Double recognition for the Volunteer of the Month for May: Congratulations to Abigail MacDonald and Estelle Tang!
CONGRATULATIONS to Abigail MacDonald and Estelle Tang on being selected as Volunteers’ of the Month for May 2020! Find below how they have been helping us to keep our community connected and thriving! Abigail MacDonald - Ballare Studio Dance This is Abigail's first year volunteering with The Dance Ability Movement at our Ancaster location, Ballare Studio Dance, and we were so glad to welcome her to the team! Abigail has been consistently dedicated to the team throughout our season and continued to do so in our virtual classes! Abigail has attended all of our classes since switching to virtual dance classes, [...]
#KeepDancingChallenge – Week 11: Are you ready for some tunes this week?
Are you ready for some tunes? Grab an instrument to dance along with this week’s #KeepDancingChallenge! This week we have a song by Walk Off the Earth “Gang of Rhythm”. Many thanks to everyone who submitted a video! We loved to see your creativity and positive energy! Check out the video on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/yyN1zYd_Iwk Just feel the rhythm and let your inner dancer shine!
Making the Connection: A Student Occupational Therapist Perspective
As a student occupational therapist, one of the main concepts that have been instilled in me is the profound impact that engaging in meaningful activities has on one’s health and wellbeing. When you break down this idea, it truly does make sense as our lives are made up of doing things we like, or need to do, on a daily basis. Quite simply, if we have opportunities to engage in activities we enjoy doing, our physical and mental health will reap the benefits. As the Dance Ability Movement was founded by occupational therapists, it only makes sense that their philosophy [...]
#KeepDancingChallenge – Week 10: Feels like home when we are dancing with you!
The dance studio has always been like a second home to us. Now that we are not able to be physically together, we felt so honoured being welcomed into your home so we can keep dancing virtually. Let's keep dancing this week at home to the choreography our dancers and volunteers have put together to the song "Feels Like Home" by Sigala! Many thanks to our dancers, teachers and volunteers who submitted a video! We loved to see your positive energy and cool moves! Check out the video on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/75Mz2duMJgc Feels like home when we are dancing [...]
#KeepDancingChallenge – Week 9: Come dance with us to brighten up your day!
Missing the sweetness to your day? If you feel your moves lack flavour, let us show you that dancing is a piece of cake! Come dance “Kid in a Candy Store” by JoJo Siwa with us to brighten up your day! A big shout out to all our dancers, teachers and volunteers who participated in this week’s video and created the sweetest moves! We would like to dedicate this choreography to JoJo Siwa, who is celebrating a birthday TODAY! May all the joy that you have been spreading through your music and dance come back to you on this day. [...]
Dance has the power to warm and move the heart – A reflection from Crystal Chan
An important aspect of inclusion is empathy. When we are able to put ourselves in someone else’s shoes, it allows us to create bonds of trust, it gives us insights into what others may be feeling or thinking, and it helps us understand how or why others are reacting to situations. In the interview below, Crystal Chan, Occupational Therapist who volunteered with The Dance Ability Movement for five years, shows how EMPATHY, combined with her passion for dance and occupational therapy, helped her better support Hayley, one of our dancers from Bradford, during the Take the Lead Workshop. If you [...]