2201 In The Groove
Synchronising music and movement —what essentially is dancing— constitutes what Columbia University neurologist John Krakauer describes as a “pleasure double play” for the individual. Music stimulates the brain’s reward centres, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits. In addition, dance develops our brains as each repetition of a movement deepens and strengthens the pattern of mind-body coordination that making that movement requires. Dance can also improve our mental health – the music, the people, and the fun of it are likely to elicit positive emotive responses from just about anyone.
I developed In The Groove as a half day interactive workshop that teaches participants (such as Lifestyle Officers, Health and Wellbeing Officers Diversional Therapists) a simple 4-step method to design and deliver sessions that introduce dance as a meaningful and engaging intervention to improve mood, engagement and health outcomes for older clients. A big thank you to the Peninsula Sea-gals from the Largs Bay RSL whom I had the pleasure to meet and work with while developing In The Groove. Their feedback has been invaluable.
Dance is an engaging and effective way for older adults to reach positive health and wellbeing outcomes, ranging from physical, emotional and, through social, to mental. And it is never too late for anyone to give it a spin – (and a shake and a twist!)
Synchronising music and movement —what essentially is dancing— constitutes what Columbia University neurologist John Krakauer describes as a “pleasure double play” for the individual. Music stimulates the brain’s reward centres, while dance activates its sensory and motor circuits. In addition, dance develops our brains as each repetition of a movement deepens and strengthens the pattern of mind-body coordination that making that movement requires. Dance can also improve our mental health – the music, the people, and the fun of it are likely to elicit positive emotive responses from just about anyone.
I developed In The Groove as a half day interactive workshop that teaches participants (such as Lifestyle Officers, Health and Wellbeing Officers Diversional Therapists) a simple 4-step method to design and deliver sessions that introduce dance as a meaningful and engaging intervention to improve mood, engagement and health outcomes for older clients. A big thank you to the Peninsula Sea-gals from the Largs Bay RSL whom I had the pleasure to meet and work with while developing In The Groove. Their feedback has been invaluable.
Dance is an engaging and effective way for older adults to reach positive health and wellbeing outcomes, ranging from physical, emotional and, through social, to mental. And it is never too late for anyone to give it a spin – (and a shake and a twist!)
Photos by Lucinda Corin at Largs Bay RSL
