cro (she-he)
Long before I discovered dance-therapy, I experienced dance as an intimate space for regulation, expression, imagination and transformation. This has profoundly shaped my current practice.
My practice is also shaped by my own position in the world. I was assigned female at birth and identify as having a fluid gender identity. I also identify as bisexual (in the non-binary sense of the term). I am white and come from a privileged social background within the educated and affluent middle class. I am not personally affected by physical disability. Politically, I currently identify as an anti-fascist on the far left, an anti-capitalist and a feminist with an intersectional perspective.
These different dimensions influence the way I experience my body, form relationships and support the people I meet. I believe it is important to name these aspects, not to fix my identity in place, but to recognise that all care practices are situated. I do not believe in a stance of neutrality. My work forms part of an ongoing reflection on power relations, social norms and the various forms of privilege and oppression that permeate our bodily experiences, our life trajectories and our spaces of care.
Inclusive approach to movement
I seek to create spaces where it becomes possible to explore movement without having to conform to expectations of performance, technical mastery or aesthetic conformity.
Dancing can be a gesture, a movement, a breath, a rhythm or even a moment of stillness. There is no right way to take part. Everyone is invited to proceed at their own pace, according to their needs, resources and limitations.
My practice is informed by dance-therapy, psychocorporal approaches and psychology. I combine various methods: movement, improvisation, talking, relaxation, visualisation, symbolic work, creative media, and more. I am particularly interested in the interplay between bodily and psychological experience, without assuming that one necessarily explains the other.
Consent, safety and respect for boundaries are central to my support. The activities on offer are always adaptable and designed to accommodate a diversity of bodies, abilities and life experiences.
Contextual and political practice
An important part of my practice was built within activist, community-based, and self-managed spaces in Brussels. I began offering mind-body support sessions at a queer space in Forest and helped create spaces for reflection on the connections between care and political struggle.
These experiences have reinforced a conviction that now underlies all of my work: care is not limited to an individual encounter in a therapist's office. Care can also be collective, situated, accessible, and embedded in the spaces we inhabit together. For me, caring also involves recognizing the social and political dimensions that shape our bodies, our life trajectories, and the ways we exist in the world.
FAQ
For who ?
I welcome people with a wide variety of backgrounds, experiences, and relationships with their bodies. I work with people who wish to rediscover a more peaceful relationship with their bodies, explore their creativity and physical expression, develop coping mechanisms for stress or difficult experiences, navigate a period of transition or healing, discover new ways to express themselves, or simply rediscover the joy of movement.
I pay special attention to people who may have felt excluded from traditional dance spaces: people who are fat, disabled, neurodivergent, queer, living in precarious circumstances, elderly, or who believe (or were made to believe) they cannot dance. I want to help create spaces where everyone can explore movement without having to justify their presence or their right to be there.
Do I need to know how to dance ?
No !
You don't need any previous dance experience, nor do you need to know any specific steps or techniques. My proposals build on what's already there and can be adapted to suit each person's abilities and confort.
There's no such thing as a 'right' body for dancing, and there's no standard you need to meet.
What happens during a session ?
A session usually begins with a time for welcoming and sharing. We take a moment to see how you're feeling and what you'd like to explore.
I then suggest various physical or creative activities, which may be highly structured or leave more room for improvisation. A session may include movement, dance, music, breathing exercises, visualisation, imagination, visual aids or other activities.
We finish with a period of integration and reflection, to take the time to look back on what we have experienced.
Are we constantly moving ?
No : observing, listening, imaginating, breathing or staying still are all ways to participate.
The suggested explorations are always adapted to suit each person's abilities and limitations.
Is it a therapy ?
It depends on the framework. I offer mind-body support and am currently undertaking a certification course in dance therapy, having already spent several years training in this field. What I offer is not a substitute for clinical therapy, but provides an alternative way of exploring and engaging with one's way of being in the world.
In an adapted dance or physical expression workshop, we can work on movement, rhythm, coordination, improvisation, creativity and group dynamics.
In dance therapy sessions, the focus is more on exploring what movement can offer in terms of expression, symbolism, relationships and healing.
However, the two approaches can overlap. When sessions take place within a therapeutic setting, that setting is defined jointly and clearly based on each person's requests, needs, and capabilities.