June 7, 2007: Volume 70, Number 10

Dancing with the stars: Union students step into the community

Kelsey Allen-Dicker ’07 brought understanding and patience.

Amanda Riitano ’08 came armed with stories, games and a heap of encouragement.

Both young women used creativity and imagination with their charges: 25 nursing home residents and 4- and 5-year-olds.

The two Union students went into the community for their spring dance project course with Dance Director Miryam Moutillet.

The elderly residents at the Kingsway Arms Community Center in Schenectady rely on an extensive list of daily activities to keep them mentally and physically active. In addition to being wheelchair-bound, some have been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.

But that didn’t affect their ability to tap dance.

"They can still make the percussive sounds with their feet, and they also are able to use their arms," said Allen-Dicker, who worked with therapeutic recreation leader Renee J. Wersted. "Tap allows them to feel confident in their dancing, work their muscles and enjoy themselves."

Allen-Dicker said her dance project allowed her to combine her major in Psychology and minor in Dance with her desire to help people in a significant way that enriched her time at Union.

"It made me learn about a new population and their ever-changing lives. Having them smile and enjoy the activity, even with their bad short-term memory, helps them get through this difficult life time. It is the moment that matters," she said.

At the other end of the life spectrum, Riitano, also a Psychology major, brought dance to 10 preschoolers at the Twinkling Stars nursery school in Schenectady. Teaching the half-hour weekly movement class gave her "the opportunity to blend my dance experience with my ultimate goal of teaching, a challenge I embraced."

The youngsters’ high energy and short attention spans kept Riitano on her toes.

"Children this young respond better to an imaginative and creative style than something structured and rigid," said Riitano, who used follow-the-leader and mirroring exercises to teach. "Being flexible with my lesson plan and changing activities helped keep them interested."

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