Uniting through Dance and Community
Photo credit: Nuria Rius
A message from our executive director:
Dear friends,
I have been thinking extensively about the role DanceStream Projects can play as we move forward into this year and beyond. How we can lean into our values and ensure we prioritize community, belonging, health and wellbeing through dance and creativity?
In seeking out words to shape a vision, I’m inspired by the work of john a. powell and Stephen Menendian, "Belonging without Othering” . Within this brilliant text, they quote anthropologist Marshall Sahlins’ declaration of “mutuality of being” and the need for “active participation in one another’s existence”. This calls to mind an intentional action, centering and honoring our interdependence grounded in dignity, respect, curiosity and generosity. I want to prioritize this ethos as I steward DanceStream Projects into this year alongside our team and community partners.
I have been returning to a quote from a participant in our Stories in the Moment program, a person who had recently been diagnosed with dementia. This person said: “My connection and hope were restored. It was refreshing to be uplifted. This program united us –[our facilitator] shared hope, courage, and direction. To some degree, I found freedom.” It is by coming together, creating spaces where we can celebrate our individuality within the fabric of a community that contribute to our sense of freedom, hope and wellbeing. Now, more than ever, we need this.
As another participant from our program in connection with the Queens Center for Gay Seniors spoke about the impact connecting through dance in this way makes: “We are more open. More open than we were before, right? This is very important for me. Because I am from another country that was not open. And especially this program, you teach us to be more open.” Openness, trust, reciprocity, dignity and mutual aid - all of these constitute a healthy, vibrant and growing society that is rooted in dignity and respect.
As I look into 2025, I realize that these skills and these spaces of muscle building for belonging will be needed more than ever. DanceStream Projects will be actively seeking to establish connections to steward these spaces in person with the communities we serve as well as on line. We encourage you to join us in our “Why Do You Dance?” campaign. Connect with us and let’s explore together how we can cultivate communities that support the health and wellbeing of not only older adults and people living with dementia, but truly all of us, through dance.
Let us move forward united in a “mutuality of being”. I look forward to nurturing brain health and community through dance with you!
With gratitude,
