Help us Close Our Year in Movement with Your Donation by December 31
Did you know that dance can lower the risk of dementia? That is why 2019 was Arts for the Aging's Year in Movement. As teaching artist and singing actor Peter Burroughs says, "Dancing is allowing joy to escape from our bodies. Therefore, we can dance with our eyes if necessary. We cannot focus on what we can't do, we just need to keep dancing with whatever works!" Please contribute to our campaign to keep seniors and their care partners dancing, long after we tango into 2020. A donation of $175 pays for one workshop for 20 older adults. And every donation level makes a difference. Plus, if you donate as part of this end-of-the-year campaign, the Cafritz Foundation will match your donation, doubling your impact. A donation today will help us reach our goal of raising $30,000 by December 31, 2019. Thanks to your support, the lives and health of older adults in the Greater Washington D.C. region are enhanced through the power of the arts. Please help us tango from 2019 into 2020 with enough resources to serve the growing population of seniors in the Greater Washington, D.C. region. Click here to make your donation today.
Embraceable Tango Pillows
Since the embrace, abrazos, is core to tango dancing, and we often have more seniors in our workshops than teaching artists, these pillows were created by artists during the tango series as alternative dance partners, fully outfitted in the festive spirit of the dance. Pillows were auctioned off in support of our mission and tango programs. See more photos from the program series here and view videos here.
An Afternoon with a Music Legend
Celebrated American composer and singer Dr. Ysaye Barnwell presented to a full house of Arts for the Aging Teaching Artists, Quicksilver senior improv dancers, and guests at this year's final workshop in our Teaching Artist Institute. Known for her 34 years singing and recording with Sweet Honey in the Rock, Dr. Barnwell has, for nearly as long, spent time off stage working as a master teacher and choral clinician in African American cultural performance. Her workshop "Building a Vocal Community®: Singing in the African American Tradition" has been conducted on three continents. Her work in the field is a significant source of inspiration for both singers and non-singers alike, and is a model of pedagogy for educators, cultural activists, and historians. During the workshop, Dr. Barnwell sang spirituals and gospel music and instructed on these pillars of African American tradition. The oral tradition of music-sharing lends itself well to older practitioners who may not be able to read or recall music and lyrics. Mixing singing exercises and Q&A during the afternoon, Dr. Barnwell elevated our wisdom and inspired us to take forward Spirituals, "they are the art song," into Arts for the Aging's community-wide programs. Not to be relegated to a singular musical interest she quipped, "Rap is our newspaper," as she stays relevant to the changing voices of our times. We express heartfelt thanks to Levine Music for hosting our workshop.
The Washington Chorus Trains with Us
In sharing our thought leadership and best practices more and more, we are partnering with The Washington Chorus (TWC) to teach a cadre of chorus members the skills needed so that the organization can deepen its Connections Program. Through the training, they will be able to conduct participatory arts programs, using Arts for the Aging's best practices, that contribute to better health and quality of life outcomes for older adults living with aging-related health impairments. As TWC artistic director Christopher so memorably put it, their goal is, "Not singing at; but with, in, and around." Recently we spent a full day together with a leadership group from the chorus, modeling our practices in consort with one of our dearest client partners that hosted us, Downtown Clusters Geriatric Day Care Center in Washington, D.C.-we are grateful. Stay tuned for news about TWC's pilot workshops in 2020 ... our Year in Music.
