Can Dance Therapy still take me on the same path to obtain a dance career?

[Diana]

I want to major in dance therapy in the beginning of my freshmen year of cal state fullerton (hopefully if they have that program). But I still want to become a dancer as well! I'm a beast hip-hop dancer but I don't know what I should do D: !

[Lora]

Hi Diana. Dance/movement therapy requires training at the graduate level. An undergraduate degree in dance is an appropriate foundation for graduate school in DMT (with additional prerequisites in psychology.) Many dance/movement therapists come to the field after a performing career. However, you should know CSUF does not offer an undergraduate degree in dance therapy. (Even if they did, as I stated above, DMT requires a graduate degree because it is a clinical mental health degree. Undergraduate courses in dance therapy are simply meant as an introduction to the field and as an opportunity for students to evaluate if they want to pursue graduate study.)

I really recommend checking out http://www.adta.org for more information about the profession and where you can study DMT on the graduate level.

As for your dancing - it sounds like you love to dance. There is no age requirement to begin graduate study. If your heart is with performing right now, you can always pursue graduate school down the road, after you have achieved what you wanted with your performing career.

In the meantime, the ADTA has a Facebook group that you may be interested in joining. You can ask actual dance/movement therapists your questions and learn a lot about the field there. Feel free to join! https://www.facebook.com/groups/2209175161/

Lora Wilson Mau, MA, BC-DMT
Public Relations Chairperson, American Dance Therapy Association

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