Senior Dance Instruction Classes

It Is Never Too Late to Discover the Joy of Movement and Dance

Dancing has been a lifelong joy and physical and mental health benefit for me, and I want to share this joy with as many people as possible. Consider adding an ADSLA dance class to your senior living community’s Activities Calendar!

I have been dancing since the age of 5 including tap, ballet and jazz. I danced in theatrical performances in high school (including the only solo dance role in a performance of Man of La Mancha) and in college (via the joint dance department of Saint Mary’s College and the University of Notre Dame). I was the top winner in a dance competition at age 39 when all of my 300 competitors were younger than I, and I was deeply proud to have danced in a local professional ballet company’s performance of The Nutcracker with my beloved husband Brendan, before losing him to cancer at age 56. More recently, in addition to performing, I have served as a dance teacher and coach, including teaching dance for 13 ½ years at a local studio to children ages 3 to 12. My students brought home several 1st Place trophies under my coaching.

Dancing brings joy and health benefits at all ages, and for this reason, ADSLA offers senior dance classes. I began offering this fun and therapeutic activity for residents of a Memory unit of an assisted living community. Classes include a combination of chair warm ups, ballet stretches, jazz combinations, and tap combinations. The class is done seated to classical ballet music and widely popular music including Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett and Bobby Darin, to name just a few. After we are finished dancing, I chat with participants as many reminisce about where they used to dance or talk about where they took lessons.

All classes are typically 1 hour and are conducted at an appropriate level and pace for the participating seniors. The ADSLA dance class is an ideal option for Activity Directors at senior living communities who are looking for a fun and healthful activity for their residents. We can even plan and perform a senior Recital!

Seniors’ enjoyment and well-being are ADSLA priorities. In addition to being a trained dancer, dance teacher, and experienced choreographer, I hold the following Certifications:

• Certified Montessori Dementia Care Professional through the ICCDP
• Certified Dementia Communication Specialist through Dementia RAW
• Care Manager Certified through the National Association Of Certified Care Managers

Contact ADSLA today for more dance class details!