AileyDance for Active Aging

About

AileyDance for Active Aging offers older adult dance classes that support strength, balance, and flexibility, providing cardiovascular and cognitive stimulation. This program also offers opportunities for participants to share their life stories and express them through movement.

This residency, created specifically for older adults in community centers and residential facilities, is designed to promote movement that can prevent injury due to inactivity or isolation, while encouraging participants to engage their imaginations and express their creativity. More than a fitness program, AileyDance for Active Aging serves as an outlet for artistic expression where participants generate choreography and cultivate their imaginations, building a greater sense of community and social engagement.    

Inside a Residency

Our Values 
  • Strong communication between Ailey Arts In Education staff and the staff of our partner organizations to ensure success for all participants 
  • Ongoing assessments to garner feedback from participants and administrative staff  
  • A life filled with creative engagement 
  • The belief that dance is for everyone  

Our Participants 

AileyDance for Active Aging residencies are for the following communities in older adult community centers and in residential, independent, and assisted living facilities for older adults:  

  • Adults age 50+ with and without caregivers  
  • Individuals with dementia and their caregivers 

What We Offer 
  • Initial planning with Ailey Arts In Education staff 
  • A planning meeting with the Ailey Teaching Artists and the administrative staff of the older adult center or residence 
  • A series of weekly dance classes (60 or 90 minutes) that become an outlet for artistic expression which cultivates one’s imagination to express personal life stories 
  • A culminating presentation with an invited audience of family and friends
  • Opportunities to see live performances 
  • History and background about Alvin Ailey and Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater 

The Curriculum Framework
  • Classes consisting of a warm-up; a progression of stretching, strengthening, and dance phrases that cover a variety of movement qualities; and a cool-down 
  • Movement modifications for participants with mobility or balance challenges 
  • Visual and auditory support for participants as appropriate 
  • An introduction to basic dance elements and choreographic structures 
  • Verbal, written, and auditory prompts for movement to engage the imagination and stimulate memory and life stories 
  • Learning and creating movement phrases that allow for emotional expression and storytelling 
  • A playlist of participant-suggested musical selections 
  • Opportunities for caregiver and family engagement

Past Participants

Organizations that have hosted an AileyDance for Active Aging program in the New York City metropolitan area.

Testimonials

AileyDance for Active Aging program at Rodney Kirk Center, NYC

CONTACT US

Interested in hosting a residency for the older adults in your community? Reach out and we’ll work with you to tailor a residency that fits your needs.

SPONSORS

AileyDance for Active Aging (50+) curriculum was developed with support from AARP. 

logo of AARP


This program is supported, in part, by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council. 

NYC Cultural Affairs Logo


Additional support for the AileyDance for Active Aging program has been provided by the Manhattan Borough President’s Office in partnership with the Department for the Aging. 

Just looking for a class?

If a residency isn’t quite what you’re looking for, Ailey Extension offers a wide variety of dance classes both in-person and online for all ages and experience levels. 

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