Rolando Toro - Biography

• English (UK)
  • Italiano
  • Español

Rolando Toro Araneda, born in Concepción (Chile) on April 19, 1924, died at the age of 85 on February 16, 2010 in Santiago, Chile. He was a psychologist and pedagogue, anthropologist, painter, musician and poet.   He was a lecturer at the Centre for Medical Anthropology at the School of Medicine of the University of Chile, and held the chair of Psychology of Art and Expression at the Pontifical Aesthetic Institute of the Catholic University of Chile; professor emeritus of the Inter-American Open University of Buenos Aires (Argentina).   He carried out research on violence in the Santiago Penitentiary; he was also part of the Research Institute of the Psychiatric Hospital of Santiago where he experimented different techniques of working with patients in order to “humanize medicine”, including group psychotherapies such as: theatre, psychodrama, art therapy and where also he could experiment with music and dance, the first phenomenological observations on the sense of identity and body consciousness and a certain decrease in the perception of body limits and the state of regression or trance.   Rolando Toro through his studies-experiments also formulated the hypothesis of the gradual pulsation from the state of regression or trance to the sense of identity and vice versa. These initial experiences formed the basis for the construction of an operational Theoretical Model, that was not only for sick people, and which over the years has undergone modifications; currently it is accurately refined and is applicable to children, adolescents, adults and the elderly.   In 1970 he was asked to create the first chair of “Psychodanza”, a concept that had the defect of a schism: the prefix “psyche” comes from the Greek psyché, which means “soul”, so the Psychodanza would be “the dance of soul”. The term contained the Platonic split between body and soul. It was necessary to re-establish the original concept of dance in its widest sense: as a movement of life, which could not however be assimilated either to classical ballet or to another form of structured dance, nor could it be assimilated to a particular form of psychotherapy . This idea came very close to the concept of “dancing life” as proposed by Roger Garaudy (philosopher). Starting from this reflection, in 1976 Rolando decided to call the method that he had devised “Biodanza”: the prefix “Bio” derives from the Greek bios, which means “life”. The primordial meaning of the word “dance” and “natural movement”, connected to emotion and full of meaning. Therefore: “Biodanza, the dance of life”. Rolando Toro applied the Biodanza System to mastectomized patients in the Argentine League of the Fight against Cancer. In 1979 he moved to Brazil, where he founded a private Biodanza Institute, attaining the diffusion of this system throughout Latin America. He also worked with the mental patients of the Hospital of São Paulo and with mastectomized women in the Radio Institute.   He carried out research on the expression of the unconscious and on states of expansion of consciousness. He lived in Argentina, Brazil and Italy, and returned to Chile in 1998, where he coordinated all the international activities of Biodanza. Rolando was a man who spoke directly to the heart with to people, and to people of almost the whole world: Biodanza is a movement that conquers more and more range: it is present in many countries of North America, Central America, and is very developed in South America. It is developing in South Africa, Australia, Japan and Russia, New Zealand, and India. In Europe it is present in Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Holland, Portugal, United Kingdom, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland. He was candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize in 2001.  

