Dancing Dialogue

Dancing Dialogue A multi-disciplinary, embodied, creative arts psychotherapy practice with locations in New York City and Cold Spring, NY

Dancing Dialogue LCAT LMHC PLLC is a creative arts and embodied psychotherapy practice with offices in New York City and Cold Spring, NY. We also provide training and continuing education for mental health care providers interested in increasing their knowledge of embodied, creative, and movement-based psychotherapy. Dr. Tortora is a board certified dance movement therapist, Laban Nonverbal Moveme

nt Analyst, and specialist in the field of infancy mental health and development. Her expertise in early childhood development and the importance of early relationships inform her psychotherapeutic work across the life span. Dr. Tortora has a private dance movement psychotherapy practice, in New York City and Cold Spring-on-the-Hudson, New York. Dr. Tortora offers training programs and lectures about her dance therapy and nonverbal video analysis work with infants, children and families, at national and international professional meetings and universities. She is on the board of the New York Zero-to-Three Network. Dr Tortora has been featured on “Good Morning America” and Eyewitness Five-O’Clock News, WABC –TV; Women’s Day magazine; highlighted in Malcolm Gladwell's New Yorker article and book titled What the Dog Saw and other adventures; has published numerous papers about her therapeutic and nonverbal communication analysis work with children, parent-infant dyads, and Autism Spectrum Disorders; has twice been guest editor of the Zero to Three Journal; and has a book with Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company titled The Dancing Dialogue: Using the Communicative Power of Movement with Young Children. Dr. Tortora graduated with honors from the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development Tufts University specializing in child development, education and psychology; received her dance movement therapy masters degree at New York University; and her doctorate with a specialization in infancy/early childhood development, psychology and education from Teachers College, Columbia University. She has done extensive study and training in the field of infancy and early childhood research, development, education, communication and intervention through the Zero to Three Institute and Dr. Stanley Greenspan. She has studied Authentic Movement with Janet Adler & Body-Mind Centering with Bonnie Bainbridge Cohen. Dr Tortora is also a certified Laban Movement Analyst, and Kestenberg Movement Profiler.

Anxiety is often described as a thought problem, but ask where you feel it, and the answer is usually physical. Tight ch...
09/02/2026

Anxiety is often described as a thought problem, but ask where you feel it, and the answer is usually physical. Tight chest. Clenched jaw. Legs that will not stop moving.

A body that spends a lot of time braced can start treating bracing as normal. Working somatically means starting with those physical facts, rather than arguing with the thoughts.

September is Su***de Prevention Month. If you or someone you know is struggling, call or text 988.

***dePreventionMonth

The silks came out and the whole circle came alive. At the Cold Spring Farmers Market, Dr. Suzi Tortora led children thr...
08/28/2026

The silks came out and the whole circle came alive. At the Cold Spring Farmers Market, Dr. Suzi Tortora led children through movement and play during a special storytime with children's book author Barry Waldo, who shared his book The Secret Life of Tools. Hand a child a piece of flowing color and watch what happens. It becomes a wave, a wind, a cape, a feeling. Scarves are one of the simplest tools in dance/movement therapy because they invite big, expansive movement and give children a way to express themselves before they have the words. And the little ones watching from the edge of the blanket? That's participation too. Thank you to Barry and to every family who joined the circle.

The moment when movement meets story. This past Saturday at the Cold Spring Farmers Market, Dr. Suzi Tortora and childre...
08/27/2026

The moment when movement meets story. This past Saturday at the Cold Spring Farmers Market, Dr. Suzi Tortora and children's book author Barry Waldo (find him on IG , with ) invited kids into a storytime that came alive through colorful silks, laughter, and full-body play. Watch how quickly a story lifts off the page when children can move with it. That is embodied learning in real time. It builds regulation, imagination, and connection, all through the simple magic of moving together. Tag a family who would love this kind of community moment.

Have you noticed your shoulders climb during certain family phone calls? Or that you go quiet at family dinners in a way...
08/27/2026

Have you noticed your shoulders climb during certain family phone calls? Or that you go quiet at family dinners in a way you never do with friends?

Long before you had words, you learned your family's rhythms, how close people stood, what tempo the room moved at, what your body did when things got hard. Those early patterns often show up fastest under stress, long after you've grown.

Naming them isn't about blame. It's information. And it's often where change becomes possible.

One of the most freeing shifts for families is learning to see so-called challenging behaviors as communication.A child ...
08/19/2026

One of the most freeing shifts for families is learning to see so-called challenging behaviors as communication.

A child who cannot sit still, who moves constantly, or who seeks intense sensory input is telling us something real about what their nervous system needs. When we listen, our response softens, and so often, so does the child's distress.

Support is not about making a child appear more typical. It is about helping them thrive as themselves.

Big news from the Dancing Dialogue family. We are so proud to share that Renee Ortega has been chosen as Communications ...
08/14/2026

Big news from the Dancing Dialogue family. We are so proud to share that Renee Ortega has been chosen as Communications Chair for the American Dance Therapy Association. This national role reflects Renee's dedication to advancing the field of dance/movement therapy and her commitment to helping more people experience its healing power. Congratulations, Renee. We are cheering you on. Please join us in celebrating this well-deserved honor.

For many children, the hardest part of a medical procedure begins long before the moment itself. It lives in the waiting...
08/14/2026

For many children, the hardest part of a medical procedure begins long before the moment itself. It lives in the waiting room, in the way the body tenses at the sight of a white coat.

Fear is not only a thought. It is a felt experience. A frightened body cannot be reasoned out of its fear, yet it can be gently invited back toward calm.

Before a procedure, invite your child to press their feet firmly into the floor, march in place, or push their hands together. Engaging the large muscles helps discharge nervous energy and gives the body a sense of solidity.

Have an idea for a children's book? So did author Barry Waldo. Now he has seven. Join us on Saturday, August 22 at 10 AM...
08/13/2026

Have an idea for a children's book? So did author Barry Waldo. Now he has seven. Join us on Saturday, August 22 at 10 AM in Garrison, NY for a special conversation about writing, imagination, and the magic of storytelling for kids. Dr. Suzi Tortora is co-hosting and moderating the event, bringing her insight on how creativity and story shape children's emotional worlds. Bring the family. Bring your curiosity. All are welcome.

When a child is living with cancer, so much of the experience happens in the body. Long before a young patient can name ...
08/13/2026

When a child is living with cancer, so much of the experience happens in the body. Long before a young patient can name fear, fatigue, or hope, those feelings are already moving through them.

Dance/movement therapy meets children in the felt experience. A rainstick can hold a hard day. Choosing how to move, when to rest, and what to create returns small but meaningful choices to a child whose days are often shaped by others.

Playful movement invites laughter back into the room, reminding a child that they are still a child.

Address

1806 Route 9D, Suite 1
Cold Spring, NY
10516

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