Inclusive dance session at Lincoln Center in July 2024 Image credit: Randy Miles I was so excited to represent Dance for PD in July 2024 at the The Garden at Damrosch Park at Lincoln Center's Summer for the City. It was amazing sharing my love for Bharatanatyam and making it inclusive for all. Image and video credit for the pictures and videos below: Dance for PD®
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Performed for a dear friend's 90th birthday party Sometimes, the work on creative aging takes interesting forms. A few months ago, through India Home, a dear person reached out to me to learn the Namaskara that she could share in front of her friends and family for her 90th birthday celebration. Over the months, we started working together, and she requested me to perform the Nirvana Shatakam, as it is a song close to her heart. The beautiful song is from this source. Session at the Sirovich Center for Balanced Living in July 2024In July 2024, I offered a session at Sirovich Center for Balanced Living; some images below. Picture credit: Schekira Wilson My paper on Bharatanatyam to ease social loneliness and isolation in older adults is now published!8/5/2024 My paper on Bharatanatyam to ease social loneliness and isolation in older adults is now published!I am so excited to share my work on Bharatanatyam and its impacts to ease loneliness in older adults is published in the journal Critical Public Health. The link is here. This paper consists of observational data where I propose a novel framework for describing social isolation and loneliness in older adults that includes relationships to their changing bodies and experiences, to history and literature, and to nature and current events. I then summarize that the study of Bharatanatyam enables connections of various kinds, specifically, connection with oneself in oneself, connection to tradition and history and to others, the nature and current events. Abstract: Older adults worldwide are facing disproportionate levels of isolation and loneliness. The current frameworks for understanding social isolation and loneliness include factors such as the physical and mental health of the individuals, loss of friends and family, level of education, relationships, and the built environment. While these models are useful, they fail to consider the individual experiences of older adults holistically; as an example, they do not include older adults’ relationship with themselves as they navigate the many challenges of life. In this article, I propose a novel framework for describing social isolation and loneliness in older adults that includes relationships to their changing bodies and experiences, to history and literature, and to nature and current events. Considering this revised framework, I summarize my observations as a teaching artist using Bharatanatyam, a 2,000-year-old Indian traditional dance form, in alleviating loneliness and isolation. Outcomes are in the form of qualitative narratives that are thematically united and presented. Given the highly communicative and relational nature of Bharatanatyam, I hypothesize that immersion in Bharatanatyam will enable connections of various kinds. This article describes three ways in which Bharatanatyam is particularly well-suited to build connections; these are 1. Connection with oneself in body, mind, and psyche; 2. Connection to tradition and history and 3. A systematic structure of relating to others, to the nature and environment, and current events. A few reactions to this paper:
Working on a 7-beat rhythmic pattern at the Y!Students of Bharatanatyam learn a variety of rhythmic patterns and corresponding movements. Here, participants at the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood are working on 7-beat rhythmic pattern (Mishram jaati) providing a fun challenge. Simple rhythms can be so joyful! Picture and video credit: Padma Narayanaswamy
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