Dance and Medicine
Interfacing the principles of Chinese medicine, Qi Gong, and Taoist philosophy with dance, movement, and the health of the mover.
Zuna Vesan – dancer, teacher, therapist, and practitioner of shiatsu, Chinese medicine, and Qi Gong – presents a project in which she integrates her long-standing fascination with Taoist philosophy principles into her artistic and pedagogical practice. In 2016, she founded the platform Dance and Medicine to create a space where body, movement, and awareness merge into a single healing dialogue.
The project includes seminars, studies, blog publishing, and book creation. For more than seven years, it has also served as a laboratory exploring how conscious movement can support the health and life energy of both dancers and non-dancers. This work operates internationally through seminars, creative workshops, and practical investigations with students from many countries around the world.
The Medicine in Dance project comprises:
Dance through the Five Phases of Energy – A year-long cycle through the five phases (elements) according to Chinese medicine. Five weekend meetings, each in a different season, invite participants to sense the body’s needs in that season and element, stimulate Qi flow in the meridians, and experience the transformations of yin and yang through movement. The body becomes a map and dance a path, revealing the connection between internal organs, physical structures, and breath, while expanding one’s movement vocabulary and creative patterns based on the principles of Chinese medicine
Body Awakeness – A series of workshops exploring mindful movement and listening to the body’s energy. The focus is on consciously organizing the body and using the physio-dynamics of movement and breath for healing purposes. The work engages the main physical and energetic centers, meridians, and bridges between Western and Eastern “energetic anatomy.
Dance and Medicine_Intensive – Intensive multi-day seminars (5–7 days) offering a deep and concentrated immersion into the theory of the five phases (elements) of Chinese medicine and the principles of yin-yang through movement. Each block combines a comprehensive theoretical overview with rich practical work
Research – A systematic laboratory, study, and documentation of the effects of conscious movement on health and quality of life.
Blog – Inspirations, insights, and sharing of experiences, including records from the Dance and Medicine research and excerpts from the book The Tao of Movement.
Lectures – Talks and online lessons on health from the perspective of Chinese medicine, tailored to individual needs
The Tao of Movement book – A compass for the journey through movement and energy. It combines Chinese medicine, prevention, injury treatment, mental balance, work with Qi, and yin-yang. It contains a detailed description of each phase (element) and ways to work with them through movement throughout the year, meridian maps, practical exercises, and chapters on nutrition with recipes
Completed workshops of the Dance and Medicine project
Year-long cycles_Dance in the Five Phases of Energy
Pangea Meeting Point, Eagle Mountains (CZ) – 2023
Studio Alta, Prague (CZ) – 2016
České Budějovice, Ústí nad Orlicí (CZ) – 2007
MY Group, Prague (CZ) – 2008
Year-long cycles_Body Awakeness
Duhová medicína, Jičín (CZ) – 2022
Yoga House, Bratislava (SK) – 2019
Skok! o.z., Žilina (SK) – 2017
Dance and Medicine_Intensive
Academy of Performing Arts, Prague (CZ) – 2017
Duncan Centre, Prague (CZ) – 2017
TIP, Freiburg (D) – 2015 and 2017
Studio tanca Theatre, Banská Bystrica (SK) – 2016
Records from the seminar series in Prague, Alta 2016: Elements WATER, WOOD, FIRE, and EARTH.