Drop by the exercise studio at The Heritage of Green Hills on a Wednesday evening and you might just see young dancers bouncing to a hip-hop beat as active residents move in unison right by their side or witness residents with dementia from our personal and memory care neighborhoods waving beautiful iridescent wings as the professional dancers watch and reinterpret their moves with liquid grace.
That’s because each week, the exercise studio at the senior living community transforms into a crucible of creation for some of the most innovative, compelling, and exciting new dance pieces in the region through what JCWK Dance Lab Founder and Director Jessica C. Warchal-King calls an “intergenerational cultural exchange.”
“The Heritage of Green Hills has generously opened up a rehearsal space for our troupe to explore new work and practice — but over time, Wednesdays have become a true collaboration, as we warm up together, play together, and share our stories through movement,” Warchal-King explains.
“The dancers from JCWK Dance Lab have built a wonderful rapport with our residents,” says the senior living community’s Well By Design Director, Cheryl Anderson. “Regular attendees include people from our independent living neighborhood, plus people with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s who live in our Care Center’s personal and memory care neighborhoods. It’s incredible to watch how music and movement can draw people out and connect them together.”
Fun with the JCWK Dance Lab extends beyond Wednesdays. Every First Friday, they kick off our Happy Hour with classics that draw a crowd — it’s not unusual to see our residents joining in and dancing to the electric slide and other fun songs.
