Biodanza

Biodanza is the experience of your own beauty and strength.
This system contributes to your happiness, because happiness and good health depends on affective relationsships, as researches show.

Biodanza creates vitality and optimism and strengthens the ability to communicate.

Biodanza is simple, effective and applicable in all areas of life with all people.

This video may give you an impression!

It is a system - based on the human sciences - allowing practical experience, a kind of learning, that is fun.

The facilitator training can not only change your own life, but also opens new perspectives in your profession.

This is done primarily in educational, therapeutic and medical fields, but also in the economy such as in human resources or communications training, organizational consulting, or in training, such as at universities.

In Germany, there are currently around 10,000 people who practice Biodanza.

There are seven training institutes (Cologne, Freiburg, Munich, Münster, Leipzig, Berlin, Hamburg) and about 40 Biodanza teachers, who offer courses and seminars.

Worldwide there are about 100 training institutions (including Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Chile, South Africa, Tanzania, USA, Japan). In Western Europe they are available in almost all countries, comprising more than 60 schools.

The Method

Transformation and growth

The system of Biodanza, founded by the psychologist and anthropologist Rolando Toro, is an effective instrument for the transformation of people looking for quality of life. The practice of Biodanza changes the outlook on life, relationships with ourselves and with others, whether at home or at work.

With the practice of Biodanza your potential can be rediscovered and developed in situations of encounter and movement to music. The modules are specific exercises to music that encourage expression of feelings. These three elements (music, movement, expression) comprise the experience of the 'Vivencia'. Have alook on this TV presentation:.

Biodanza strengthens the ability to experience, strengthens the desire to live and to stay alive. Biodanza is the reconciliation with life, the pure act of life in dance.

Identity in Biodanza

The development of identity is a lifelong process that forms on the basis of genetic potential, with which we come into the world, and manifests itself in a total of five expression lines (Toro). These are:

Vitality, physical fitness and toughness;
Sexuality, the feeling of sensuality and pleasure;
Affectivity, the feelings in relationships and encounters with other people;
Creativity, natural curiosity and the desire for change and design, and
Transcendence, the relationship with nature and the universe.

The expression and the development of identity is on the one hand destined by our first experiences in childhood, but also influenced favorably or unfavorably by other co-factors. Ideally, the trend is towards increased integration.

According to Toro, the development of identity is not linear but occurs in the form of a pulse between two different states of being healthy, the so-called regression and the increased awareness of oneself. Regression is a state of relaxation and dissolution of individuality in a larger whole, such as in a trance or when being asleep. Regression has a healing and regenerative function for our body. In the waking state, however, in activity when we feel our body in all its intensity, we have a heightened awareness of ourselves.

Better quality of life

Biodanza works particularly on an existential level. Experiences can change our lives forever and lead us to a healthier lifestyle.

Our life plan with the questions: Where will I live? With whom will I live? What tasks will I meet in my life? can be redesigned and a new quality can be given to our lives: to live life in all its facets, enjoy health, achieve your dreams, be happy.

Some of the basic building blocks of Biodanza:

Organic homeostasis

Presence and dissolved relaxation are the two poles of human experience, their interaction is essential for our health.
At the level of the autonomic nervous system, the sympathetic nerve activates the nervous system in the waking state of the organism: the heart rate increases, the breathing is short (release of adrenaline), blood is supplied to the muscles, the glands function decreases (dry mouth), open pupils, etc. A state of serenity, on the other hand, stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system the other complementary organs: improved glandular function (bright eyes), increased salivation (mouth watering), decreased heart rate, increased gastrointestinal activity (digestion), increased bladder activity, etc.

This interaction sustains our health. Stress symptoms and psychosomatic diseases occur, however, if we live onesided, as it is often the case in our modern societies. Biodanza supported by its structure in a session the autoregulatory mechanisms of the body and acts in this way, preventive and therapeutic, not just organic, but also on a psychological level.

The experience (Vivencia)

To experience a very intense moment (Vivencia) leaves a feeling of vitality, of integration. And that is exactly what is going on neurologically and immunologically in our bodies when we feel this way. The limbic-hypothalamic adaptive system, a region of our brain stem that determines our emotional, sexual and regressive behavior and regulated together with the organs within the organic equilibrium. It is activated by Biodanza, so we feel well on a conscious level, harmony and well-being.

