Brooklyn Arts Council selected Laci Chisholm as a 2020 SU-CASA artist-in-residence!
SU-CASA awards are single-year awards made to individual artists in order to provide arts programs for older adults in senior centers throughout New York City. The awards were recommended by a panel consisting of representatives from Department for the Aging, Department of Cultural Affairs, the greater creative aging field, and the Brooklyn Arts Council. The panel made the specific placement based on the strength of Laci’s proposal and the interests of the senior center.
I was blessed to be placed at the Teresa Moore Neighborhood Senior Center!
I implemented a program to expose seniors to dances around the world. Dancing Around the World was designed to take seniors on a journey in time through dance. By participating in weekly dance classes, seniors were burning calories, building muscle, improving their cardiovascular condition, and building relationships,. Remembering dance steps & exercise combinations also improves memory skills as well as boosting confidence and self-esteem in participants. In order to engage seniors in the program, I visited the center to re-introduce myself to the community. and set up a table to distribute information about the upcoming program. I'd worked with the center the previous year, so I knew many of the participants and staff. They were excited the program was beginning again. I posted flyers on several bulletin boards and put a stack of fliers at the sign in desk. I facilitated a sample class and participants were excited about it and told their friends afterwards. I offered dance fitness classes along with the history of dances. We also played games and icebreakers to get to know each other. Seniors participated in a 60 minute dance class complete with stretching, cardio, learning combinations, and freestyle. Classes were held in the gym. Because this population was older, we did a lot of our work in chairs. We moved between dancing in our seats and standing; having the chair close by for balance. Those that were dancing were set up around me; however, other seniors in the center remained at the tables in their chairs and listened to the information I provided as well as did some moves in their seats. We also did some dances around the room to engage with the other non-participating seniors and make the class exciting. During this time, I had very well attended classes. The seniors and I became very close. The seniors said that I made them feel young again. They said they looked forward to my classes every week. They even said I made them look forward to getting up in the morning. It was incredible. Even though I only got to work with them for three months, I saw improvement in their movement and their overall sense of wellbeing. Seniors who were unable to move certain parts of their body with ease became more flexible. Seniors who use to be tired and out of breath had more stamina. Seniors who used to scowl began to smile.
Achievements
-Attendance- My attendance numbers were great considering the population. I had the same students each week and they looked forward to classes. Even the ones who weren't directly participating were in the same room, so they still got the information and were able to enjoy the music and moved a little.
Flexibility & Overall Wellbeing - The seniors are more flexible than ever. Sometimes they would get down lower than I would. They were able to withstand up to 60 minutes of consistent exercise. They learned to use their breath. They looked better. They felt better. They told me they were losing weight and feeling less stressed.
-Joy - The seniors said that I brought them joy and made them feel young again. They did the same for me! The seniors said they had been asking about me since the last time I was there and that they were so excited to have me back.
-Relationship Building- It was therapeutic for me to work with the seniors. Even though I'm 30-40 years younger than some of them, they made me feel alive again. They made me relive memories from my past. We enjoyed each others company. We became a family.
Challenges The only challenges occurred when the senior center shut down due to COVID. That was a major challenge for me. We were unable to continue dancing or seeing each other. It was sad for me because I'd become really close with them. I was excited to see them after not being around them for 6 months in between grant cycles. I've also heard that a few of them have passed away during the pandemic. That makes me sad because I truly loved them and made connections.