Marie Carstens


Marie C. Carstens, MS, BC-DMT, CMA, LCAT, began dancing in her early teenage years and found her passion in movement and dance. She received her Bachelors in Fine Arts in dance performance from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Conservatory of Music, in 1993, and her Master’s of Science in Dance Therapy from Hunter College, City University of New York, 1996. Marie began working as a dance/movement therapist at Interfaith Medical Center in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn. She worked in a variety of clinical settings including acute psychiatry, substance addiction rehabilitation, continuing day treatment for those with dual diagnosis of mental illness and chemical addiction and finally as the director of Psychiatric Rehabilitation at Interfaith Medical Center, 1995-2008. Her most recent administrative position was the Director of Integrative Therapies at Bronx Lebanon Hospital Center in the south central Bronx, 2008 to 2014. During this time Marie focused on program development including enhancing clinical supervision, bringing about more trauma-informed education and care as well as establishing adjunct therapeutic programs for child, adolescent and adult psychiatric programs.
Marie maintained an active performance career while cultivating her career as a dance/movement therapist. She gravitated to the early modern works of Isadora Duncan studying with Jeanne Bresciani at the 92nd Street Y in 1997 and was captivated and inspired by the technique and its expressivity. She received her Certificate in Isadora Duncan Studies from Isadora Duncan International Institute, Inc. in 1999. She continued to study and perform Duncan repertoire with Lynn Armentrout, Lori Belilove, and most recently with Catherine Gallant. She also performed with choreographers Rina Rinkewich as well as Michiyo Sato. Marie co-founded the Duncan Dance Collective with Lynn Armentrout in 1999 and choreographed new works within the Duncan technique until 2010, the birth of her first daughter. Marie has created several works that are within the technique of Duncan but refrain from extensive use of what is often referred to as Duncan vocabulary. Her works including "A study in Gemini", "The Parting", "Ode to Dionysus", "From the Rock Pool", "The Senses", "Grace", as well as Gershwin trilogy, shown throughout NYC including the NY Chapter of the American Dance Therapy Association as well as the American Dance Therapy Association 42nd Annual Conference (2006).
Marie is a also certified movement analyst (CMA) receiving her Certification in Movement Analysis and Body Mind Practice in 2008 under the tutelage of Janet Kaylo, Laban/Bartenieff and Somatic Studies International program, an affiliate program of the Laban/Bartenieff Institute of Movement Studies. She continues her work in movement analysis and it's application to Duncan technique as well as therapeutic application. Marie is currently training in the Kestenberg Movement Profile with Suzanne Hastie.
Marie is a Licensed Creative Arts therapist and Board Certified Dance/Movement Therapist. She has a private dance/movement psychotherapy practice in NYC and has taught Movement Analysis at Sarah Lawrence College in 2013 and Analysis of Dance/Movement at Queens College in 2014.


Affiliations

Duncan Dance Collective — Co-founder (since 1999)

Links

Marie Carstens performs: Isadora Duncan's "Cymbals" Waltz op 39 no 13 Brahms

Videos

Collection Title Date
Catherine Gallant and Dances by Isadora YouTube channel Dances by Isadora at Jacobs Pillow 7-13-17 INSIDE/OUT Series 2017-07-13
Catherine Gallant and Dances by Isadora YouTube channel Dances by Isadora: Grande March 2011
Catherine Gallant and Dances by Isadora YouTube channel Dances by Isadora: Diamond 2009
Catherine Gallant and Dances by Isadora YouTube channel Dances by Isadora: Cymbals

Related items in the Archives

The Collection of Lynn Armentrout > Programs > The Duncan Dance Collective Program — The Duncan Dance Collective — Oct 06, 2000

The Isadora Duncan Archive Collection > Programs > Isadora Duncan in the 21st Century — Jan 20, 2017