the Dance Movement Therapy (DMT) pioneers’ roots in dance will follow, to be continued in the next section of the chapter by expounding differences and similarities between concert-dance and dance for self-exploration. After this, intrinsic characteristics of dance as analyzed by some dancers and philosophers in a phenomenological perspective will be brought to the forefront. Stern’s concept of forms of vitality is the subsequent contribution to this analysis of the experiential meaning of dance. The links between aesthetics and mental health are then set forth. The next section in the chapter presents written testimonies of former students about the experiential meaning dance has in their lives. They confirm some of the dancers’ and philosophers’ statements and some of the benefits of dance in DMT and in other contexts that have been proven in research. A last contribution for this chapter comes from the perspective of positivity in psychoanalysis, followed by concluding reflections.
