Community Dance for Older Adults
This series of studies examined how dancing may contribute to older adults’ holistic wellness. Specifically, how dancing can support ones’ aging journey, experiences of physical activity and embodiment, and age-friendly initiatives were explored.
This research was funded by the Brenda Strafford Centre on Aging and a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada research grant.
More information about this project
Led by Dr. Sarah Kenny (See bio) in collaboration with Dr. McDonough, the purpose of this research was to understand how community dance can support older adults’ experiences of aging, physical activity, social connection, and embodiment.
Community dance refers to dance programming or classes that welcome all individuals regardless of experience, skill, or background. There is also an emphasis on dancing together and supporting social interactions between participants and with instructors.
Based on a local community dance program, we examined pedagogical strategies to support older adults in community dance, as well as the experiences of the instructor and program participants. We also examined community experts’ perspectives on programmatic challenges and opportunities for supporting community dance programming.
Instructor strategies to support older adults’ physical literacy in community dance classes
This study examined pedagogical strategies for online older adult community dance classes and how these strategies support participants’ physical literacy.
Magrath, J., Din, C., Paglione, V., Kenny, S. J., & McDonough, M. H. (2022). Instructor strategies to support older adults’ physical literacy in community dance classes. Research in Dance Education, 1–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2022.2115994
‘Promoting wellness, having fun, and creating community’: a dance instructor’s pedagogical practices and perspectives on the influence of community dance classes for older adults
The purpose of this study was to explore the pedagogical practices and perspective of a dance instructor on how a community dance class can influence older adults’ experiences of aging, physical literacy, and embodiment.
Paglione, V., Magrath, J., McDonough, M. H., Din, C., & Kenny, S. J. (2023). ‘Promoting wellness, having fun, and creating community’: a dance instructor’s pedagogical practices and perspectives on the influence of community dance classes for older adults. Research in Dance Education, 1–18. https://doi.org/10.1080/14647893.2022.2159359
Movement, music, and connections: older adults’ experiences of community dance
This study examined older adults’ experiences of participating in community dance in relation to aging, physical literacy, and embodiment.
Paglione, V., Kenny, S. J., McDonough, M. H., Din, C., & White, K. (2023). Movement, Music, and Connection: Older Adults’ Experiences of Community Dance. Activities, Adaptation & Aging, 1–23. https://doi.org/10.1080/01924788.2023.2191097