Directors
We share a passion for movement as an art and a science and wish to advance its study in a world which – except for keeping the body fit and beautiful – often negates its power and possibilities.
Kedzie comes from theatre and dance, education and therapy whilst Susan comes from therapeutic application of movement and dance in health and social care settings. We hope you will join us in this exploration of life through movement.
Kedzie Penfield
CMA, BC-DMT, SrDMP, UKCP and BPC registered
Kedzie began her professional life as a dancer, teacher, choreographer in NYC in the 1970's. After studying at the Dance Notation Bureau with Irmgard Bartenieff the connection between movement and our emotional life took her to training as a Dance Movement Therapist. She emigrated to Scotland to work for the NHS at Dingleton Hospital and settled in the Borders. More recently she qualified as a Movement Pattern Analyst, Psychoanalytical Psychotherapist in the use of MPI (Dr. Martha Davis' Movement Diagnostic Inventory).
Her working base is now Edinburgh where – as Head of Movement Studies at Queen Margaret University - Kedzie teaches actors in training and contributes to research projects in various fields. She also has a private practice in movement psychotherapy and in psychoanalytic psychotherapy and engages in research in fields as diverse as designing a new electronic instrument (download research paper), to audience experience while watching dance.
Susan Scarth
MCAT, SrDMP, CMA
Susan gained an MA in DMP
from the Laban Centre in 1992, following the submission of her dissertation on group work in a Women’s Refuge. Coming from a background of social and community work, Susan has practiced as a Dance Movement Psychotherapist since 1990, working with children and adults with a variety of mental and physical health needs. Her most recent practice and research has focussed on the field of Trauma and she has embarked on the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy trauma-specific training.
Susan is a clinical supervisor and lecturer on DMP masters programmes in UK and Europe. She is an active member within the professional development of DMP and was appointed Chairperson of the European Association Dance Movement Therapy and the Scottish Arts Therapies Forum in 2010.
She shares an interest in theatre with Kedzie and is a member of Playback Edinburgh Theatre Company. In keeping with Susan’s passion for Laban’s work she enjoys the collaborative nature of Playback and its context in creating healthy communities.