Confidently teach older adults dance with Gold Moves Training

Confidently teach older adults dance with Gold Moves Training

Posted by Team APATA | Apr 27, 2023

Gail Hewton and Julie Chenery established Gold Moves Australia to support and advocate for dance making it more accessible to older people.

Now you too can train to become a specialist in your area, adapt your dance style to cater for older adults and reap the rewards.

Gold Moves Australia’s Foundational Program is available now!

GMA offers professional development and training to introduce and upskill dance, fitness, health and care practitioners in the field of dance for older people for health and wellbeing.

GMA’s vision is to provide a range of opportunities accessible wherever you might be.

What you will learn with Gold Moves Professional Development

The nature of the field of dance for older people
Implications of specific health conditions & issues for dance
The effects of the ageing process and which aspects are modifiable through dance
Understanding the needs, priorities and goals of this population
How to determine the most appropriate dance content for older participants
Dance strategies and techniques that can be applied in any type of dance context or setting
Concepts that are critical to dance program design
How to design a safe and effective dance program for different participant needs
How to devise, adapt or modify dance content for a wide variety of older participants
Balance-specific dance strategies to improve balance and reduce fall risk
Business skills for initiating and running dance activities for older participants eg risk assessment, marketing & PR, insurance, enrolment, etc

Find the Gold Moves Australia: Professional Development page and explore the training course details – HERE

Meet Gold Moves Australia Co-Directors

Gail Hewton, Co-Director of Gold Moves Australia and Director of Ripe Dance

We first met Gail Hewton in 2019 when we sat in on a couple of mature age dance classes in Tewantin, QLD. What we witnessed was room full of enthusiastic dance lovers of all abilities with a true desire to learn, move, engage and interact with dance. We also watched a teacher adept at identifying the nuances of the individuals in the group, safely and confidently leading the way with joy and a little bit of cheekiness!

Gail has extensive dance teaching and leading experience including in primary and high schools, universities, professional dance companies, private dance studios and community. Gail has choreographed professional contemporary dance works for Expressions Dance Company; Ballet Theatre of Qld; The Cherry Herring and others; and community events for South Bank Parklands; John Aitken Productions; Toowoomba Hospital Mental Health; Drama Queensland; to name a few.

After several years working in high profile arts and event management including as Program Manager at Brisbane Powerhouse, Producer at RiverFestival and Brisbane Festival; and Director at Noosa Longweekend Festival.

Noticing changes in her own ability as a dancer Gail found that classes she attended lacked in supporting those changes. She set out on a journey to prove that dance was for everyone and thus Ripe Dance began backed by extensive training to understand the complexities and benefits of dance on the mature body and mind.

As Gail told us in 2019, “My classes are first and foremost dance classes, but they are underpinned by health and well-being principles, falls prevention and reablement…Give the movement intention and make it fun! Social connection is key for people’s health and well-being and longevity.”

Julie Chenery Co-Director of Gold Moves Australia and Director of Life Moves Counselling

Previously Chenery was a secondary teacher, dance lecturer, performer and choreographer coordinating and teaching contemporary dance for the Diploma of Creative Arts (BCAE); QUT; Sydney City Institute of Art; University of Queensland (Qualitative Bases for Human Movement); Blackwattle Artists Co-op, National Aboriginal and Islander Skills Development Association; Contemporary Dance Theatre; and Expressions Dance Company and was the inaugural Executive Officer for Ausdance 1992-2002.