DanceYourAge

Genesis of the project

I have been studying dance since the age of six. I started off with ballet, later switched to contemporary dance. As a result, I felt a powerful attraction to theater and therefore I dedicated myself to acting, choreography and writing for the theater.

Performing arts become the center of my life, for several years I have been constantly on tour and on a stage.

Lately, TV and cinema came along as the latest professional challenge, with acting-voice and intimacy coaching, as well as acting myself on set. Although I am always maintaining a constant connection with movement. As a matter of fact, my craft is infused of different artistic styles and influences.

Then, about 10 years ago, urged by my sister, I gave a class in the nursing home where our ninety-year-old aunt Natalina was hospitalized. A life changing experience.

I was left flabbergasted by the sight of one of the guests, an elderly woman, breathing thanks to an oxygen tank, dancing with her hands, perfectly keeping the tempo, while smiling happily. From that moment on, the DanceYourAge project has never stopped.

As of today, I have held hundreds of classes.

The class, its aim and outcomes
The DYA class is based on the idea of sharing within a group, through eye contact and laughter, the pleasure of moving and dancing your own way.

It always starts with a sitting warm-up,  chairs in circle; then, mindful of everyone’s physical constraints, the group gets up in a continuous flow of motion on various “themes”, such as swimming, shaking, joint movements, muscle contractions, and dynamic sensory work. The aim is relaxation, disentanglement, enjoyment, whilst it’s also beneficial to explore the effect of unusual moves, through manoeuvres that participants aren’t used to, in the form of pure fun and openness to the energy of the group. It’s a game of mutual inspiration: Everything is suggested during the session and dancers can improvise looking for their own quality and skills. My voice is subtly guiding the class, and music accompanies each gesture, along with body tapping and chanting. Each class is divided into sections: while we work towards the awakening of a collective flowing movement, we explore each chakra, while integrating elements of bioenergetics aiming to deepen everyone’s grounding, and especially focusing to alleviate tensionin the chest, neck and shoulders.