The National Center for Dance Therapy is offering a theoretical and experiential workshop, led by Carol Jones and Tetiana Lazuk, focused on dance as a therapeutic tool for individuals living with dementia.
During this workshop, the benefits of dance and movement for people living with dementia, including Alzheimer’s, will be explored. The dance therapists will present dance as a regenerative means able to improve movement, emotions, and cognition. Participants will learn how dance positively impacts the body’s anatomy and brain functions. Tools such as the importance of dance routines and their beneficial effects on memory, coordination, and self-connection will be discussed. Creativity plays a key role in this approach, fostering self-expression, self-esteem, and emotional regulation.
This workshop is intended for healthcare professionals, dance therapists, caregivers, and anyone interested in deepening their understanding of movement in a therapeutic context.
Join us to discover how dance therapy can contribute to the well-being of people with Alzheimer’s and other related disorders.
Pre-sale ( up to 15 days before the workshop):
Regular:
Carol is a multi-disciplinary performing artist, writer and director who explores rhythm through body percussion and percussive dance. Influenced by her jazz heritage and African rhythms, Carol has developed a body percussion technique that combines percussive dance and drum rhythms. As a dance therapist in training, she specializes in the rhythmic calibration of body systems; her reflections focus on the traumatized body.
Since her teens, Carol has been creating multidisciplinary works with a strong social and cultural message. Among her achievements is Fogo (2021, 2023-24), which, after winning an Award of Excellence, was voted "coup de coeur" for Black History Month in 2021. She also took part in Tableaux d'une exposition (2002-03) presented by the Orchestre Métropolitain and OSMose (2022-24) with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, a show designed for neurodiversity.
A frequent recipient of creative grants, Carol has written several pieces, including Free (2010), La Cordonnière de la Place (2012), Crocs Noce (2018) andIdentité protégée (2021). As part of the Zèbre collective, which she co-founded in 1994, she directed Potluck| Potlatch (2020). Her project Marguerite et ses moments de lucidité (2020) deals with Alzheimer's through a theatrical and dance chronicle, exploring the benefits of dance on brain health. After several cancellations due to the pandemic and the bereavement of her mother, the first chapter was presented in 2022.
Tania worked as a psychiatrist and as a psychotherapist in Ukraine for more than 10 years prior to her arrival to Canada. She has a doctorate degree in Psychiatry and has completed the Alternate Route training in Dance/Movement Therapy offered by the NCDT. She was Scholar-in-Residence (2019-2021) and she is a part-time faculty in the Department of Creative Arts Therapies at Concordia University. Tania teaches dance classes as well as dance therapy groups at Parkinson in movement (parkinsonenmouvement.org) and offers the dance therapy sessions with the NCDT. She is a cofounder of the Dance/Movement Therapy Association in Canada.