Historical Review – Author: Claudete Sant’Anna Something pushes us, from the immemorial past, without our being aware of it, to fulfil our vocation; a voice inspires us to connect with the world. I write this thinking of the secret forces that led Rolando Toro Araneda through the years to concentrate his interest in education and in the destiny of humanity. Rolando Toro came from a family of educators: his grandfather was a professor in the city of Cañete (Chile), and his name still appears at the entrance to the school where he taught, “Escuela Leoncio Araneda”; his own mother, seven of his aunts and two of his brothers were professors. Thus in the genealogy of his life the memory of this love for humanity, for the human being, circulates like a persistent sound. In 1940 he finished his studies as a primary school teacher in the Josè Abelardo Nuñez de Santiago School. His career as a teacher of primary education lasted about sixteen years, and he practiced in Talcahuano, Valparaíso, Pocuro and Santiago. In each of the schools in which he worked he became aware of aspects that were missing in traditional education. In Talcahuano he dedicated himself in particular to bringing children closer to nature, making frequent trips to the sea with them; later he used themes derived from these trips in their learning path. In Pocuro (Los Andes), he began an intense artistic creative activity with children, especially through painting. The colourful landscape of Los Andes, with all the shades of hues produced by variations in sunlight, represented real pictorial techniques. The themes were rural situations: “ducks swimming in the lake”, “a little girl with a baby goat in her arms”, “a pregnant cow”, “horses grazing on the prairie”, etc. The observation of plants, rocks, animals and scenes of peasants working gave the childish paintings a lot of vitality and beauty. The poet Ludwig Zeller brought a collection of these paintings to Santiago, to be exhibited in the Exhibition hall of the Ministry of Education, obtaining an unexpected result in the pedagogical and artistic environment. The works were requested for exhibition in the Het Palet in Holland, at the Royal Institute of London and at the National Children’s Centre in Paris.   In 1954 he created the “Festival del Bambino” in Santiago, where the socio-economic and health conditions of the Chilean children were examined. Six thousand children from all over the country participated in the first Festival. Children’s orchestras, painting exhibitions, pottery and pedagogical games were presented on the patio of the Central House of the University of Chile, and a large children’s parade was held in the centre of Santiago. During the period that he practiced in Valparaiso he proposed a new methodology of learning to read and write. Starting from these experiences he elaborated a syllabus to learn to read without effort. Thanks to his revolutionary conceptions on education, the Dean of the University of Concepción, Rolando Merino, invited him to hold a series of lectures during the course of Education at the university. Rolando Toro’s pedagogical concept was centred on new forms of “vivenciale” learning, starting from affectivity and the pleasure of living. Subjects of an intellectual nature were not excluded from this proposal; but it was about integrating intelligence with affectivity and mutual respect. The incorporation of an experimental science and technology teaching was also proposed. In these circumstances Rolando Merino invited him to create a psychology lab in the School of Education of the University of Concepción. Rolando Toro formalized his psychology studies in the School of Psychology of the Pedagogical Institute of the University of Chile, which ended in 1964. At that time he met Dr. Claudio Naranjo, with whom he established a profound friendship; Thanks to his help, Rolando Toro entered the Centre for Studies in Medical Anthropology of the School of Medicine of the University of Chile, under the direction of Dr. Francisco Hoffman. This study centre aimed to humanize medicine. In the Centre for Studies in Medical Anthropology, Rolando Toro was appointed adjunct tenure professor, conducting seminars in medical anthropology, philosophy and psychology. From here his interest in education extended to secondary teaching and psychotherapy. Among the various activities related to his research he had the privilege of applying different therapeutic systems with mental patients. On this occasion he made his first therapeutic dance tests with the patients of the Psychiatric Hospital. Starting from the results obtained with these experiences, he adapted his therapeutic system to be applied to other clinical situations and also to normal people. The system of exercises and music used was called “Psychodanza”. Thanks to the results obtained and the prestige that Psychodanza acquired, Rolando Toro was appointed Professor of Psychology of Art and Psychology of Expression at the Institute of Aesthetics of the Pontifical Catholic University of Santiago. Later, Rolando Toro changed the name Psychodanza to “Biodanza”, “dance of life”, and its diffusion slowly reached a worldwide dimension. Therefore we can affirm that Biodanza had direct antecedents in the experiences of Rolando Toro in the educational field, placing the emphasis in the emotional restructuring of people and in the Biocentric principle. Following the military coup in Chile, Rolando Toro self-exiled in Argentina, Brazil and Italy, for a period of twenty-four years. Biodanza has spread in these countries and has also been applied in the educational field. This educational model took various names, such as “School Universe”, “Holistic Education” and “Wild Education”. Finally Rolando Toro gave it the name ” Biocentric Education” on the suggestion of the Brazilian pedagogue Ruth Cavalcante, due to the fact that this educational model is based on the Biocentric principle described since its first educational proposals.

Important Official Recognition Rolando Toro received official recognition from important institutions in his country for contributing to the happiness of thousands of people.   This is how Rolando Toro was defined by those responsible for the “Convention on healthy relationships and happiness” in the following letter addressed to Cecilia Toro, Rolando’s first daughter. The text is translated into English: Esteemed Cecilia Toro, In you giving our greetings, we wish to publicly thank your father, Rolando Toro, through you and your family for the contribution that has left its mark on the “Healthy Relationships and Happiness” in our country.   Recently, on July 19, 2011, the UN General Assembly declared that “the pursuit of happiness is a right of the people”, urging states to seek measures to integrate this right into their public policies.   Starting from this global desire, with several national organizations we have convened a large meeting on 26 and 27 May 2012, to think and share ideas and actions regarding healthy relationships and happiness in a “Chile that takes care of itself”.   This meeting is organized by the “Healthy UC Catholic University of Chile” and “To our South”, and is sponsored by the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Chile, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Select Healthy Living Program, the Ministry of Public Education, Action for Happiness, the Medical College, the Chilean Society of Psychiatry, Neurology and Neurosurgery, The Society of Paediatrics of Chile, the Chilean Society of Clinical Psychology, A Roof for Chile, Productions and Actions of Corporate Social Responsibility .   In the context of this meeting we decided to create a thanksgiving ceremony for people or institutions that contribute to healthy relationships and happiness in Chile and the world, on Saturday 26 May 2012 at 20:30 at the Araucano Park, defining 6 categories: healthy relationships, Gestures of generosity, Contagion of positive emotions, Spirituality and the meaning of life, Contribution for technical and research development, International contribution. Considering Rolando Toro’s great contribution of to our world, especially in the category “Contagion” of positive emotions, seeing that thanks to the experience of Biodanza, many Chileans have begun to be happier people, and infect other people with happiness, transforming this country into a better place to live. So, we want to publicly thank Rolando Toro for his contribution in building healthy and better relations in the quality of life in Chile. English (UK) Italiano Español Awaiting your answer and looking forward to having you at this ceremony. Thank you.   Sincerely Dr. Daniel Martinez Aldunate [Director of the I Meeting of Health and Happiness Reports] E.U. Aixa Contreras Mejias [UC Health Director, Pontifical Catholic University]. FOUNT: SCUOLATORO.COM