Dance Movement Therapy Andalusia Style
Seeking a whole new way of life often goes hand in hand with the purchase of a holiday apartment or a permanent home at the Costa del Sol. Dance movement therapy is suitable for all ages and allows people to reconnect with their creativity. It empowers them to enjoy life to the full again after years of toiling in some office, factory or other workplace not conducive to mental and physical wellbeing.
Fuengirola and Marbella offer several dance centres and places where dance movement therapy is practiced. It's a fun approach to a change in lifestyle, freeing people from their inhibitions and allowing them to find a more balanced version of themselves. Exercising body, mind and soul promotes self-confidence and inspires an inner calm that helps people to cope better with life's little mishaps.
Several holistic holiday centres in the Granada Province, just an hour or so drive away, also offer specific dance movement therapy courses between April and October. Located in the foothills of the Alpujarra Mountains, the village of Orgiva is a great place to visit and kick-start a lifestyle change. The area is famous for its wonderful scenic walks and picturesque villages. The holistic centre there has English-speaking and Spanish-speaking teachers.
Participants don't need prior experiencing in dancing and age or body shape are also immaterial in dance movement therapy. This is not a competition à la "Strictly Come Dancing" - mind and body are stimulated by dance movement therapy, aiming to instil calm to the mind and to inspire a passion for life.
From Therapy to Dancing the Night away
Participants' new-found confidence in their abilities will eventually spill over into their social life, prompting them to join other, more conventional dance classes that will lead to nights out in clubs and discos.
From Samba to Tango, from Foxtrot to Jive, there are as many dance centres and academies in Andalusia as there are types of dance. Join a dance class in Marbella and before you'll know it, you're up to your sequins in offers to go clubbing or shaking a leg at tea dances in the afternoon!
Marbella's Golden Mile is as famous for its nightclubs as it is for its luxurious apartments and grand villas. These nightclubs may be the preferred stamping ground for the young, wealthy and beautiful, but Marbella has plenty more opportunities for glamour girls and boys to shake their booty. Numerous festivals held during the summer guarantee that dancing in the streets won't go out of fashion any time soon.
Traditional flamenco in bars and restaurants can be found in Marbella Old Town, a charming maze of narrow, cobbled streets and hidden courtyards. Associations and clubs, like Marbella's Rotary Club for example, hold social events, gala evenings and monthly gatherings, where dancing is often part of the evening's agenda.
A new Life at the Costa del Sol
For newcomers who have just moved into their Marbella town house or Costa del Sol apartment such organisations are often the first port of call, when homesickness and loneliness strike. Dance movement therapy doesn't just get the blood circulation flowing - it opens the mind to new horizons, making it possible to embrace new experiences after having been stuck in a rut.
A whole new life in Marbella or elsewhere at the Costa del Sol is a tempting prospect for many, but it takes hard work, effort and determination to successfully integrate into society in a foreign country. Dancing is a fun way to achieve this goal, a social occasion that is also beneficial for one's health.
Start small with dance movement therapy, before tackling something as sophisticated as ball room dancing or rock n' roll. Your confidence - as well as your calf muscles - will thank you for it in the long run!