A link to this interesting article dropped into my inbox the other day. Older people and dance is something I have been interested in for a long time. I have taught a variety of different dance genres to older people and saw the positive impact learning and enjoying dance can have on this dance population.
It is good to read about the positive outcomes for older people who are given new challenges in the dance class each week. The constantly changing patterns of steps, movements, arm positions or patterns are thought to account for the difference in balance displayed by the dance group in the study. This certainly reflects my own experience of teaching older people dance. After just a few weeks I often noticed improvements in balance and of course maintaining good balance abilities is good in helping to reduce trips and falls. As well as improvement to balance I also noticed how much confidence the older people would gain when they could remember and perform their dance sequences or short dances without depending on cues from me, their teacher.
Below are some of the earlier articles that I have written here about older people and dance that you might want to read:
Teaching dance to older people
Health and social benefits of dance for older people
One of my short Online CPD Courses for Dance Teachers is Teaching Dance to Older People. You can find out about this course on the Short Online Courses page.
cpd for dance teachers 