Autumn edition: Monday Oct 20 – Friday Oct 24, 2025 
Spring edition: Monday Feb 16 – Friday Feb 20, 2026

For

This introduction is open to anyone with an interest in dance movement therapy and with a willingness to physically engage and explore. The introduction can be taken as continuous professional education (participants can have the introductory course accredited at the ‘Register Vaktherapie’) and is strongly advised for people seriously considering to apply for the Master in Dance Movement Therapy at Codarts. It is also open to anyone interested to learn more about dance movement therapy and curious to explore personal processes.

Goal

The introductory course provides professionals with the opportunity to experience dance movement therapy, explore whether continuing into a Dance Movement Therapy Master is desirable and/or can enrich and deepen one’s own profession. The participant acquires basic knowledge of dance movement therapeutic methods and receives information about the current professional practice. The introduction provides a strong basis for the Master Dance Movement Therapy offered at Codarts, which will start with a new cohort in September 2026. The highly skilled and experienced tutors in this introduction are members of our faculty.

Experiences

Former participants have described the introductory course as a journey full of discoveries and as experiencing the Power of Dance:

“A way to achieve a deeper and clear understanding of Dance Movement Therapy, which helped to make a choice about starting the Master”.

“Intensive, powerful, inspirational, multi-faceted and also reflective for one’s personal life”.

“The programme is interesting, inspiring, subtle and the tutors extremely experienced.”

“Renowned dance movement therapists are facilitating the group by offering a unique perspective on what dance movement therapy is and how we can use it to help people deal with psychopathology, emotional pain, fear and emotions”.

How to register

• To register for this introduction, you need to fill out the online registration form.
• The fee is €350. For Codarts alumni the fee is €300.  Lunch is not included. Payment instructions will be sent via e-mail, once you have registered via the online application form. Participation is only possible if the fee is paid beforehand.
• The maximum number of participants per group is 24. Final placement will be determined by the order in which registrations are received and will only be definitive once we have received the payment. Participants will be sent notice of received payment.
• After participation of the entire programme a Certificate of Attendance will be handed out. Take note: the certificate is not a qualification to practice, and does not guarantee acceptance into the Master.
• Regarding cancellation: It is possible to receive a full refund up to four weeks before the start of the introduction week. If the cancellation is received less than four weeks before the start, you can only receive a refund if a replacement participant is found by the organisation.

The programme

• Daily workshops are from 09.30-16.30 hours, with a lunch break from 12.30-13.30 hours.
• The introduction will take place at ‘Kruisplein 26, 3012CC, Rotterdam’, which is a 3-minute walk from Rotterdam Central Station.

Day 1: Introduction in basic dance movement therapy theory and methods

Basic dance movement therapy theory and methods are discussed and explored in which the importance of play, the ‘not knowing stance’, embodied presence and empathic reflection in (therapeutic) relationships are explored.

Day 2, 3, 4
(order might vary in the final schedule)
 

The voice on the move

Our voice is part of our body. This day the focus will be on the perception of your own voice in your body: where is your voice, how to bring it into space? What happens when your dance and voice come together? What happens to your body and dance as the sounds of others influence you? Through your own movement, the movement of others, with hands-on external impulses and playful exercises, a different voice is created. And the voice creates a different body awareness and dance.

Between motion and meaning: exploring verbalization in dance movement therapy

What happens in the space between a movement and its description? This workshop explores the delicate ecosystem, where body and language meet in dance movement therapy. Through movement explorations and guided reflection, we'll discover how language can serve as a bridge between bodily wisdom and the need to communicate, share, and understand movement experiences.

Understanding one’s own dance

An introduction into understanding of dance as a creative wheel for expression and transformation, working with one’s own creative potential in dance and recognizing personal themes.

Working with the group

The understanding about the many groups we are part of throughout our lives, is an important part of our training and this day will offer a brief insight into this aspect. We will not only learn about our own behaviour in groups, but also how to manage group processes in our work as DMTs. This day will be a personal adventure about moving and being moved. You are advised to spend some time for reflection before attending. Where do you fit in in this group? What would you like to change about this group if it were possible? How do you feel about the last few days that you have spent together?

Day 5 : Exploring the profession

During this last day we will explore (verbally and non-verbally) our personal and professional identity in relation to the past week and the dance movement therapy profession. There will be time for discussion and questions concerning the profession/practice and the Master programme.

DMT tutors scheduled for October include amongst others (subject to availability):

• Simone Kleinlooh (Programme leader Master Dance Movement Therapy)
• Renate Hoenselaar
• Jeannette MacDonald
• Katharina Conradi
• Ilse van Haastrecht
• Eva Uppenkamp
• Pauline Briguet
• Rosemarie Samaritter

The tutorsare Faculty members of Codarts’ Dance Therapy Master programme. For details on their biographies,see our study guide: Codarts Rotterdam: Study programme