An American contemporary dance group brought young and old dancers together in Dublin last week as part of the Bealtaine arts festival for older people, writes Sylvia Thompson
Contemporary dance is usually an art form performed by young, supple men and women, so witnessing a group of older and younger dancers explore movement together in preparation for a performance in a Dublin dance studio last week was a touching and revealing experience.
The renowned dancers from the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, in Maryland in the United States, were in Dublin last week to run workshops with older people as one of the Abbey Theatre Age and Opportunity events in the month-long Bealtaine arts festival for older people.
And the cross-generational company brought with them an openness to creativity that participants said they found to be life-enhancing and lots of fun.
"The intergenerational aspect of the dancing team and participants was great," says Mary Donnelly (82), a regular participant in Bealtaine activities. "Being with young people is good for older people. Young dancers make you do what you might not have done otherwise. Developing the dance routine also brought out the creativity in each one of us and in the group. It was great fun too. Yesterday, we couldn't stop laughing at one point."
Over the past 25 years, the Liz Lerman Dance Exchange has built a reputation in the United States for its innovative workshop programme that moves all kinds of people to dance, bringing new visions to towns, cities and rural communities across America.
Founded by teacher, choreographer and performer Liz Lerman, the company includes male and female dancers aged from 20 to over 70.
"I joined the company 15 years ago when I retired from US government work," says Thomas Dwyer (72). "It's a great thing for a senior person to do, particularly a man. I believed I could be a role model for men as a modern dancer. It still amazes me that I'm doing what I'm doing."
Cassie Meador, a choreographer, performer and teacher with the group, developed choreographic and performance work in alcohol and drug recovery homes in the southeastern states of the US before joining the company.
"This kind of work pushes me more than dancing with young white females like myself. All the dancers have very different training and we all take care of our bodies in different ways. It means when you are trying to get the detail of a movement, you arrive in a place you would never have got to on your own."
The Liz Lerman Dance Exchange DVD, Journey With Me, emphasises this point. In the DVD, older people explain how the workshops helped them overcome fear, challenge difficult personality traits in themselves and, most of all, broaden their horizons as they grow older. One participant says, "It has allowed me to have two lives in one lifetime."
The DVD also shows the beautiful, respectful experience that emerges when older people and younger people dance together.
"I was glad to see it wasn't older people in tutus," says retired architect Brendan Chalke (63), another participant in the Dublin workshop.
"I love dance and I'm impressed with the inclusivity of the workshop and how very good dancers are dancing with those who are not so proficient. "It's also interesting how biographical details from each participant are choreographed and brought into the movement. It's an exhausting and fascinating experience."
According to Meador, the health benefits of these dance workshops go beyond the physical. "Each body has a story to tell and we use movement to bring out that story. But also by living in other people's worlds and stories, it expands us as people. There are all kinds of give and take situations as well as the actual dance movements."
Martha Wittman (71) is another member of the group who visited Dublin last week. Wittman says the workshops can be adapted for use in nursing and retirement homes for older people.
"My own mother had a series of mini strokes over 10 years and I began to use some of the processes I'd learned through Liz Lerman with her.
"Through a kind of stimulation through movement and mirroring each other's movements, she got some movement back and she also began to sing. In essence, it is the sense of connection between people that is really important," she says.