Date of Award

Spring 5-18-2024

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

MA - Master of Arts

Department

Expressive Therapies

Advisor

Dr. E Kellogg

Abstract

This community engagement project explored the benefits of partner dance for elderly individuals in combating loneliness and fostering a sense of belonging. Drawing on existing literature in dance/movement therapy and community building, this project aimed to observe the impact of partner dance sessions for the elderly population by implementing an evidence-based dance workshop at a local senior center. Participants between 65 and 85 years old engaged in three weekly partner dance sessions that featured instruction of various dance styles from ballroom, Latin dance, and fusion dance and concluded with an open structured social dancing workshop. Researcher observations, combined with assistant and participant input, suggested that partner dance offered significant benefits while also promoting social connections and a sense of camaraderie among participants. Additionally, participants reported enhanced emotional well-being, which presented as a greater sense of belonging within their community. Overall, this project highlighted the potential of partner dance as a holistic intervention for addressing the loneliness epidemic by uplifting the social and health needs of elderly individuals, emphasizing the importance of community-based programs’ promotion of healthy aging and overall well-being.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License

Download

Share

COinS
 

Rights

The author owns the copyright to this work.