Shall We Dance?

“Can they dance?” A response (question) that I commonly receive when I suggest incorporating dancing as a form of leisure activity as well as physical activity for people with dementia.

The following questions soon pursue. “What kind of dance? Cha Cha? Rock & Roll? What kind of music? Oldies? In what language? Mandarin, English, Malay or Tamil?”

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I don’t understand why do people see dancing as such a structured activity? I love dancing. I particularly love freestyle dancing – just moving and swaying my body and limbs along with the music that I love.

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Recently, I found out that such a dance is termed as creative dancing! Dancing to the music that I love always makes me feel happy and liberated even though I do not possess the moves like Beyoncé or a ballerina.

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Dictionary.com defines dancing as moving one’s feet or body, or both, rhythmically in a pattern of steps, especially to the accompaniment 

of music.

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One of my readers asked me, “have you tried to practice mindfulness with people with dementia?” The practice of mindfulness needs not always have to be watching your breaths. Mindfulness is about being in the moment. Dancing is a perfect activity for being in the moment. Being in the moment takes a lot of stress off the people with dementia as they do not have to rely on their not-so-great memory. Hence, creative dancing is a fun stress-relief for people with dementia and their caregivers. Dancing is the perfect tool for them to enjoy living in the moment.

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My friend, Dr Allen Power, believes that as humans, we have the following basic psychological needs.

When you dance with someone, you will look at them, smile at them, at times holding them and touching them. These actions satisfy one’s need for connectedness and security, and joy surfaces as a by-product. So are you ready to dance with your loved one with dementia?

My readers, Shall We Dance?