Kafeïa Gayet

Dance-Movement Therapy is an embodied practice. It is about gently coming back to our bodies, to the Earth, coming back home to ourselves.

Sometimes words are not enough, so we open a space of expression through the body. In a system where verbal language dominates allowing for other modes of communication and expression to be explored.

Feminist: Our bodies are not neutral, they are part of a social body. So I take into account the socio-political system and the impact the systemic oppressions have on our bodies within my practice. This feminist approach to the body and therapy allows us to consider the impact of oppression on physical and mental health and to remind ourselves that responsibility is not individual but collective.

Queer: Dance-Movement Therapy is a space to break out of gender norms and sexual orientations, to explore one’s queer body, to dance beyond norms and with the letters LGBTQIA+ remembering that the + reminds us of the constant movement of our identities, the fluidity of our bodies. I practice an affirmative psychotherapy that supports and validates the identity of each person.

Transpersonal: Spirituality can also separate body and mind. The intention is to bring spirituality back into the body, to reconcile them. For an embodied spirituality that takes into account bodies and the political system in which they belong. I respect everyone’s spiritual practices and culture and integrate spiritual questions into the therapy.
There is also the possibility of co-creating tailor-made rituals according to each person’s needs. Rituals that mark our changes of skin, life, and season.

Having a costume training, it is possible to co-create costumes and masks made from recycled materials. To reverse roles, play with social performances and transgress norms (of gender, class...) as in carnivals. To embody different parts of us, play, be surprised, discover and meet ourself.

Body and movement are the main mediums of Dance-Movement Therapy. I also open the door to other artistic forms such as drawing, collage, writing, sewing etc. These different approaches to Dance-Movement Therapy allow me to adapt to the needs of each person, to be able to listen and meet each person where they are. Dance-Movement Therapy is a practice in perpetual motion, never frozen, I remain curious about what emerges when the body starts to move.

I worked especially with young refugees, also with disabled people in a non-medical care facility, with elderly people in a care home, and in a recovery residence for people living with psychological disorders.

Master in Dance-Movement Psychotherapy Master in Costume Design for Performance