The Body Hotel
Our Mission
is to bring movement based practises into individuals' personal health routines and workplace wellness programmes around the world.
Why Movement for Wellbeing?
Movement for wellbeing is a branch of arts, health & wellbeing, which works with the connection and awareness of our body through creative outlets.
Body-based interventions provide an essential role in recuperation from extreme stress by providing a way to renew, resource recharge and energise our body. In our sessions we use play, enjoyment and reflexivity, which are crucial to developing and nurturing resilience.
What is DMT?
As a profession that incorporates postgraduate-level training in psychotherapy, movement analysis with dance/movement practice, DMT offers a system of embodied skills to help make, maintain and repair the relationship to body, self and other(s). DMT training involves helping clients ask ‘body questions’, drawing connections between movement behaviour and life stress, while transforming relationships through the vehicle of creative expression. The integration of verbal and nonverbal information and the access to symbolic content makes movement-based psychotherapeutic interventions propitious for supporting research and practice in wellbeing, with many constructive implications for health, science and business (Acarón, 2020)
DMT formally prepares facilitators for dealing with mental health concerns should they arise in sessions and we signpost to local organisations if needed. Dance movement therapists also have regulated ethical responsibilities in terms of safeguarding. By having certified practitioners leading our sessions, you can ensure your staff will be welcomed into a safe space. There is a wealth of research of the effectiveness of this modality especially in the area of trauma, self-regulation, stress-recovery, neurological conditions and a myriad of client groups (WHO report, 2019).
Very inspiring about transitions and movement qualities!
The workshop was so affirming and fun!
Thanks for suggesting such a quick and simple morning routine for checking in with our bodies.
Our Partners
Meet The Team
Dr Thania Acarón, PhD, BC-DMT, FHEA
Director, Facilitator & Dance Movement Psychotherapist
(she/her)
Dr Thania Acarón is a dance movement psychotherapist, researcher, lecturer and performer from Puerto Rico. She obtained her PhD on the role of dance in violence prevention at the University of Aberdeen and holds an MA in Dance Education from New York University. She is certified as a clinical supervisor and dance movement psychotherapist in the UK and US and has worked in the field since 2006. She also directs interdisciplinary group Orphaned Limbs Collective, and co-directs Fflamingo, a community interest company promoting LGBTQ+ performance projects. Acarón is a lecturer at the University of South Wales and offers international workshops on movement for wellbeing, therapeutic work with the LGBT+ community, embodied decision-making and violence prevention.
Thania is now based in Wales, and is the director of The Body Hotel so is responsible for the day to day running of the company. She also runs the staff training and organisational workshops that the company offers. She is a member of various dance therapy associations and networks including the Association of Dance Movement Psychotherapy UK, the American Dance Therapy Association, the Latin American Dance Movement Therapy Network, the Wales Arts Health and Wellbeing Network and the Wales Arts Therapies Advisory Forum. She also sits on the advisory board for Creative Cardiff and the editorial board for LGBTQYMRU.
Shailesh Patel, Non-Executive Director
(he/him)
Shailesh has built successful businesses over 25 years, bringing a wealth of expertise in business management, financial consultancies, and a strong passion for mentoring and supporting small businesses. As a self-driven entrepreneur, Shailesh holds interest in developing innovative projects and as Non-Executive Director for The Body Hotel, supports the overall vision development of the company and its Advisory Board. Shailesh is an avid marathoner and distance runner, and heavily believes in the importance of physical activity in our wellbeing.
Dr Mark Gurney, Non-Executive Director
(he/him)
Mark is a scientist and researcher with a PhD in biology and health research, a specialisation in Immunology. He holds an active engagement with equality, diversity and inclusion. Dr Gurney has joined the directorship to support its overall vision and direct efforts in fundraising. He is an avid supporter of the arts, with a keen interest in the health sector.
Emma Edwards, Project Manager
(she/her)
Emma is a community engagement and cultural project management specialist with a Master's degree in Arts Management from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama. She has been working with The Body Hotel since 2021. Her areas of focus are creating community through the performing arts, and using arts for wellbeing and social cohesion. She has previously worked with a large variety of organisations leading initiatives using the arts to improve outcomes for education, community development, homelessness and dementia. She is also a trained classical singer and an avid rugby fan!