Hello From Donna Newman-Bluestein

I am so glad you have found these pages. I am thrilled to be sharing the Octaband® so that you, too, can discover the vitality that is released by using the Octaband®.

In my work as a dance / movement therapist and educator since 1978, I have worked with people of all ages and abilities with the goal of increasing connection to self, others, and one's environment. I have been particularly fascinated by experimenting with ways of moving which stimulate and then focus energy. The child in me loves to play with the elements of rhythm, dance, music, and color, and the artist / dancer in me loves to shape those elements.

It was while leading dance / movement therapy groups with elderly people with dementia that I noticed the effectiveness of the image of group leader as hub of a wheel and the interactions between the leader and group members as spokes of that wheel. I wondered if group members would be able to interact with each other more directly with less intervention on my part if I created a prop to manifest that image. Thus was born the Octaband®.

Originally I developed the Octaband® as a dance / movement therapy prop, but I have been pleased to discover that it is being used with great success by not only dance movement therapists, but also recreation therapists, activities directors, occupational and physical therapists, special needs teachers, and team builders. Many therapists have found it to be especially effective for use with children with physical disabilities and special needs and with the elderly with Alzheimer's disease or other dementias.


Click here for a more detailed description of the Octaband’s origin.

Click here to learn more about consultation and other workshops and seminars.

Donna sewing the first Octaband