Ah . . . That Glorious Dance!

An unfortunate by-product of the evidenced-based movement has been a "creeping sterility" in the way we seem to be educating and training the new generation of therapists. To counteract this, I attempt to offer metaphors for therapy to my trainees that encapsultate the energy and passion that I observed in my mentors and that I see being "pressed out" of the current generation of aspiring therapists.

The posted clip is from the 2006 film Take The Lead. Antonio Banderas stars in this true story of Pierre Dulaine, master dance instructor, who uses his skill, energy, and talent to broaden the perspectives and hopes of students in an inner city high school in New York. My colleague Dr. Kelly Tyner and I used this clip recently in a workshop as a way to project the interplay of certain dynamic elements in that tango called "therapy." As you watch the video, feel the energy. Observe how the moment evolves. How would you deconstruct the metaphor?