Dance Therapy in China

As an expressive art therapy, dance therapy has been flourishing in the West and is widely applied in clinical practice. In China, dance therapy was introduced rather late, and the treatment systems adopted are mainly based on Western systems. Currently, theories and techniques such as Laban Movement Analysis, Authentic Movement, and Kestenberg Movement Profile continuously support the development of dance therapy in China. Dance therapy in traditional Chinese culture has been recorded in ancient books, yet there is a lack of empirical evidence from contemporary clinical practice research. This paper analyzes how dance therapy can promote its localized development in China based on its development status both at home and abroad.