The cultural and aesthetic rationale for utilizing a traditional dance form in dance/movement therapy (DMT) dementia research has not been articulated. Moreover, the geo-transcendent and invariant aspects of psychological functioning often referred to as the wisdom of elders, have been little studied in dementia care. This single case study explored the benefits of a Japanese traditional bon dance that inherently symbolizes Japanese cultural ideals, focusing on a female participant with Alzheimer’s dementia. Attention was given to the manifestation of her wisdom. The data were extracted from 43 group sessions conducted over a period of two years and three months in a group home for older adults with dementia. These were analyzed using a combination of constructs: kinesthetic empathy, a hallmark of DMT, and the felt sense, a Focusing technique. Of cultural significance was the spontaneous creative expression that was observed paradoxically in the structure of choreographed dances. The expression of wisdom was witnessed in the participant’s caring gestures towards one’s body and the community, with humor. An embodied relational understanding of the participant’s condition enabled a high level of empathy between the therapist and client. Implications for using traditional dances in DMT with elders with dementia are discussed.

在舞蹈/运动疗法 (DMT) 痴呆症研究中利用传统舞蹈形式的文化和美学原理尚未阐明。此外，通常被称为老年人智慧的心理功能的地理超越和不变方面在痴呆症护理中很少被研究。这个单一的案例研究探讨了日本传统糖果的好处一种本质上象征着日本文化理想的舞蹈，专注于患有阿尔茨海默氏症的女性参与者。人们注意到她智慧的表现。这些数据是从 43 次小组会议中提取的，该小组会议为期两年零三个月，在一个老年痴呆症老年人的小组之家中进行。这些是使用组合结构进行分析的：动觉移情（DMT 的标志）和感觉感（一种聚焦技术）。具有文化意义的是自发的创造性表达，在编排的舞蹈结构中自相矛盾地观察到。参与者以幽默的方式关心自己的身体和社区，见证了智慧的表达。对参与者状况的具体关系理解使治疗师和客户之间能够产生高度的同理心。