Dance On!

Burridge and Svendler Nielsen bring together many perspectives from around the world on dancing experiences through life of senior artists and educators, whether as professionals working with community dance groups, in education or for recreation and well-being. Broadening our understanding of the burgeoning sector of maturing dances and dancers, this book incorporates a range of theoretical approaches with an emphasis on cultural and experiential dimensions. It includes examples of how artists, community practitioners, teachers, policy makers and academics work to better understand, promote and create new ways of thinking and working in the field of dance performance, education and well-being. Each section of the book includes a mixture of chapters based on research and case narratives focusing on practitioners' experience, as well as conversations between world-renowned mature dance artists and choreographers. It features an eclectic mix of lived experiences, wisdom, deep knowledge and reflection. The book is a valuable resource for students of performing arts, pedagogy, choreography, community dance practice, social and cultural studies, aesthetics, interdisciplinary arts, dance therapy and more. Artists working across generations and in communities can also find useful inspiration for their continued dance practice.

Stephanie Burridge lectures at LASALLE College of the Arts and Singapore Management University and is the Series Editor for Routledge Celebrating Dance in Asia and the Pacific. Charlotte Svendler Nielsen is Associate Professor and Program Director at the Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Denmark.

Introduction Section 1: Conversations Conversation 1.1 A conversation about junctions, milestones and thresholds Germaine Acogny and 'Funmi Adewole with Helmut Vogt translating and contributing Conversation 1.2 A life travelling in dance Aida Amirkhanian in conversation with Artsvi Bakhchinyan Conversation 1.3 Dancing is shape-shifting Elizabeth Cameron Dalman and Michael Keegan-Dolan Conversation 1.4 A conversation about life in dance: A crossing of two paths Henry Danton and Ravenna Tucker Wagnon Conversation 1.5 The love and kindness of teachers: Reflecting on working with senior Javanese masters Alex Dea conversing with Javanese senior dance artists Rama Sas, S. Ngaliman, Bu Yudanegoro and Bu Tarwa. Conversation 1.6 A life in dance: Collaborating and working together Anca Frankenhaeuser and Patrick Harding-Irmer with Eileen Kramer Conversation 1.7 The joy of life experience in contemporary dance Graeme Murphy and Janet Vernon in conersation with Shirley Gibson Conversation 1.8 A sense of place and creating together Antonio Vargas with Stephanie Burridge Section 2: Professional Dance Practice Chapter 2.1 Too old to dance! Says who?: Senior professional dancers defying ageism Sonia York-Pryce Chapter 2.2 Creating in the liminal space: connecting pathways of embodied experience. Stephanie Burridge Chapter 2.3 'Open Culture' as practiced by three Singaporean dance pioneers Melissa Quek and Tan Ngiap Heng Chapter 2.4 (K)not in Dance: bodies and dancing as states of becoming Gerard M. Samuel Chapter 2.5 Dance, is "who you are; it's who you are known as" Amy Dean Chapter 2.6 A full and creative life Mary Davies Section 3: Community Dance Practice and Performance Chapter 3.1 An idea, a passion, a shot of tequila and a whole lot of love Liz Lea Chapter 3.2 Still Ripening: evolving a practice through reflection. Gail Hewton Chapter 3.3 From viral hit to vital troupe: the "dancing grannies" of Angthong and their revival of Lakhon Chatri during a pandemic Pornrat Damrhung Chapter 3.4 Fine Lines: a dance collective of mature artists - the story so far. Katrina Rank and Jenny Barnett Chapter 3.5 Dance matters: Crows Feet Dance Collective Jan Bolwell Section 4.0: Pedagogy and Recreational Dance Practice Chapter 4.1 Becoming an affirmative community: mature dancers' experiences in an age-aware contemporary dance class Pirkko Markula, Allison Jeffrey, Jennifer Nikolai & Simrit Deol Chapter 4.2 From the stage to the next stage - Transitioning from a learner to a teacher: Amala Shankar's journey Urmimala Sarkar Munsi Chapter 4.3 Learning in creative dance: adults and children share the space Ann Kipling Brown Chapter 4.4 Managing expectations: teaching mature dancers in lutrawita/Tasmania Lesley Graham Chapter 4.5 Traditional apprenticeship in contemporary times - Lim Fei Shen Caren Carino Section 5.0: Dance Therapy and Well-being Chapter 5.1 An examination of the facilitation of dance practice for older adults: a focus group discussion between practitioners working in community settings across New Zealand, Australia and England. Francine Hills and Barbara Snook Chapter 5.2 The happiest hour in the week: Memory Dance and Dance Movement Therapy for elderly people with dementia Helle Winther Chapter 5.3 Feeling the touch: integrating sensations into dance activities for the elderly with dementia Szu-Ching Chang Chapter 5.4 Everyday Waltzes for Active Ageing: a creative intervention for seniors and training programme for eldercare staff Angela Liong Chapter 5.5 WINGSPAN - A seated dance performance Paige Gordon