Photo: Nicholas Swatz | UW Medicine
Via UW Medicine
This week, the Memory Hub Artist in Residence Dr. Julia Becke led a very special final performance of "Dancing Together" at the Frye Art Museum. Dancers from Elderwise, The Terraces at Skyline, and the Alzheimer’s Café at the Memory Hub who have been participating in this project throughout the quarter, came together for a shared seated dance experience inside the Frye Art Museum’s salon.
Nicholas Swatz | UW Medicine
Unlike many dance performances that you may have attended, “Dancing Together” was a participatory dance experience showcasing the movements developed over the last quarter with the various groups with whom Dr. Becke danced.
These included members of the Elderwise adult day program, residents at Skyline, participants in the Frye Art Museum’s Alzheimer’s Café, and more – coming together in this event as one large dance community.
Nicholas Swatz | UW Medicine
Throughout the performance, spectators moved together to music, exploring different dance styles and having fun with familiar songs. Based on adaptive dance programs for people with cognitive impairment developed by Canada's National Ballet School, “Dancing Together” is also appropriate for people who require assistive mobility devices such as canes, walkers and wheelchairs.
Nicholas Swatz | UW Medicine
The choreography for the performance was a collaborative effort inspired by two paintings on exhibit in the Frye Salon at the Frye Art Museum where the performance took place. Afterwards, Dr. Becke was presented with a special homage painting to one of those works, created by memory by a member of the Elderwise adult day program. Participants also went home with a red rose to memorialize their time shared together. •
