Press Releases

Naropa University Somatic Counseling Psychology Department to Present
12th Annual Somatic Arts Concert

BOULDER, Colo. (January 8, 2007)—Naropa University (Boulder, Colo.) will present its 12th annual somatic arts concert, entitled “Meeting Mine,” January 25-26, 2008, in the Performing Arts Center on the main campus of Naropa University (2130 Arapahoe Ave., Boulder) at 8 p.m.

This dynamic dance-based performance is entirely created and performed by students, faculty, staff and alumni in the Naropa University Somatic Counseling Psychology Program. The show is an opportunity for the public to enjoy innovative dance and, at the same time, discover the healing potential of the arts. The student directors of this year's concert are Elana Sobol and Melissa Walker.

This annual concert represents an important part of the Naropa University Somatic Counseling Psychology Program’s philosophy. “Dance movement therapy has roots in the modern dance movement and so has always held as one of its tenets that the power of the creative process is fundamentally healing and transformative,” says Leah D’Abate, academic advisor and admissions counselor for the program. “In order to support that tenet, we devised this opportunity to give students, faculty, staff and alumni a chance to come into an intimate relationship with the creative process themselves.”

Naropa University was one of the first institutions in the nation to offer a degree in somatic counseling psychology. The 20-year-old master of arts program is based on the belief that a functional unity exists between the mind and body and that therapeutic change occurs through direct experience of the present moment. Fostering body-based awareness is an important and effective way to accomplish this change. One function of this change is, according to D’Abate, “allowing the body to be our biggest resource and communicator.”  Within the Somatic Counseling Psychology Program, there are two unique areas of concentration: Body Psychotherapy and Dance/Movement Therapy. Both areas offer extensive study, training and supervision in the practice of psychotherapy that is grounded in the integration of body, mind and movement. 

There is a suggested donation of $10 at the door and all proceeds will go toward scholarships for students in the Naropa University Somatic Counseling Psychology Department. For additional information, the public may call 303-245-4845.             

Accredited by the Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Naropa University is a private, nonprofit, nonsectarian liberal arts institution dedicated to advancing contemplative education. This approach to learning integrates the best of Eastern and Western educational traditions, helping students know themselves more deeply and engage constructively with others. The university comprises a four-year undergraduate college and graduate programs in the arts, education, environmental leadership, psychology and religious studies.

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