Dance, communication and schizophrenia

Abstract

“Dancing possesses all the features of a beautiful language, yet it is not sufficient to know the alphabet alone. But when a man of genius arranges the letters to form words and connects the words to form sentences, it will cease to be dumb, it will speak with both strength and energy; and the ballets will share with the best plays the merits of affecting and moving” (Noverre, 1760; cited in Copeland & Cohen, 1983. p. 290) “I should like to emphasise that some of the clinical pictures outlined are no more than attempts to present part of the material observed in a communicable form” (Kraepelin, 1920; cited in Hafner et al, 1987, pp. 29–38)