This project aims to provide online movement therapy for children and adolescents with special needs between the age groups of 4 years to 18 years. 25 dance movement therapists will facilitate online sessions using therapeutic movement activities and games from Movement Therapy for over 1,000 participants in the aforementioned age groups. 

The sessions will consist of movement activities that would increase and enhance body coordination, group support and bonding, mental alertness and emotional well being. These sessions will happen weekly twice online for the next 6 months. 

The movement activities will consist of warm-up routines, relaxation and stress release exercises, moving with music, moving with props etc; to help participants enhance their mental health and well-being through recurring lockdowns of the COVID_19 across different cities and towns in India.

Each batch of 25 participants will receive 12 sessions of movement therapy. These will be replicated across several batches throughout the 6-month period.

Impact and outcome:

At the end of 6 months Participants will receive:

• Spotify list of Music selections for all Movement activities
• Video documentation of Therapeutic Movement activities consisting of:
• Pre-traumatic stress management strategies
• Movement Meditation and Self-help tool kit with activities that:
• Build Emotional self-regulation and Resilience
• Increase Coping skills to deal with uncertainties/ challenges/obstacles
• Reduce global/local/personal anxiety and restlessness
• Reduce Psycho-Social distress, depression and sadness
• Enhance Internal resources to deal with memory triggers
• Reduce fear, physical, emotional and mental discomfort due to social isolation and physical distancing
• Increase Self-awareness and acknowledgement of thoughts and sensations
• Reduce melt-downs
• Increase concentration and focus

Bio Profile:
Tripura Kashyap pioneered Creative Movement Therapy in India in 1990. She studied Movement therapy at the Hancock Centre for Dance/movement therapy in Wisconsin, USA and obtained an M.A. in Psychology in India. Alongside she also received a 1st class diploma in Bharatanatyam at Kalakshetra, Chennai. Later she was a performer in the Chandralekha dance company for many years.

She worked as a Movement therapist at Half-way homes, Special schools, Treatment / Rehabilitation centres, Senior citizens facilities and with individual clients for the next 10 years. She also trained in Jazz, Ballet, Modern dance, Choreography and Dance theatre at the International Choreographers Residency in the American Dance Festival USA.

Tripura received fellowships from the Ashoka International Foundation and Indian Ministry of Culture for her innovations in dance therapy and contemporary dance in the 1990's. She authored ‘My Body, My Wisdom’ a handbook on Creative dance therapy and ‘Contemporary Dance: Practices, Paradigms and Practitioners’ published by Penguin and Aayu publications.

She was founder-director of Rainbow Inc (Hyderabad) and Apoorva Dance Theatre (Bengaluru). She worked collaboratively with filmmakers, visual artists and musicians on cross-art projects and performances. She was the projects coordinator for Bhoomika dance Company (Delhi) and consultant for ‘Dance-in-Education’ program at Attakkalari Center for Movement Arts (Bengaluru).  

Tripura is Delhi based and is the co-founder of Creative Movement Therapy Association of India (CMTAI) and teaches on CMTAI’s Dance Movement therapy certificate and diploma courses in Delhi, Bangalore and Pune. She is also a guest faculty at the Psychology Department, Ashoka University and M.A Performance studies, Ambedkar University, Delhi