Dance On

Who gets to dance? 

Older adults, caregivers, social service providers, local leaders, and anyone else interested in creative aging. In our 2020-21 season, our creative aging and intergenerational exchange program, newly named Dance On, also includes the Dance On commissioned artists and members of the Dance On OAC Cohort, which is part of our Organizing with Artists for Change (OAC) initiative.

What is it about?

Dance Exchange’s Dance On programming takes shape in many ways. Our 2023-24 Dance On programming is built toward the Dance On Gathering in May 2024 which brought together older adults, artists, and leaders in the field of creative aging for a multi-day festival of classes, conversations, and performances. 

In addition to the Dance On Gathering, Dance Exchange supports movers and makers at every point on the aging spectrum locally, nationally, and internationally by: 

• Leading a weekly online Dance On class for older adults and movers of all ages

• Developing a series of “Movement Moment” videos to support older adults and their caregivers to cultivate connection, creativity, and greater health 

• Supporting the Dance On Commissioned Artists—intergenerational pairs of Dance Exchange artists creating new collaborative performance work for the Dance On Festival

• Growing the Dance On OAC Cohort, an intergenerational creative workforce development program which, as part of our OAC initiative, supports local artists developing skills for creative aging work. 

• Hosting our annual OAC: Winter Institute which explores creative tools and practices related to intergenerational dancemaking and collaboration. 

• Engaging our Dance On Creative Aging Advisory Board to help Dance Exchange advance our creative tools and practices—and share them with peers across the country.

Where is it happening? 

From our founder, Liz Lerman, dancing in the Roosevelt Hotel in the 1970’s to our more recent partnership with Baycrest Health Sciences, creative aging and intergenerational exchange have always been at the heart of what we do. We gather, move, and make with older adults in residential spaces, community centers, and healthcare facilities as well as on stages and at our Community and Creative Hub. New in 2020, we are also moving together in online spaces.

Why does it matter?

Tools and practices to support creative aging and intergenerational exchange are more important than ever: “For the first time,” explains creativity and aging pioneer Gay Hanna, “there are more people over 65 in the United States than under six.” A member of Dance Exchange’s new Creative Aging Advisory Board, Gay argues that while modern medicine has enabled people to live longer lives, there aren’t always opportunities for older people to maintain a sense of purpose and identity by staying engaged in meaningful activities. 

Dance On harnesses the power of our creative tools and practices to support movers of all ages in cultivating lifelong connection, creativity, and meaning.

"So often we older people live happy and productive lives despite the changes in our bodies. I feel that dance has allowed me to value my aging body, to truly enjoy the changes that time has wrought..."

— Judith Bauer, DX Partnering Artist and member of the Dance On Creative Aging Advisory Board