Blog
Volunteering to Make a Dancing Heart™
Much of the work we do at Kairos Alive! wouldn’t be possible without a dedicated core group of “Kairosian” volunteers. Our friend and regular volunteer, Alison, shares some of her thoughts on her experiences. "There’s a saying that goes something like, “If you want to...
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What Matters Most
We wrapped up a few sites last week - leaving all of us at Kairos feeling a bit heavy hearted and reflective. We wanted to share some pictures of important moments with elder friends from a memory care and assisted living - as well as thoughts from Maria. ...
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Kairos Alive! Featured in “Improving Community Vitality Through Elder Vitality”
Originally published on the Mardag Foundation's website, "Improving Community Vitality Through Elder Vitality" highlights Kairos Alive's work in Bemidji, MN during a multi-year Residency made possible by funding from the Mardag Foundation - an affiliate of Minnesota...
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Reach Out – Touch a Hand
“Reach out, touch a hand - make a friend if you can.” - The Staple Singers Last Thursday, when it seemed that all the news on the radio was about the next horror produced by human misunderstanding, I found a few hours of love and appreciation by dancing with elders...
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Dancing is About Moving
In an article originally posted on HowlRound in December, Maria Genné helped answer the question; where do older adults fit in to our world today? Today her insights form an important foundation for Kairos Alive! as we continue to dance, learn and grow. Dancing is...
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Love is it, huh?
In his New York Times column earlier this week, “The Building Blocks of Learning”, David Brooks references author Paul Tough’s new book, “Helping Children Succeed.” According to Brooks, Tough cites the work of researchers as he asks how we can improve students’...
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Recent Research Details Benefits of Kairos Alive! Program for Senior Housing Residents
At the core of Kairos Alive! programs lie years of research, evidence and practice. We strive to provide education through sharing up-to-date, verifiable and relevant research. This excerpt from “The Importance of a Creative Arts Program for Senior Housing Residents”...
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Dancing in Santa Fe, New Mexico
I love dancing with people. I always find that after the first, sometimes awkward moment, most people really love to dance. They just need to know that they are welcome, be assured that there is no “right” way to dance and experience a model that demonstrates that...
read moreParking Lot Memories
Just as writers need blank paper and painters need blank canvases, communities need accessible open space to gather and celebrate. Public dances are examples of active community-making art that manifests itself through the people themselves. Although these kinds of...
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An Unlikely Path for a College Intern
When I tell people I meet that my passion and current position involves dancing, singing and storytelling with elders and other under served populations, I tend to get a lot of perplexed looks. As a young Millennial with an almost-completed major in Arts Management,...
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Let’s Dance
For almost 40 years, I’ve labored in the health care industry, working as a physician committed to improving the health of the patients I cared for. My efforts were directed to addressing the health needs of those I saw……but with a focus on a medical model. Several...
read more2011 Aging Services of Minnesota Excellence & Innovation Award
http://www.fairviewebenezer.org/fv/groups/internet/documents/web_content/s_039551.pdfEbenezer Care Center received the 2011 Aging Services of Minnesota Excellence & Innovation Award for their work with Kairos Alive! Dancing...
read moreRosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy Award
http://blog.caregiver.org/?p=1655The Dancing Heart™ Vital Caregivers Moving in Community was the recipient of the 2011 Rosalinde Gilbert Innovations in Alzheimer’s Disease Caregiving Legacy Award in the category of Creative...
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Awards for Kairos Collaborators
This week in downtown Minneapolis 3,500 members of Aging Services of Minnesota are having their annual conference. Two Kairos Dance Theatre collaborators, Ebenezer and Wilder, won awards for excellence in program innovation in connection with Kairos' The Dancing...
read moreNeuropsychoimmunology
New Kairos word for the day: "Neuropsychoimmunology". A relatively recently emerging field that considers the interconnectedness of our feelings, brains, bodies, and health or wholeness. More research is needed to understand just how this interconnectedness happens...
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hand in hand
There is something about holding someone's hand when you dance with them. Maybe it's feeling their warmth - or cold (I often get the response: your hands are so cold!) and if I'm lucky an elder will rub my hands until they are warmer or we rub each others hands. The...
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We’re in for some fun when Trudy is there
Dancing with Trudy is a treat. I have the chance to see her every other week at the Wilder Day Program Dancing Heart session and I always know we're in for some fun when Trudy is there. Trudy is currently in a wheel chair and has very minimal mobility on the left side...
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Two Thousand Plus Years of Movement Experience Expressed In the Here and Now
At Deer Crest Assisted Living in Red Wing we were amazed and thrilled to realize that we were doing Waltz, Polka, Schottische, and Improvisatory Movement with a lively group that embodied in one room more than two thousand years of combined movement experience. No...
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