A sampling of programs offered by Arts Alive for senior communities

•    Arts Alive Series: Weekly interactive performance series, representing diverse cultures and traditions of music, dance, theater, storytelling – followed by optional Q&A with artists.  To include a series of monthly celebrations of the season, heritage months and other commemorations: i.e. Martin Luther King (Jan); Black History Month and Valentine’s Day (Feb); Irish Heritage/St. Patrick’s (March); Arab Heritage Month and Earth Day (April); May Day, Mother’s Day, Asian Pacific Heritage Month (May); Summer Solstice & Father’s Day (June); Independence Day (July); Hispanic Heritage (Sept); Italian Heritage Month and Halloween (Oct); Native American Heritage Month and Thanksgiving (Nov); Holiday Season (Dec).  

•    Carpe Diem! Creating a Choral Community: weekly song sessions and occasional performance opportunities – plus a monthly cross-cultural, cross-generational Community Sing

•    Hands-on visual arts workshops: book-making, silk-painting, mosaics, collage art, banners, decorated mirrors, picture frames, watercolor and oil painting, ceramics, weaving, needlepointing children’s artwork, jewelry-making, note cards, murals, etc.  (See needlework rendering of Nancy Graham's great-grand-daughter Madeleine Dolan's rainbow and hearts painting.)

•    Ukes on the Move!  Ukulele workshops, music jam sessions, group and individual songwriting

•    Intergenerational activities – inviting the homeschooling community and others to participate in daytime workshops and other activities in the visual, literary and performing arts

•    African Drum Circles and drumming workshops; call-and-response

•    Share Your Story:  Workshops exploring the Art of storytelling and songwriting, in partnership with area high schools (students receive Student-Service Learning hours towards graduation) – Students interview seniors, chronicling and documenting their stories through film, audio, written word, visual arts.

•    Book Clubs, Poetry Groups, Creative Writing Workshops

•    Write your own obituary and bio for Wikipedia:  Why not. A chance to get help with creating a life retrospective: to reflect, revel in memories, share with others, and rest on laurels!

•    Acting classes and staged readings of Shakespeare, Dickens, local playwrights, etc.

•    Dance for Fun and Fitness: Workshops in Salsa dance, International folk-dancing, contra and square dancing, Ballroom and Swing, African and Caribbean, Besa Dance (West African take on Zumba Dancing!)

•    Monthly dance with live music, featuring whichever style of dancing was taught that month – inviting the public and participants’ families and friends to attend

•    Field trip series to attend area high school drama, musical theatre productions, band, orchestra and choral concerts