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Bridging Generations Through Dance

The room is full at Waltonwood Cotswold, an assisted living facility in Charlotte.

It’s time for the seated residents’ monthly dance lesson — a tutorial in fun, Indian culture, and rejuvenation.

“Dancing spreads joy, and that joy is contagious,” says Providence Day sophomore Elise Patel. “Bollywood dancing is a beautiful form of storytelling through movement and facial expressions.”

Elise and long-time pal and fellow Providence Day dancer Jehva Kaur visit a trio of nursing homes in Charlotte teach seniors Bollywood dancing, a dance that requires a lot of movement from hands, feet, neck and face and is meant to tell the story of a particular film.

The duo’s monthly classes are so popular that other local facilities and assisted living facilities in South Carolina and Virginia have requested visits.

“[Our] residents have expanded their understanding of Indian culture and dance,” says Sophia Yescott, the Life Enrichment Manager - Memory Care at Waltonwood Cotswold. “They have also proven to themselves that they can take on the challenge of learning the sequence of dance moves that make up a choreography, and they have benefited from interacting and learning from a younger generation.”

‘Makes me feel more alive’

Elise began taking tap and hip-hop dance classes when she was 4 years old. She began Indian Bollywood dance classes in kindergarten.

“I enjoyed feeling connected to my heritage,” she says. “It has taught me patience, discipline, and adaptation.”

For Jehva, a freshman, dancing has been a passion of hers since childhood. Her family exposed her to the art form when they choreographed dances and danced with family at weddings.

“What drew me to the art of Indian dance is how joyful it is and how happy I am while dancing,” says Jehva, who’s also a member of two dance teams. “Dances usually have infectious energy that makes me feel more alive. Dance provides me with good physical fitness. It also makes me more disciplined.”

Elise and Jehva decided to pass along the joy of dancing to seniors.

“It could help them feel connected with the community,” Jehva says. “Also, they would get a workout while hopefully having fun. I also love to share my culture with people, and dance is a part of not just my culture but also me.”

Waltonwood Cotswold residents learn Bollywood dances about once a month. During the class, Elise and Jehva demonstrate the dance they will be teaching before working through a modified choreography that they put together to accommodate the seated dance class.

“Through all of this, they have exercised their minds in a creative and unique way,” Ms. Yescott says.

Bridging a generation gap

So far, Jehva says, the assisted living residents have been kind - and talkative.

“They are always so friendly,” she says. “My favorite part of class is seeing how many of them participate and smile while doing it. Even if I make a mistake while teaching, they are always so forgiving. They always bring the best energy to classes.

“It feels amazing.”

Elise says there are numerous health benefits: strengthening the mind-body connection, improving cognitive abilities through memorizing choreography, and strengthening their muscles and core.

But the one benefit she hadn’t anticipated was how much it fostered a sense of shared cultural understanding and helped bridge generational gaps.

“[It’s] rewarding,” Elise says. “They seem to really enjoy it - the room is always full when we show up to teach. For many of them, it has taught them something new and meaningful. Some of the residents don’t have family come visit them very often, so in a way, this is helping to fill an empty space in their lives.”