Over the past couple of decades I have attended Workshops conducted by Maria in Melbourne, Egypt and Bali, and I have also worked as her assistant on a number of her Melbourne workshops.

As a visual artist, I do not come from a dance/movement background – and I have found Maria’s approach very intriguing. I knew her initially as a teacher of Middle Eastern dance – and I have observed her extend her practice into a whole new realm of body awareness.

For myself, the process has been confronting at times, both physically and emotionally – enlightening, exhilarating, bewildering and profound. Maria has a deep knowledge of the human body – particularly the feminine body – and a way of explaining and demonstrating different techniques in a way that is very accessible.

In her teaching Maria accesses a store of knowledge developed over three decades of enquiry and is able to respond very intuitively in the moment to what happens in the room. This gives her workshops a very organic flow – every participant is held in a loving and informed embrace.

For myself – I feel as if I have been inducted into a whole new way of inhabiting my body, of feeling and responding …and I have always enjoyed the interactions with the other women who attend her workshops – some of whom have been attending for years – a great tribute to Maria’s inclusive approach to sharing her passion for movement and dance.

Kate Osborne
Director, Tara Creative Centre
Senior Artist, Somebody’s Daughter Theatre, Australia

I met Maria in 2013, the first time she came to Japan. From that time I gradually started to focus more on my body – mind connection.

Before then, I had felt disconnected from my body. at the time I didn’t understand why. I used to speak of this with other people, but nobody could comprehend what I was talking about.

In fact I felt discombobulated that I felt that my body and mind weren’t unified.

When I joined that first workshop, I received so much important feedbacks about the way I moved and danced, from there I began to develop my body – mind connection.

This was also the first time that I experienced a connection between the ground and the center of my body. I began to feel more and more alive. My mental state changed and I was better able to deal my anxiety, for this I am very grateful

I had a lot of worries and feelings of instability around the relationship I had with my mother. This experiencing was reflected in the way I danced and moved. Maria’s work helped me realise this. The interaction with my mother is still problematic, but working with Maria has helped me to organise my mental state and get close to a solution.

Dancing has a positive effect on my spirit. The more I feel the connected and supported by the ground, the more I feel a connection to my soul

Thought my growing awareness of the the Body, Mind and Soul connection, I became interested in the therapeutic aspect of dance. I am now training in dance movement and dance therapy.

Yuki Okubo, Kindergarten Teacher, Bellydance Teacher, Japan

Maria’s dance workshop was sensual and meditative, pleasurable and profound. She guided us through layers of self and body wisdom, to get us moving from inner impulses and inner truth. She’s a natural teacher, relaxed and focused and attentive to each woman in the group according to where we each were in ourselves and our lives. Beautiful days.

Merilee Bennett. Artist, Writer, Therapist, Austalia

Maria promotes a great perception of the emotional states that are expressed through the body. She accompanies people with profound sensitivity to meet their difficulties and their pain and gently supports them in self-knowledge and transformation.

Her work accelerates the therapeutic process in the psychological field, as it helps people to be more receptive and available to therapy.

Simona Ginelli, Psychologist, Psychotherapist, Shiatizu Therapist, Italy

I am not personally a dance movement therapist but have worked with many in the field over my years in sacred dance. Maria exemplifies what I think dance movement therapy is all about – diving deeply into the emotional, physical, cognitive and social aspects of living in our bodies. She is always professional, has vast knowledge in many areas and the quality of her work is top notch.

Wendy Morrell, President of the International Sacred Dance Guild, Canada

Maria is one of those deeply embodied individuals who is comfortable bringing the unconscious up into consciousness through movement and dance. If you follow her, she can lead you into a deep place within yourself, uncovering a lovely richness in your own journey

Marylee Hardenbergh, Dance Movement Therapist, Global Site Performance , USA