Date of Award
Spring 5-5-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Expressive Therapies
Major
Expressive Therapies
First Advisor
Wendy Allen
Abstract
Lion dancing is a cultural art form practiced in numerous Asian and Asian diasporic cultures across the world. While the dance has been studied both in a historical and ethnographic manner, little research exists on its therapeutic benefits. This capstone thesis explores lion dancing through the lens of the expressive arts therapies to uncover the therapeutic factors underlying the practice. It applies the Chadian dance/movement therapy framework as well as various expressive arts therapy frameworks to the lion dance. The literature review indicates that lion dancing has the potential to be therapeutic in a number of ways, which include: 1) the promotion of the mind-body connection, 2) the practice of dramatic embodiment, 3) the exploration of narratives and symbols, and 4) dyadic mirroring and attunement. From the results of the literature review, this study identified populations that could potentially derive the most benefit from participating in lion dancing and presents a model for incorporating lion dancing and its elements into an expressive arts therapeutic space.
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Ngo, Sarah T., "Communing with Lions: A Critical Literature Review Exploring Pan-Asian Lion Dance Traditions through the Lens of Expressive Arts Therapy" (2025). Expressive Therapies Theses. 59.
https://digitalcommons.lesley.edu/expressive_therapies_theses/59
Included in
Art Therapy Commons, Counseling Commons, Dance Movement Therapy Commons, Movement and Mind-Body Therapies Commons
