Fergus Early OBE of Green Candle Dance Company has written a fascinating Blog for Age of Creativity on his innovative dance project with older people, Remembering to Dance. His conclusions are clear. Dance sessions contributed to enhanced feelings of well being among participants; other factors observed were: increased verbal communication, embodiment, better social interaction, confidence and liveliness. Perhaps more surprisingly, the mean cognitive assessment scores for the group members who completed standard ACEII assessments rose significantly from base to endpoint, (and this with a group of people living with dementia over two years), a finding which concurs with other research which suggests a link between dance and maintained cognitive function.I urge you to read it. He has included a link to the full report.
Photo Caption: Fergus Leading a dance session in St Peter"s Residential Care Home in Lambeth, London. Photo: Tim Sutton