The music

Music is the hue of life. It affects us very directly, and moves us inwardly. This inward motion (emotion), we express in a body movement (dance): such as in the gentle movement of the breath, the powerful expression of our own strength or in the delicacy of an encounter. Thoughts (activity of the cerebral cortex) move to the background.

The group

Biodanza in a group is an essential part of the work. It represents the protected environment for the expression of identity, the venture to show itself in a climate of acceptance and warmth. Only in the encounter with others we become aware of ourselves, the other is our "mirror".

Eros, the basis of life

Eros, the love for all living, is the basis of life. Rolando Toro proved that love works against biological degeneration processes.
Tenderness is beneficial: it reduces tension, relieves pain, promotes healing processes, stimulates the metabolism, and increases self-esteem. In Biodanza, human encounter and contact are the ways of transformation and healing. They awake the poetry of life in us.

The Founder

Rolando Toro Araneda

Rolando Toro is the creator of Biodanza. He was born on 19 April 1924 in Concepción (Chile).

As a professor of psychology, he taught at the Catholic University of Santiago de Chile and researched as a lecturer at the medical faculty of the State University on expanded states of consciousness. He was appointed in 2002 Honorary Professor of the Open Inter American University of Buenos Aires (Argentina).

Rolando drew, wrote poetry and published several books of poems and texts about Biodanza and psychotherapy.

After several years in Argentina, Brazil and Italy, he returned to Santiago de Chile, where he headed the International
Biocentric Foundation.

Rolando lived an intense life, stood up in his old age for the dissemination of Biodanza, traveled to all parts of the world, lectured and held Vivencias at conferences, conducted training courses and supported research.

Rolando died suddenly on 16 February 2010 and left behind a global network of people working with Biodanza and standing up for life.

Biodanza and Education

Biodanza and education

In our time, the forces and capabilities of the heart are just as vital as those of the head. Rationality and compassion must be balanced. (D. Goleman)

Biodanza focuses - in contrast to traditional concepts of education and learning - on learning as a process of experiencing. Here, the emotional intelligence is central to the ability that allows people to connect with themselves and others.

The emphasis on learning provides knowledge, but what will help us in life rather than knowledge is the experience of the world, the feelings that I associate with things and people.

The emotional intelligence, the ability to recognize and express one's feelings, to be able to deal with them and empathize with other people is very important for the success and satisfaction in life (see Daniel Goleman: Emotional Intelligence). Everyone wants to finally be happy.

Biodanza can make a significant contribution to this.

The broader concept that deals with learning, in which life is central, is called biocentric education.

Gabriele Freyhoff works with Biodanza in:

School

Biodanza and Education: Biodanza at School

There are a lot of discussions about the situation of school, which maily is characterized by big classes, discrimination of pupils, difficulties of atention of the pupils, a high potential of aggression, cultural differences, which are to be accepted, and so on. All these facts had given impulses to modify school.

There are concepts like the "moving scholl", programs of dispute settlement, the "healthy school", "culture and school" and other concepts and projects.

A special concept, which has a very large range, is "Biodanza in school". In this concept the afective development of the children and the relations are in the focus of the learning prozess.

This way the children can get to know their own feelings, express them and find and learn together forms to interact with each other.

They construct their own self-esteem and thereby their development of identity. Biodanza includes a estimulation of movement, but also an estimulation in the emotional skills, for example: conflict behavior, lack of concentration, expression of aggressivity and generally all emotional states and feelings (expansion of expression).

Biodanza is dance in a wider sense, Learning about the own feelings, activity and relaxation, estimulation of the self-esteem and social skills.

Biodanza shall be understood as a pedagogic approach for the purpose of opening possibilities of learning and the prophylaxis of disturbs, which have the origin possibly in the societal environment.

Biodanza can be integrated or realized inside the lessosn of sports or music or as a work group or as a special acivity in the afternoon. Perhaps you as a director of a school are interested in:

to realize a information day with a workshop of 2 hours for the teachers
to realize a project week with about 5 x 2 school hours)
to realize a project for three months (weekly 2 hours)
or to realize a project with a staging (the length depends of the financial budget)

I am open to supprt your project.

I already realized diferent projects in some schools (secondary schools, elementary education and schools for children with special needs). sometimes I were invited to conduce a presentation class or to implement Biodanza as a teaching subject for a longer period, for example in the elementary and special school of St. Peter-Ording and the Heinrich-Hanselamnn-School in St. Augustin (school for children with mental disability).

