“We’ve shown up. We’ve been here. We’ve mattered.” - Daíthí Clayton
Rainbow Stories in the Moment
Rainbow Stories in the Moment is a dance, fitness and storytelling program for LGBTQIA+ elders and allies. The program grew out of a desire to extend the benefit of dance on brain health, physical agility and wellbeing to communities of older adults who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Older adults who identify as LGBTQIA+ are almost 30% more likely to develop dementia, so Rainbow Stories in the Moment was developed as an arts and health initiative and social practice project to partner with LGBTQIA+ elders to not only build community and amplify belonging but also engage in activities that are known to modify risk for dementia and support brain health.
Using dance to tell our stories.
Please enjoy this video of the Rainbow Stories in the Moment program at Queens Center for Gay Seniors, Jackson Heights neighborhood in Queens, NY. Thank you to the participants and staff who collaborated together to share the joy of this program in this video!
The program began in partnership with the Queens Center for Gay Seniors in Jackson Heights, one of the most diverse neighborhoods in the US.
The center is part of the Queens Community House (QCH), a neighborhood settlement house, and serves LGBTQIA+ elders and locals who do not identify as LGBTQIA+.
“I find that this exercise is so wonderful. I feel more flexible. It is good for the brain. You exercise the mind, everything but the hair. We exercise every part of the body, the mind and everything. It is so special that I cancel anything so I can get here.”
“[Since joining the program,] I find I’m more outgoing. I’m on shy side and now I feel like I’m doing things that I would not have ordinarily done.”
The first series began in November 2022 with 3 participants and was offered weekly for 31 sessions until June 2023 growing to over 20 regular participants, some travelling from Manhattan to attend the class.
Participants comment on uniqueness of the program in challenging their hearts, bodies and minds and grew increasingly more confident and expressive through the creative storytelling embedded into the program structure.
The program continues to partner with the national organization Rainbows of Aging and the RISE registry, to support health research that includes the voices and representation of LGBTQIA+ elders.
Upcoming collaborations include a partnership with the Pioneers Go East Collective and the LGBT Center to expand more resources and intergenerational engagement among LGBTQIA+ New Yorkers.
