Residential Homes
If you are an activities co-ordinator in a residential home you'll know that hiring interesting speakers/entertainers who will tempt your residents out of their rooms and engage their attention for an hour can be challenging.
The allure and mystique of having a "Belly Dancer" often tempts residents and my residential home performances are usually extremely well attended. I capitalise on that by striving to maintain their interest. As an early retired primary teacher I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve to keep them awake and alert!
I usually start with a short performance in my best frock (a frighteningly expensive designer number from Egypt with lots of beads and bling) to lively Arabic music to set the mood. We then take a break while I talk to them for a few minutes about the myths and misconceptions surrounding belly dance and I answer questions. I will then perform another style of Egyptian dance before getting into audience participation.
If you are an activities co-ordinator in a residential home you'll know that hiring interesting speakers/entertainers who will tempt your residents out of their rooms and engage their attention for an hour can be challenging.
The allure and mystique of having a "Belly Dancer" often tempts residents and my residential home performances are usually extremely well attended. I capitalise on that by striving to maintain their interest. As an early retired primary teacher I have more than a few tricks up my sleeve to keep them awake and alert!
I usually start with a short performance in my best frock (a frighteningly expensive designer number from Egypt with lots of beads and bling) to lively Arabic music to set the mood. We then take a break while I talk to them for a few minutes about the myths and misconceptions surrounding belly dance and I answer questions. I will then perform another style of Egyptian dance before getting into audience participation.
One lady who stood with her walker and moved her arms in time with the music said with a big smile,
"I wish I'd discovered this twenty years ago!"
Another who wasn't able to stand but had played along with finger cymbals gave a smile as she handed them back and said
"It's not at all what I expected! It's so graceful."
I went over to speak to a very senior citizen who was wheelchair bound and hadn't appeared to be paying a great deal of attention. As I knelt beside her wheelchair and took her hand the lady whispered,
"Thank you so much my dear, I can hardly move at all but I was dancing along with you inside my head."
The entertainment officer at one residential home said,
"We had people in here today who never come out of their rooms except for meals and I've seen smiles on faces that I've never seen smile before."
After another performance at a senior group one of the gentlemen beckoned her over to thank her and told her with a huge grin that she had taken him back fifty years to his days of National Service in Egypt.
"I wish I'd discovered this twenty years ago!"
Another who wasn't able to stand but had played along with finger cymbals gave a smile as she handed them back and said
"It's not at all what I expected! It's so graceful."
I went over to speak to a very senior citizen who was wheelchair bound and hadn't appeared to be paying a great deal of attention. As I knelt beside her wheelchair and took her hand the lady whispered,
"Thank you so much my dear, I can hardly move at all but I was dancing along with you inside my head."
The entertainment officer at one residential home said,
"We had people in here today who never come out of their rooms except for meals and I've seen smiles on faces that I've never seen smile before."
After another performance at a senior group one of the gentlemen beckoned her over to thank her and told her with a huge grin that she had taken him back fifty years to his days of National Service in Egypt.
Audience participation you ask? Most of your residents probably have difficulty standing, let alone belly dancing!
You may be pleasantly surprised - dance can be achieved in chairs and wheelchairs. I have completed Lincolnshire Dance's level 3, NOCN accredited, practical and theoretical course "Freedom in Dance" and am one of a very limited number of Lincolnshire Dance approved dance instructors for over 50s and the elderly in the county. I have a regular class at a Lincoln residential home with an age range of 79 to 100 where I teach a variety of dance styles and aim to challenge the most able as well as the least able.
You'll find some comments below left which show the reaction of some of my performance audiences:
You may be pleasantly surprised - dance can be achieved in chairs and wheelchairs. I have completed Lincolnshire Dance's level 3, NOCN accredited, practical and theoretical course "Freedom in Dance" and am one of a very limited number of Lincolnshire Dance approved dance instructors for over 50s and the elderly in the county. I have a regular class at a Lincoln residential home with an age range of 79 to 100 where I teach a variety of dance styles and aim to challenge the most able as well as the least able.
You'll find some comments below left which show the reaction of some of my performance audiences:
This video clip below show one of my weekly dance classes at a Lincoln residential home.
All images on this site are by my husband and are copyright of www.markhurdphotography.co.uk. If you need portrait photos (he does "digital cosmetic surgery", too), event photos or have other photographic requirements please visit his website.
Approved Instructor
