Why the Alzheimer's Association Teamed With a Modern Dance Troupe

The Indiana chapter of the Alzheimer's Association partnered with the Indianapolis-based Dance Kaleidoscope troupe to offer a recent performance of dances interpreting the stories of people with Alzheimer's served by the association's early-stage programs, reports Associations Now . Dance Kaleidoscope Education Director Lynn Webster saw a collaborative opportunity with the association after observing that the group brought people in the early stage of the disease to the Indianapolis Museum of Art. "Our folks are keen to share their stories, but as they have memory loss, it becomes more important for them to feel they're validated and heard," says the Alzheimer's Association's Maria Holmes. "In some ways, it becomes really important to them to get their ideas, thoughts, and stories down on paper, but then to have it interpreted into dance is just completely unique." The project also was an opportunity for the subjects and their families, who saw a positive creative outlet for their loved ones. "Just because you're going through this awful disease, you don't have to do it alone," says dancer Stuart Coleman.