FEAST
is a program to make great art happen in Cornish towns and villages. The ambition is to touch and inspire people of all ages and backgrounds and generate a new wave of creative activity in our communities. There are opportunities for more people to enjoy events as audiences, but the focus is on bringing people together to take part, and on animating local celebrations and cultural life. Feast is a two year project to harness the many new talents and energies of Cornwall’s artists and communities. The aim of the project is to encourage further investment in creative and cultural activity, beyond those two years, as a vital part of the fabric of healthy and dynamic communities. Investment for FEAST comes primarily from Arts Council England and it is managed by the Creative Unit, Cornwall County Council.
As part of the FEAST project, Arts for Health Cornwall has teaming up with The Works Dance and Theatre Company to get Cornwall’s older residents up and dancing. This exciting new project, called Shall We Dance? spotlights the many health and social benefits of dance and aims to bring these to older people across the county.
The physical activity involved in dancing keeps people active, improving fitness, mobility, dexterity and balance whatever the participant’s physical condition. In turn, this can help to prevent falls. The social nature of dance can be a good means of maintaining an active social life and sense of community with dance sessions playing a vital role. Studies have indicated that social interaction is an important factor in delaying memory loss and reducing the risk of dementia.
In addition to hosting a series of one off Tea Dances across the county, the ‘Shall We Dance?’ project team is running a series of dance sessions in 16 different care / community settings across the county. These range from day care centers and NHS settings to care homes and community groups. Since the induction day in June, members of care staff / group leaders are working together with dance practitioners to provide dance sessions that engage all ages and abilities of older people.
A series of 5 dance sessions (with further training sessions) is planned for each care facility, during which the member of the care staff will work closely with, and be mentored by, the dance practitioner. By the end of the series, the member of staff or group member will be capable and confident to deliver further dance sessions in the future.
The sessions provided by the project offer older people a valuable opportunity to improve their health and well-being, as well as their overall quality of life through dance. The project aims to make these sessions much more accessible to older people throughout Cornwall in a range of different care settings. More exciting still, it will increase the pool of experienced and skilled dance practitioners, creating a sustainable resource to support further opportunities. The project team are especially keen to promote the importance of creativity through dance to benefit the health of older people and alleviate rural isolation amongst Cornwall’s elderly residents.
Induction day
This interactive day was held at the Dracena centre, Falmouth, with dance practitioners Rachel Lambert and Kelly Manning demonstrating and sharing their experiences of dancing with older people. Angela Royale, Senior Health Promotion Officer, lead a workshop that got everyone thinking about which movements and exercises are vital to maintaining dignity, independence and health and how to incorporate them into dance. Dot Peryer lead a discussion that looked at the evidence that demonstrated the benefits of dance to health. Other useful information can be found on
http://seniorliving.about.com
,
www.takeart.org
. &
http://ageing.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/31/4/261
The next training days will look specifically at the benefits and contraindications of dance with specific common ageing conditions e.g. dementia, stroke, osteoarthritis, Parkinson’s Disease. It will also look at the benefits to mental and emotional health and feelings of well being. Workshops will introduce different dance forms, props, music and communication issues e.g. quality of touch.
Singing for Well Being