“That which cannot be spoken can be sung. That which cannot be sung can be danced.” - Old French Saying
Stories in the Moment
STORIES IN THE MOMENT® is an evidence-informed program that uses dance as a form of storytelling to amplify the creative voice of people living with dementia.
Stories in the Moment® is built on the principle that all of us, regardless of our modes of cognition, have stories to tell and that we all have the means to tell those stories. People living with dementia inevitably experience shifts in their modes and capacities for expression which influence their ability to express and feel connected to the communities around them.
The tools and framework of Stories in the Moment® mobilize all of the ways we connect and communicate, through sound, music, imagery, touch and imagination to explore connections between movement and meaning. Together we bring our minds and bodies together to build stories in the moment.
By engaging our bodies as instruments of communication, we create resources that we can use to amplify our voices and to create new avenues of connection.
Join us!
We partner with community serving organizations to offer Stories in the Moment programs IN PERSON and ON LINE.
Scroll down to learn about our on-going programs and upcoming events!
Interested in partnering with us to offer a program? Contact us at: magda@dancestreamprojects.com or call 917-336-9018.
Stories in the Moment® partners with communities of people living with dementia to amplify their voice.
Programs are offered bi-monthly online through the Dementia Action Alliance serving people living with dementia in diverse communities across the US. Partnerships with the Queens Community House Adult Day Services, PSS Circle of Care and the Rubin Museum, among others, are supporting local communities of people living with dementia in New York City to (re)integrate their voices into the fabric of society while transforming narratives of dementia.
New Programs!
New Programs!
DanceStream Projects founder, Magda Kaczmarska, received a Pilot Award for Brain Health Leaders from the Alzheimer’s Association, Global Brain Health Institute and Alzheimer’s Society UK to extend an online version of Stories in the Moment to communities across the United States. This research study will also support a program evaluation that will include the voices of the people living with dementia into the further growth of this program.
We are open to registration now!
Learn more HERE. Download the flyer HERE.
Programs are expected to begin October 2023 and will reach communities living across the United States.
IN PERSON Stories in the Moment at Queens Community House
Join us August - December 2023 for an hour of dance, movement and storytelling each week in person at the Queens Community House Social Adult Day Services.
Check out this feature of the program on ABC7NY news!
Interested in joining? Learn more and register by calling Brooke from QCH Social Adult Day Services at (718) 592-5757 ext 230 or email magda@dancestreamproject.com
Stories in the Moment at the Rubin Museum
Stories in the Moment is partnering again with Memory Connections, a program for people living with dementia and their caregivers to facilitate engagement between participants and the art and cultures of the Himalayan region.
Click links below to register for this free online program.
Stories in the Moment Virtual Early Stage Program
Registration is open for this Twelve-Week Virtual Dance Program for Individuals Living with Early-Stage Dementia or MCI offered in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Association NY Chapter. Care Partners are also welcome.
Join us each week to amplify our voices and discover new ways to tell our stories, through dance and movement, as well as words
Programs taking place Dec 1, 2023 - March 1, 2024
On-going Programs
On-going Programs
Stories in the Moment
Dementia Action Alliance
Every other Thursday, 2:00-3:00PM ET
Dec 14, 28; Jan 11, 25; (no class Feb 8); Feb 22; March 7, 21; April 4
This ONLINE program is free for people living with dementia and care partners.
Questions? Email magda@dancestreamprojects.com or call 917-336-9018.
Stories in the Moment featured on ABC7NY news!
Read more in our blog post or watch below.
Meet our Partners & Collaborators
The Rubin Museum
Queens Community House Social Adult Day Services
Dementia Action Alliance
Forget-Me-Nots Choir
Magda Kaczmarska and participants of the Mindful Connections X Stories in the Moment program for people living with dementia in the Mandala Lab installation at the Rubin Museum of Art.
Photo credit: Maggie Woolums, courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art
“I’ve learned how much all of us are the same - we’re family”
“Joining Stories in the Moment has been such a positive experience. Your inviting attention to each participant and the approach you use to put physical movement, music and storytelling together is exceptional. You draw in [my husband’s] attention, add a smile to his face and overall seem to greatly improve his mood.”
“Magda radiates kindness, makes each session fun and is a great leader . . . Movement is so important to maintain for people with dementia and Magda understands how to motivate us.”
“Our residents thoroughly enjoy their time with you. I love the way you can get people to move. However, I think it is the personalization that makes the experience extra special.”
PSS Circle of Care
A surprise dance and song with the incredible Forget-me-Nots after “Bring Me Sunshine!” Dance Party, Feb 5, 2021
“I’m all full of vibration, rise and fall and every other word we used!! ”
“I was dropping in shopping around 5:30pm and mam and dad were showing us their moves . . . they had great fun. I remember as a young girl they always danced in the kitchen.”
“Your style was warm and inviting, and your leadership energetic and imaginative. I appreciated it especially during these covid times that are so stressful for everyone. Your [program] was a gentle and welcome experience, a reminder to me to feel grounded and hopeful for better times ahead.”
In the media
Stories in the Moment was featured in In Dance Summer 2022 edition!
Check out the article here or download a printable version of the article here.
In Dance is a publication of Dancers Group, who promote the visibility and viability of dance in the San Francisco Bay Area. Thank you to guest editor Rowena Ritchie for the invitation!
Stories in the Moment was featured in the Queens Ledger and Forest Hills Times!
This beautiful article highlights our collaboration with the phenomenal community of people living with dementia in Forest Hills through the Queens Community House Social Adult Day Services!
Thank you to Jessica Meditz for the helping us rewrite the narrative of how we view the experience and contribution of people living with dementia!
Check out the article here or download a printable version of the article here.
Your donation helps.
We strive to support training to other artists, offer resources and materials for participants and to ensure access to these program for FREE to diverse communities of people with dementia.
All communities impacted by dementia are already straining under systems that make their daily experience challenging. Accessing meaningful, community promoting, social and creative engagement should not be an additional strain to them.
Help us ensure that anyone living with dementia who would like to join one of our programs can do so..
Support us to help bring more projects to life! Donate today.
We thank our sponsors!
