Instructor Roberta Wong, back, leads residents of Demaree Crossing senior living community in a dance class through the Dance Every Journey program on Feb. 9. Dance Every Journey is a new nonprofit group that aims to use dance to reach older adults, and eventually work with veterans, individuals on the autism spectrum and those with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
RYAN TRARES | DAILY JOURNAL
The joy of dance flowed through the room.
As soft piano notes played in the background, three residents of Demaree Crossing senior living community bent their waists, swooped their arms and rolled their heads with the music. Though seated in chairs arranged in a circle, they were energetic and enthusiastic.
“Just make it feel beautiful,” said Roberta Wong, a longtime dance instructor leading the group.
By harnessing the power of dance, a new organization aims to improve the lives of older adults and eventually others throughout the community. Dance Every Journey was formed to use movement to excel, enhance and enrich the lives of people who may sometimes be overlooked.
The program improves coordination, strength, balance, emotional and social well-being, in addition to encouraging brain and cardiovascular health, and boosting energy levels.
They hope to expand it to other groups of people, such as veterans, people on the autism spectrum and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
“Our vision is to inspire hope one dance class at a time. So we want for the people in the demographics we’re looking at to feel purpose, and to feel that they feel empowered when they’re in the classroom,” Stahlhut said. “We want to pour into these demographics opportunities they wouldn’t normally have otherwise.”
“Being able to be in an environment with other folks and being able to express yourself with movement is really, really healthy,” Stahlhut said. “A lot of the exercises done are ones that physical therapists would actually use.”
Dance Every Journey was born in 2022 within the local dance community. Stahlhut, who owns Stage One Dance Academy in Greenwood was having a conversation with Wong, one of her instructors.
Wong has been a mainstay in the dance scene for more than 40 years, performing with the Indianapolis Ballet Theatre, Dance Kaleidoscope, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra’s “Yuletide Celebration,” in addition to teaching at Anderson, Butler and Indiana universities.
“I have been dancing since I was 8 years old,” she said. “If you’re going to be a lifer, like I am, you evolve along with it and keep looking at all of the different branches that connect to it.”
Wong mentioned that she had interest in working with seniors in some capacity. She asked if Stahlhut would like to partner with her.
“I started doing some research, and contacted local assisted living facilities, and found out that they were all very interested and loved the idea, but they didn’t have the budgets to have someone in on a regular basis to teach dance classes,” Stahlhut said.
Convinced about the worth of their idea, Stahlhut researched what it would take to form a nonprofit organization to provide these dance programs. As a nonprofit, they could fundraiser and apply for grants, allowing them to offer dance for older adults at no cost to the living facilities.
The result was Dance Every Journey, which started a pilot dance program at Demaree Crossing in August.
Every Thursday, Wong meets with residents for a seated-to-standing ballet class. She teaches them a variety of movements that can be done from a chair, encouraging them to loosen up their arms and legs, roll their shoulders, tighten their core muscles and rotate their necks.
She uses her experience as an instructor to cater the classes to her participants’ abilities, and can pivot to different approaches depending on what they can do.
“This is still about growth, it’s about learning, it’s about learning something new,” Wong said.
Seeing the residents become invested in the dance is a joy to watch, Stahlhut said.
“A lot of the folks are even in wheelchairs, but it’s helpful for their physical health, but also really neat to watch it improve their mental and emotional health — giving them purpose in their day and lots of joy,” Stahlhut said.
Since then, the group has expanded its reach to Greenwood Village South. The hope is to reach even more people in the future.
The organization chose the name “Dance Every Journey” because life has a multitude of different journeys and challenges, which they believe can be eased through dance, Stahlhut said.
They have reached out to the Veterans Administration about offering programs for veterans. Another focus is to bring dance to individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia, who are not currently at a care facility, as well as people diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.
Finally, they’d like to work with people on the autism spectrum.
“Those are our five different pillars we’re hoping to serve. We’re starting with the assisted living, and hoping for the others to come as we gain awareness,” Stahlhut said.
Since it was founded, Dance Every Journey organizers have been working to spread awareness of their mission and let people know what they have to offer.
They are planning a launch event on Feb. 18 at Stone Creek Dining Co. to meet with local officials, leaders and residents to further spreading their mission.
“People just really need to be able to see what it is to be able to understand what we hope to do,” “We hope that the people we’ve invited can be the catapult to continue on.”
AT A GLANCE
Dance Every Journey
What: A new nonprofit organization focused on sharing the love of dance by partnering with different groups in the community, including seniors, veterans, people on the autism spectrum and individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.
Who: Founder and president Katie Stahlhut, vice president Rachel Newbrough, instructors and curriculum coordinator Roberta Wong
Why: The program serves seniors by improving coordination, strength, balance, emotional and social well-being, brain health, cardiovascular health and energy levels. Organizers feel that accessibility is critical for seniors, which is why the programming is free for all assisted living and retirement facilities. The curriculum was specifically designed to help seniors excel and find their fullest potential.
How to help: Donations can be made on the Dance Every Journey website to help sponsor classes for dancers. Volunteers are also needed to assist during program. Email [email protected] to sign up.
Information and how to get involved: www.danceeveryjourney.com.
