Jun 6, 2014 - Elder Project Cont

Elder Project

We have begun our outreach workshops in preparation for the workshops that begin in the fall. Some of the important points we discussed as important before beginning were the following:

The ideal conditions for outreach workshops:
Space – enough for participants to stand in a circle
Music – access to a stereo
Access to water/fountain/or we provide
Knowledge of language and culture of the group/centre where we are facilitating – translator?
Best time for elders? Morning or early afternoon

Now that we have conducted a couple workshops, we have noticed some new things:

Most of the elders have more mobility than we had anticipated. This gives us more freedom to explore/move.
Many participants have backgrounds in tai chi and ballroom dancing. We speak of how we can also be learning from them.
Participants who are experienced in tai chi are finding similarities to the energy body practice we are leading through creative dance experiments.
With a translator, there is a real need to work on using less words. As per Karen’s teachings, the more we can refrain from a space full of talking the easier it will be to build a strong dancing body.