Objectives of Biodanza at school:

1. Reinforcement and regulation of vitality:
to experience the body in various of moves, feeling and expressing joy of life
to experience a balance between activity (movement) and calmness
to learn self-appraisal (self-regulation)

2. Diversification of creativity:
to experience different forms of expression
to find and try out new possibilities of expression
to get to know the own capacities and express them
to perceive the own emotions and express them
to experience the creative expression with different material: poetry, drawing, sculptures of clay

3. Vivencia of afectivity:
to experience oneself in contact with adults and with the peer group (closemess and distance)
to frame and experience comunity
to experience oneself as "giving" and "receiving"
to feel mutual respect (to feel empathy)
to feel display of affection as natural and enjoy it

4. Reinforcment of Identity:
to feel recognition and qualification
to feel unique as a human being (Selbstakzeptanz, Selbstliebe)
to conect to the own strength
to find courage to defend the own piont of view
to be able to set limits
to realize exercises of personal Herausforderung

University

Biodanza at University

Most of the studies are very receptive and technical.

In much of the faculties however it is necessary to have personal maturity and presence, and emotional intelligence and communicative competence later on in professional activity.
Students often forced to do further studies.

Biodanza at university offers - especially for students of the faculties of medicine, psychiatry, psychology, education or social education, special education - a possibility of advanced training in the area personal development.

To learn with Biodanza is practice-orientated and experienca-orientated. It is therefore a good complementation to the theory-based seminars. These seminars facilitate the transfer to practice and alleviate elementary students to enter in their degree course.

The seminars can be adapted in duration and volume to the needs of the target group.

If you are interested to realize a seminar or an information event at the university/college you are invited to contact me:

Please read to seminars which have been already realized:
>> Seminars at the university of Cologne (Faculty education for mentally handicapped persons)

Biodanza with children

Biodanza with children follows the concept of Biodanza, supports the authentic identity development of children, encourages them in their personal expression and communication with each other.

The non-verbal interaction is much more natural for children as for adults. They feel the music with their body and set it to spontaneously move. They invent games and interactions out of the moment and express their feelings in images and movements.

Here it is easy to take bold steps to show themselves, to experiment with new movements, to be in the center or to allow others go first, to experience respect and to be tolerant.

Biodanza offers a rich mosaic of experiences that makes children intensely aware of their own strengths and to empower them.

It is the balance of activity and rest, a recurring rhythm that can help children to relax and be delicate.

Biodanza with children responds to such needs of the children, offering situations in play and the interaction or fantasy stories, and offers them a space for the development of all potentials.

For over a year I worked in the 90's with street children in Fortaleza, Brazil, with Biodanza, an unforgettable experience.

A report from the perspective of the manager provides a good idea of the work ( Biodanza with street children).

Biodanza in companies

Vocational training focuses on communication, team building, and self-management, skills which are demanded in today's life.

Not always there are techniques, behavior suggestions and methods which help on the job, because often they will quickly be forgotten and people return to the old routine. These techniques were a foreign body, they were not integrated.

It is more effective to gain access to own personal strengths, skills and resources that are readily available even in difficult situations, qualities which are necessary for us, but they were buried.

For this reason, we have developed a series of professional seminars and in-company training courses on the basis of the knowledge of oneself and to expand your own repertoire.

This process is not limited to the practicing of techniques, but based on the principle of experience (Vivencia).

All seminars have a theory-practice link.

Stronger than the knowledge are self-reflection, promoted guided reflection on their role and their own experience in professional situations. This is inter alia particularly encouraged by the intervention method Biodanza.

The following are areas and soft skills content that can be encouraged by this particular method: mind map

>> Seminar "Self Marketing" with Dagmar Säger (Business Coach) and Gabriele Freyhoff (supervisor and Biodanza trainer)

>> Seminar "Appreciation - a sign of quality in service" with Gabriela Will (trainer) and Gabriele Freyhoff (supervisor and Biodanza trainer)

Particularly noted is the ability for emotional intelligence, which can be promoted through the practice of Biodanza.

>>> Read more

Biodanza and science

According to studies made in the years 1998 – 2004 by a research group at the faculty for applied psychology at the university Leipzig in cooperation with the university of Buenos Aires there has been proved that the regular practice of Biodanza has positive effects to human being in physiological and psychological respect.

