The Bee Gees were right – you should be dancing – and more research is showing that dance offers older adults numerous benefits for body, brain and soul to help them age better.
Gail Hewton, award-winning dance educator and director of Noosa based RIPE Dance, has been doing just that since 2012 offering fun, safe and welcoming dance classes and experiences for older adults with various levels of ability, mobility and dance experience.
“I’ve worked in dance for over 40 years but the last 10 years immersed in dance for older people have been the most rewarding. Seeing participants improving week by week in their physicality and confidence as well as enjoying themselves and being with others is so worthwhile,” she said.
“I now have over 80 participants aged between 58 and 96 years regularly attending classes with many coming year after year, some still with me since the very first class in 2012.”
Gail has developed her RIPE Dance program to bring evidence-based health and wellbeing considerations to the design and delivery of dance sessions.
“We know staying physically active as we age is so important and dance is exercise in disguise, it’s an enjoyable and engaging activity that affords many physical, cognitive, emotional and social benefits,” Gail said.
“I continually investigate the field of dance for older people to inform my practice about the ageing process and issues pertinent to older people and the implications for dance. I’ve travelled nationally and internationally to remain abreast of research findings and best practice,” she said.
Gail offers a range of classes for active, agile seniors and active less agile seniors as well as classes for people with mobility issues.
All classes consist of structured group activity using dance practices that respond to individual needs and abilities. A main aim is to offer engaging, enjoyable and challenging yet achievable experiences using a range of dance styles to a variety music most of which is familiar and from participants’ era.
Mobility class participant, Jean Pam aged 92 years said, “The exercises are good, you do some on the chair, you do some standing up behind the chair and then we do a few dance steps and think we’re on the dance floor again – back to the old days.
“You’re happy while you’re there and when you get home you feel so satisfied. You’ve just got to get out of your chair and force yourself sometimes because of your age. It’s just so wonderful. I’d thoroughly recommend it and say get out and do it.”
Trish Poole who is post-polio said, “I thought I wouldn’t mind dancing even though I can’t walk properly.
“So I joined and I never missed a day. I used to fall over quite regularly each year but since coming to dance class I haven’t had one fall in over five and a half years! The whole class to me is a joyous class of music, dance and fun!”
Active and agile participant, Diana Thomson said, “I’m not very good at exercise, I’ve started exercise in the past and haven’t kept up with it. But dancing is a different story – there’s something about putting the movement to music that is inspiring and I end up doing a lot more and enjoying it a whole lot more. It’s also a sense of belonging. You get to know the other people in the class and you exchange little bits of your life with them. So that’s really good.”
“It’s the highlight of my week! Doing dance lifts my spirits and lasts the whole week. It’s helped me get over my grief,” said Karen Reimer, active and agile participant.
Gail also offers other dance experiences in addition to classes.
“In 2018 we made a dance film, In a Different Space, which has been screened at 21 national and international festivals and events and received the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance Film and New Media and was a finalist for the Australian Dance Award for Outstanding Achievement for Community Dance,” Gail said.
“We are very proud of the achievements of this film which can be viewed at vimeo.com/413882162.”
Due to the success of the RIPE Dance program, Gail established Gold Moves Australia with colleague Julie Chenery to train other dance and health practitioners to enable more older people beyond Noosa to move, feel and live better through dance.
Living a healthy and independent life as long as possible is a great goal, and an even better reason to dance. Any physical activity will help counteract the signs of ageing, but dancing is proving tops.
More information visit ripedance.com.au and goldmovesaustralia.com.au
