Cross-teaching in Bharatanaytam for creative aging classes One of the inspiring and awesome things about having long-term relationships with students is the sheer breadth and diversity of experiences that learners bring. At the YM & YWHA of Washington Heights and Inwood, where we have been together for more than four years, participants have worked professionally as educators, nurses, psychologists, and mathematicians. Together, they speak Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, Portuguese, Telugu, and many more languages. This not only enriches our sessions but also fosters a collaborative environment and creates a uniquely bidirectional teaching experience. Each week, long-time learners take the initiative to teach newcomers the words and meanings of various gestures. On one occasion, as I was sharing a song celebrating the sun ("Kadalin Meethu" in Tamil), one student shared the Hebrew words for the sun and moon ("Shemesh" and "Yareach"). 
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The Body Poetic for Arts for the Aging (Fall 2025) On September 8, 2025, as a teaching artist for Arts for the Aging, certified poetry therapist Lauren Mazow Boyle and I presented a series of workshops entitled "The Body Poetic: Exploration through Indian Dance and Poetry".
We explored Rabindranath Tagore's poem "And in wonder and amazement I sing'. Below is a small excerpt of the poetry that participants made: "Same as before, it invites my thoughts. My father coming home- Pick me up! I’m home! What about the things that are missing? Don’t forget them. The trees above, the blue sky, fluffy white clouds,As I lie on the grass. Don’t forget me. Come home." |