In test a group-control/group-research in altogether 150 test persons there has been detected, that Biodanza can be applied with a special benefit for health, construction of ressources and prevention of states of stress.
>>> Article: Marcus Stück/Alejandra Villegas: Biodanza in the mirror of science

In the test persons Biodanza improved the psycho-physical selforganisation, the regulation of emotions (for ex. improved regulation of anger, more optimism), the capacity to act in a professional way and the self-efficacy. This means the estimation of the own possibilities to act.

Concerning the immunological effects there were detected positive short- and long time effects of the Biodanza sessions on the immune system (including Immunglobulin A) (Villegas / Stück et al., 2000; Stück et. al., 2004).
>>> Article: Alejandra Villegas/Marcus Stück: Research to the psychological and physiological effekts of Biodanza

In contrast to a medical treatment, that aims at a healing of a disease or a disfunction, that begins thus with the „problem“, Biodanza reforces the healthy parts of the human being.

In a very pleasant and joyful way the healthy potencial are estimulated and strengthened with Biodanza. Negative experiences which are registrated in the human organism, can receive a new meaning by a plenty of pleasant experiences. The old experiences don't burden any more. The positive experience encourages and facilitates a change in the life of the person. The experience of the moment and the feeling of joy are in the focus.
>>> Article: Gabriele Freyhoff: Rediscover the own liveliness - a way to integrated health with Biodanza, the dance of life

You can find further texts on: Read more...

Biodanza and health

You would like to do something for your health? A long term study shows that happiness and health doen't depend on sucess and performance, but on good and affective erlationships.
In Biodanza you will find a field of possibilities to create and deepen affective relationships, a source of happiness.

You are reflecting the long-term effects of stresses and strains?
You would like to reduce the stress and have more energy for yourself? in this case, please, read more!

Stress is a common phenomenon. A life without stress don't seem to exist in today life. Stress creates headache and fear, makes the heart beat faster, anger squeezes the stomach and so on. Feelings have an influence on our body, and the physical condition for her part is affecting the psyche.

The reaction of stress is a reaction of adaptation of the body. It isn't dangerous to health. The process in certain phases often is interpretes as pleasant and performance-enhancing. The harmfull effects of stress are mostly the long-term impacts of chronical stress and missing compensation.

The capacity of adaptation of the organism can be enlarged significantly by a training with Biodanza.

Most of the people begin to pay attention to their health, when there has been ocurred a serious disfunction. Frequently they notice the problem too late or they estimate the value of their job higher than the own health!

In a training with Biodanza (about three months) all participants get a better feeling for their own needs, for their wellbeing or not wellbeing (Biofeedback); they begin to attach weight to their state of health ("My health is important").

On the other side the regular practice of Biodanza causes a faster regulation of the organism concerning burdensome situations: Biodanza by itself represents an ocurrence, that can be considered eustress (estimulating the organism, but not burdensome).

By the continous repetition the organism acquires a greater tolerance towards stress (compare the article: Biodanza -Dance as a delightful medicine) und eine schnellere Regeneration bei eintretender Ruhe.

Finally Biodanza facilitates an atitude more optimistic towards life and a greater capacity of relish.(compare: Research at the university ofLeipzig )

I you like to have more information about the courses and the effects, I am available for you. Feel free to write an e-mail to me: gabriele[at]biodanza-online[dot]de

Biodanza for teachers

Biodanza as a training for teachers

Researches prove that Biodanza is a adequate instrument of health promotion, of recource deveolpment and of prevention of stress, as the test persons show a better psychophysical self-organisation, the regulation of emotions (p.ex. better regulation of anger, optimism), die vocational actionability and the self-efficacy.

Furthermore there have been observed positive short-term and long-term effects of Biodanza on the immune system (inter alia immunglobulin A).

Biodanza is a part of an education with a high resources-oriented approach, an edudcation of tolerance and encounter, which recognizes all pupils with their differences and focusses their potencials and strenghts: to bolster strengths.

This way the children and adolescents are stimulated in their expression, their self-confidence and their assertiveness. Here we apresent an example of Biodanza with children and elderly peolpe in the Netherlands:

For you there are the following proposals at order:

A pratical indroduction in a internal preserntation of Biodanza in school (time frame about 2-3 hours). It is with peasure that I may inform you personally: Gabriele Freyhoff, Tel. 0241-9007105.

>>> Heath promotion for teachers

>>> Training in eslf-esteem and social competence

The complete training for school teachers (shortened) qualifies them to realize Biodanza with children only in their institution (school/kindergarden or similar.
>>> Training concept for teachers in school.