Education Seminars

DVP is pleased to present two education seminars. A two-hour introduction to creative aging and dance for professionals, and a four-day intensive introductory teacher training workshop coming in Feb 2020.

Introduction to Creative Aging and Dance for Professionals

After attending this 2-hour course, social workers, health care professionals, dance educators and arts professionals who are new to creative aging and dance, will be able to:

• Explain the projections in global and national aging
• Understand innovative research in creative aging and dance
• Recognize and debunk myths of physical activity and dance for older adults
• Apply basic strategies to engage with older adults in creative dance

Additionally, participants will learn about resources available from Dances For A Variable Population in creative aging practices.

About the Live, In-Person Training

As the global population ages, health care, social work and arts programming providers are being faced with a demand to serve the growing needs of this population. Recent research has illuminated the extent to which dance and creative aging programming is uniquely positioned to offer positive aging benefits. This 2-hour workshop led by artistic director of the multi-generational dance company and education organization, Dances For A Variable Population, Naomi Goldberg Haas and lead teaching artist and program manager Magda Kaczmarska, offers an overview of best practices in the creative aging field in dance. Based on the innovative program for older adults MOVEMENT SPEAKS® and a leader in creative aging programs, this workshop debunks myths around aging and offers resources for advocacy, steps to ignite, establish and expand creative aging programs as well as a taste of the content utilized by the company in their MOVEMENT SPEAKS® classes. Designed for social workers, care managers, nurses, arts professionals, dance educators and community programming administrators, this introductory workshop offers participants a tool kit to understand, promote and lay a groundwork for expanding creative aging programs in their community.

Introductory Teacher Training Program for Professionals

After attending this 4-day course, qualified professionals who are interested in leading creative aging programs based on the Dances For A Variable (DVP) model will:

• Possess a functional understanding of the aging globally
• Recognize and debunk myths of physical activity and dance for older adults
• Understand how creative aging programs support positive aging
• Apply basic strategies to engage with older adults in creative dance
• Learn the foundational structure of the DVP-MOVEMENT SPEAKS® class
• Be able to teach several activities in the MOVEMENT SPEAKS® model
• Learn specific suggestions to ensure success when building community based creative aging programs
• Receive access to the DVP-MOVEMENT SPEAKS® trainee member portal and listed on the national database of trained teaching artists.

Additionally, participants will observe in-person MOVEMENT SPEAKS® classes in New York City with DVP lead teachers, have an opportunity to practice teaching volunteer older adult students and receive personalized feedback. Following successful completion of the training and entry into DVP-member portal, participants will be qualified to develop and lead models based on the DVP-MOVEMENT SPEAKS®.

ABOUT THE LIVE, IN-PERSON TRAINING:

As the global population ages, health care, social work, and arts programming providers are being faced with a demand to serve the growing needs of this population. Recent research has illuminated the extent to which dance and creative aging programming is uniquely positioned to offer positive aging benefits. This 4-day training led by artistic director of Naomi Goldberg Haas and lead teaching artist and program manager Magda Kaczmarska, offers a functional training in the award-winning MOVEMENT SPEAKS® program – a model for creative aging and dance. Following this model, selected professionals will be qualified to lead and build creative aging dance programs in their communities based on the MOVEMENT SPEAKS® model. Trainees will also be invited to join the DVP-MOVEMENT SPEAKS® member portal which supports continuing education, access to exercise videos and research to support advocacy and fundraising.

Designed for dance professionals, this introductory workshop prepares participants to expand creative aging programs in their community.

About the Presenters

NAOMI GOLDBERG HAAS is the founding artistic director of Dances for a Variable Population (DVP) since 2005, which promotes strong & creative movement among adults of all ages and abilities. DVP’s model of community creative aging education program MOVEMENT SPEAKS® has served 5,000 older adults in NYC and is a model in best practices for creative aging in community-based performance and education programs for older adults. Goldberg Haas has been a leader in the field of creative aging, starting with founding the successful intergenerational and mixed ability dance company, Los Angeles Modern Dance & Ballet (1990- 2004). She danced with Pacific Northwest Ballet and holds an MFA from Tisch Dance/NYU. Goldberg Haas received LMCC President’s Award for Performing Arts (2014), served on the Age Friendly Media, Arts & Culture Working Group (2015–2018) and received the DANCE USA 2019–20 Fellowship for Artists addressing Social Change.

MAGDA KACZMARSKA is a teaching artist and creative aging advocate based in New York City. She received her MFA in Dance Performance & Choreography from the University of Arizona and her BS in Biochemistry & Molecular Biophysics. Before relocating to NYC, Kaczmarska spent 10 years working in pre-clinical neuropharmacology research with an emphasis on novel therapies for Parkinson’s Disease and mechanisms in aging bone. Kaczmarska co-founded Evolve Dance~West and developed creative aging programs in Arizona for individuals with Parkinson’s and dementia. She received the NDEO Professional Development Scholarship (2019) and leads training and programming for DVP. magdakaczmarska.com