Before I began working with Maria, I was always tired, full of frustration and anxiety. I had no confidence to do anything.

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

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

Thank you Maria for the healing and ongoing care for both my physical and mental health.  I have had many massages with Maria and they are holistic and enjoyable in a setting that is warm, relaxing and peaceful. Maria only uses pure massage oils and essential oils of which there are numerous to choose from. Maria’s knowledge of the body is extensive, enriching the overall experience and benefits of this lovely therapy.

Gratefully better for this treatment, again, thank you Maria.

Eleanor Schmidig, retired libriarian and loving it! 

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, 

Maria has a deep knowledge of the techniques of Dance Movement Therapy.  Her strong communication skills render her able to interact and make contact with each of the participants, and with the group in its entirety. Maria has a high ability to understand dysfunctions and functions of the client’s mind-body complex. She has a clear intuition in understanding and sustaining the skills that are applied to find ones own solution.

Marella Tarini,   Psychiatrist and Psychotherapist. Regional director of Marche and Head of of Psychiatry department of substance abuse at Senigalla Hospital. Functional Analysis Psychosomatic Psychotherapist  Italy

Maria has carried out her activity with competence and efficiency, commitment and punctuality, She knew how to adapt her skills to the needs of the individual in the group, reformulating the interventions based on reactions and response of the group. 

Through Maria’s excellent communication and interpersonal skills each member of the group was able to experiment the proposed activity express and channel their emotions through movement and dance. 

Maria Colosante La Giostra  Adult Disability Centre, Italy.