We found a fantastic way to end the semester for the DAPpers. We officially changed our name from Dance for the Aging Population to Dance for All People and our participants are excited about the new name. We realized that we are more than a collection of aging dancers and why not let people know!
And there’s more…
As part of an effort by Trinity Repertory [add link] to forge deeper connections with the RI community, directors Angela Brazil and Stephen Thorne invited 18 community groups to perform in the 2017 production of A Christmas Carol. Chosen as one of those august groups, DAPpers were able to share the spotlight with Trinity’s cast in three consecutive performances.
2 photos of group of stage
As you can see by the photographs, our dancers had a ball. An octogenarian performer who had never been on stage before, said to me as we made our first stage exit, “I can’t wait to get back out there”.
Being on stage with the professional actors was thrilling.. Their generosity and engagement with all of us was overwhelming. But the backstage “green room” experience was also fun, as we bided our time watching the monitor showing the actors on stage, snacking on treats left for us, and vamping it up in our period costumes.
This is one more example of the fun our DAPpers have by immersing themselves in the community and becoming dancers and performers in the true sense. Broadway, here we come!