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Sandplay Therapists of America

Chee, Diana. The Ballerina: Archetypal Dancer  

Chee, Diana. The Ballerina: Archetypal Dancer
Honolulu, Hawaii

Volume 17, Number 1, 2008

Keywords: Maiden, feminine development, stages, self-sacrifice; mother-daughter unity, heuresis.

Abstract: The author explores the symbolism of the ballerina, which may appear in the sandplay process of young girls and women. The underlying archetypes of the maiden and the feminine are explored through consideration of the career of the ballerina as well as the meanings and background of dance. As the maiden, the ballerina may represent self-sacrifice and the first stage of feminine development. She is closely linked to her mother, and the mother-daughter pair can be thought of as manifestations of the alternating cycles of the archetypal feminine. These associations are then explored further through the initial sandplay of a 10-year-old girl and the final sandplay of a 15-year-old girl.

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