“To truly live is to be fully present in each rhythm and movement. Dance is a language of expression, communication, and connection, a fundamental human need.”
— MS. Bùi Tuyết Minh

Courses

Instructors:
Susan Orkand, MA, BC-DMT, CMA
Minh Bui, R-DMT

A 6-hour online course designed for those interested in mental health and curious about why movement can become a form of “medicine for life”—supporting nervous system regulation, emotional resilience, meaningful connection, and restorative capacity. The course weaves together scientific foundations, humanistic perspectives, and embodied experiential practice, offering a clear and grounded framework for applying Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) techniques with safety, sensitivity, and professional ethics.

Register

  • Duration: 6 hours (3 sessions × 2 hours each)
    Format: Online via Zoom
    Class size: Max. 12 students per course

    Time: 9:00–11:00 AM

    • January: 21–22–23

    • February: 25–26–27

    • March: 18–19–20

    Tuition: From 1,900,000 to 2,900,000 VND

    Scholarships available

    • Therapists, coaches, counselors, and social workers

    • Teachers, educators, and professionals working in SEL & well-being in schools

    • Healthcare professionals, including those in hospice and palliative care

    • Artists and community arts practitioners working within the healing arts

    • Individuals interested in VDMT who are seeking a clear, accessible, and well-structured entry point into the field

  • Listen to the body. Move with care. Use dance as medicine.

    • Understand the foundations of Dance/Movement Therapy and how movement is used in care

    • Recognize emotions and inner states through breath and subtle movement

    • Apply simple, safe movements to regulate emotions, support self-care, and care for others

  • In medical settings, long-term care, or palliative care, what is most precious often lies in very subtle signals: a change in breathing, a gesture, a minimal movement.

    Dance/Movement Therapy is trained to read and respond to this nonverbal language with deep presence—without imposing, without rushing to “fix.”

    For those living with difficult-to-explain symptoms (fatigue, pain, somatic anxiety…), a body–mind approach reveals that the body may be carrying unspoken tensions.
    Embodied practice helps individuals rediscover a sense of safety, self-regulation, and meaning in life.

    Dance is not only an art.
    Throughout human history, dance has served to reunite mind and body. Today, alongside scientific research, dance is increasingly recognized as a therapeutic intervention in healthcare, supporting mental and emotional well-being.

2026

BODY WISDOM is designed to help you become fully present in every movement—whether in everyday activities such as eating, walking, and resting, or in moments of quiet tea rituals at dawn and dusk by the Saigon River. This holistic retreat, guided through dance, movement, music, and the arts, invites you to reconnect with and deepen your body’s innate wisdom—allowing you to inhabit each moment fully and to open into a new way of living: deeper, gentler, richly inspired, and vividly alive.

Register

  • Schedule:
    25/03 to 28/03/2026

    Location:
    Hanoi

    Class size:
    Maximum 18 participants per class

    Flexible participation fee:
    From 5,900,000 to 9,900,000 VND per person for the full program

  • The retreat warmly welcomes all individuals aged 18 and above, regardless of religion, culture, gender, or background. The program is limited to a maximum of 10 participants, with priority given to early registrants.

    This is an introductory program designed for those interested in self-care and self-love through Dance/Movement Therapy—whether you are new to this approach, seeking to better understand this humanistic and holistic form of therapy for personal growth, or a professional in education, psychology, the arts, or related fields who wishes to integrate movement-based tools into relational practice and professional development.

    • DANCE/MOVEMENT THERAPY
      Foundational understanding of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT): explore the language and meaning of movement; develop holistic self-awareness and social-relational insight through KMP (Kestenberg Movement Profiles).

    • AUTHENTIC MOVEMENT
      Transforming Body–Mind–Psyche and resilience: cultivate trust in body intelligence, intuition, and emotional wisdom through Authentic Movement (Mary Whitehouse) and Carl Jung’s Active Imagination.

    • TOUCH & DANCE
      Awaken the senses and the body’s subtle vibrations through the art of giving and receiving in touch and dance. Explore polarities and practice establishing safe boundaries in mental health care and relationships.

    • ELEVATION WITH THE “ARTIST” WITHIN
      Move into creative flow with improvised music by international cellist Bryan Charles Wilson alongside traditional instrumental artists.

    • CULTIVATING COMPASSION & INNER STRENGTH
      Oil massage techniques, Yoga Nidra, and mindful breathing—with Tran Thanh Huyen—to cleanse energy and invite deep relaxation.

    • THE EVOLUTION OF MOVEMENT
      Dance in water (pool) and on land (studio and nature), experiencing the evolutionary journey of movement in human development and personality formation.

    • NOURISHMENT
      Fresh, organic TRUE JUICE and wholesome vegetarian cuisine.

    • NATURE
      Lush, green surroundings along the Saigon River.

  • This is a unique and one-of-a-kind journey in Vietnam, co-created by Vietnam Dance/Movement Therapy and True Juice—an invitation to reconnect with body intelligence, emotions, and inner strength through psychotherapy using dance/movement, music, the arts, Yoga Nidra, and mindful breathing.

    On this HOME-COMING journey with BODY WISDOM, you will be gently guided within a safe, art-centered spacefor personal reflection and co-creation. Through exploring the language of movement, you are invited to “move yourself”—to shift how you feel and perceive, and to grow more holistically.

    Beyond embodied experiences of subtle expression and connection through Authentic Movement, thematic dialogues, and group practices, you will also explore the intersection of art and science in Dance/Movement Therapy—where every step, every breath, and every movement can transform emotion, thought, and awareness of both self and the world around us.

