An Outreach Through the Tango
"It
is not
easy earning one's seniority in years. With it often comes the disability
of not being able to get around, much less dance. However, just the exposure
to live dancing. in particular, the tango, can stir the imagination and
invite participation in ways that carry our most senior role models to
memories of when they could dance to the music and bring them back to
the present and the pleasure of watching a subsequent generation continue
the tradition.
Ken Delmar, founder and animator of San Francisco Tango, recently responded to an invitation to give a tango demonstration to the Seniors at Sunrise Assisted Living in Belmont. With his wife, Natasha, they mesmerized their circle of onlookers with their smooth steps, gliding across the floor with agility and sheer unity of motion, communicated through the subtle language of body prompts. With gentleness inhis voice, he truly connected with the Seniors in explaining the moves, the background of the dance and the pleasure it brings.
It is a worthy daydream to imagine if seniors could engage in some limited dancing from a seated position, be it in swaying to the rhythm, stepping with the beat, or simply closing their eyes and visualizing themselves on their feet dancing the tango. After Ken left the Sunrise, he found himself reflecting on such a dream, where seniors could reap therapeutic benefits from an ongoing "Tango Program." He asked me to share this possibility with you, his most trusted and enthusiastic believers in the value of dance and in particular, the tango. Perhaps you may want to offer input on the "what if" of this concept and better yet, want to contribute your own time, big-heartedness and light-footedness to bring dance back into the lives of our eldest Seniors?"
Kathi Beerbohm
Volunteer at Sunrise Assisted Living in Belmont
