Ritual dance, authentic movement and dance movement therapy among indigenous Wiwan females in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta (Colombia)

Abstract

This article presents results of a collaborative research with indigenous women from Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombian. Here, I discuss the possibilities of the intercultural dialogue between authentic movement, dance movement-therapy and rituals and communitarian Wiwa dances. I seek to answer certain questions such as: How does an authentic movement from dance movement therapy dialogue with the ritual dances of Wiwa women in Colombia to restore human and nonhuman sexualities in the postconflict scenario? What functions do the roles of mover and witness discharge? What challenges and possibilities emanate from such a dialogue vis-à-vis the deep healing of our sexualities and the reconceptualization of dance movement-therapy and authentic movement? The results presented here are the mixture of a fieldwork in Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta during the last four years and the intercultural authentic movement experience with Wiwa Elders and women.

Keywords:

• Dance movement therapy
• indigenous women
• sexual violence related to armed conflict

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Angela Santamaria

Angela Santamaria Lawyer (Universidad Externado de Colombia), Master in Philosophy (Universidad Javeriana de Bogotá), Sociology Phd from the School of Social Sciences of Paris and Postdoctoral studies at the Universidad 3 de Febrero de Buenos Aires, Argentina. Researcher, teacher and facilitator of intercultural and educational spaces for the healing of sexual violence and gender violence related to conflict through movement and gestalt therapy.