2026

In this course, we learn to listen through touch as a way to invite movement—using Contact Improvisation as a foundational practice in which the body is heard, enters into dialogue, and transforms. Through real clinical case examples, the course also introduces the application of touch and movement in Dance/Movement Therapy, helping you understand not only body intelligence through movement for self-healing and holistic growth, but also how these insights can be integrated into professional development and everyday relationships. You can learn more here.

Coming soon

  • Schedule:
    02-06/05/2026

    Location:
    TBA

    Class size:
    Maximum 16 participants per class

    Tuition:
    5,500,000 – 7,500,000 VND
    (Tuition includes digital learning materials, tea breaks, and learning resources.)

    Scholarships available

    • Counselors, therapists, teachers, parents, and students

    • Dance artists, healthcare professionals, health coaches, social workers, and HR managers

    • Individuals interested in personal development, mental well-being, connection, and creativity

    • Understand the relationship between body, emotion, and mind in Dance/Movement Therapy.

    • Awaken body intelligence, enhancing self-regulation and nonverbal communication.

    • Develop the art of touch, safe boundaries, connection, and attunement.

    • Apply DMT in professional practice, self-care, and relationships.

    • Practical, highly applicable techniques for inner dialogue and holistic care, including:

      • Mapping the body–mind

      • Building safe boundaries through movement

      • The Individual Body & the Collective Body — recognizing how bias, culture, and society shape the body, and practicing rituals of honoring and blessing the body.

  • A Certificate of Completion will be awarded by Vietnam Dance/Movement Therapy (VDMT) after participants have:

    • Completed 24 in-class hours over 4 days

    • Submitted a final reflective piece of at least 500 words (in the form of writing/poetry, visual artwork, or a solo dance video)

    • Completed a final group project based on the course theme

2026

The body is not merely a place we inhabit; it is a living compass—guiding us through life’s turbulence, holding memory, culture, and emotions yet unnamed.

At the heart of this course lies the metaphor of “the body as a compass.” Through movement and embodied awareness, you are invited to reconnect with your inner intelligence—learning to listen more deeply, orient your emotional landscape, and move through life with greater authenticity and a profound sense of self-trust.

Coming soon

  • Time: 7:00–9:30 PM

    Duration: 7.5 hours per course (3 sessions × 2.5 hours)

    Class size:
    Maximum 12 participants

    Tuition:
    2,300,000 – 2,900,000 VND per course

    Flexible based on individual capacity

    • Mental health professionals, educators, artists, and social work students

    • Beginners who are curious about using the body and the arts in a therapeutic way

    • Students or applicants preparing for Creative Arts Therapy programs

    • Anyone seeking a grounded, safe approach to reconnect with their emotions and body

      No dance experience required. All bodies and identities are welcome.

    • Gain a solid foundation in the history and core methods of Dance/Movement Therapy (DMT) through the perspectives of global pioneers

    • Experience movement as a language of connection and emotional expression

    • Explore key concepts such as body image and the body within cultural contexts

    • Practice listening to the body as a tool for emotional regulation, restoration, and cultivating inner strength

2026

This is NOT a course in Dance/Movement Therapy.

The course offers an in-depth experiential exploration of core movement principles and teaching skills in Creative Dance using the Mettler-based approach. Dance/movement forms are developed through improvisation and creative inquiry using the kinesthetic sense as a guide. The dance material emerges directly from participants' lived experience and explores the nature of human movement expression, both individually and collectively. This is an annual course in collaboration with VDMT and Mettler Studios.

Coming soon

  • Schedule:
    8:30–11:00 AM, every Wednesday and Sunday

    Location:

    • Hanoi: Dance More Studio (3rd Floor, No. 55, Alley 135 Đội Cấn, Ba Đình District, Hanoi)

    • Ho Chi Minh City: Body Fix Yoga Center, District 2, Ho Chi Minh City

    Format:
    Hybrid learning — Instructor joins online from the U.S. via Zoom, while participants practice in person at the two studios.

    Language:
    English, with Vietnamese interpretation provided.

    Class size:
    Maximum 18 participants per class

    Tuition:
    The full course value is 12,000,000 VND.
    Participants may choose a flexible, self-determined scholarship level based on personal capacity, or apply for a special scholarship of up to 90% of the course value. (Tuition includes learning materials and a dance project as part of an outdoor “Dance with Nature” session.)

  • The course draws on natural human movement as its core material to develop teaching programs for diverse groups, including:

    • Dancing naturally by following one’s own kinesthetic sensations (movement awareness), both individually and in groups.

    • Cultivating imagination within each movement.

    • Using the voice and all parts of the body to express one’s unique qualities.

    • Sharing and discussing key concepts of Mettler-based Creative Dance, such as organic form, the abstract qualities of movement, emerging sensation, the importance of relaxation, and the distinctions between individual and group expressive movement.

  • A Certificate of Completion will be jointly awarded by Vietnam Dance/Movement Therapy and Mettler Studio after participants have:

    • Completed 20 in-class hours across 8 sessions

    • Studied assigned readings and videos for 20 minutes per day

    • Practiced daily dance for 10 minutes per day, following the given themes

    • Submitted a final reflective piece of at least 500 words (in the form of writing/poetry, visual artwork, or a solo dance video)

    • Completed a final group dance project based on the course theme

  • METTLER SCHOLARSHIP IN THE UNITED STATES

    After this course, Mettler Studio and Vietnam Dance/Movement Therapy (VDMT) will select 4–6 participants to receive scholarships to join a 78+ hour teacher training program at Mettler Studio, Tucson, AZ, USA, in July 2026.

    PROFESSIONAL SUPPORT

    As a Mettler student, you will receive ongoing online mentorship with instructor Mary Ann and Mettler Studio as needed, and you will be invited to monthly practice sessions with the Mettler-based Creative Dance community in Vietnam.