In-Person Group Classes
Somatic Dance for Seniors
Standing or seated formats for various mobility needs
Here are the benefits to our senior participants:
- Reduced tension in the body and mind because we’re moving and having fun!
- Increased mobility and ease of movement. Our classes are easy on the joints.
- Better breathing and sleeping thanks to our exercices that focus on simple breath patterns and relaxation.
- More alertness and mental clarity. We gently challenge the coordination of each participant through fun dance moves and engaging rythmical music with clapping.
- A more settled and regulated nervous system, with less anxiety and stress.
- A concentrated burst of dopamine, the hormone of joy and pleasure, that lasts even after the class has ended!
Fun, stimulating and safe dance classes taught with care to engage the physical, mental and emotional being of each individual senior in our classes.
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“When Meryem facilitated weekly movement sessions at the Hellenic Home, she was patient and engaging, sensitive to the diverse needs of the participants.
Meryem was able to skillfully guide and engage everyone through seated and standing dance activities, and all participants left the sessions smiling and more in-tune with their bodies.
I highly recommend Meryem as a facilitator of dance and movement programs for seniors.”
What does ‘somatic’ mean?
Somatic means we engage not only the physical body, but also the mind and the emotions of our participants in our classes, through the choice of our music, the way we guide our participants through the movements, and the different qualities of movement that we encourage our participants to try.
Somatic means we include moments in our classes to slow down, to breathe with awareness, to feel the movement with do with more intention.
Somatic means we awaken our senses more: our sight, but also our hearing, our sense of touch, our proprioception – which is our ability to sense our body moving without directly looking at it.
These are all important for stimulating our brain and improving our well-being, especially as we age.
Classes usually last between 40-60 minutes depending on the group that we’re working with, and can be offered on a weekly, bi-weekly or monthly basis.
Are you looking to offer a dance class for seniors in your community centre or your retirement and seniors care residence?
Contact Meryem to find out more.
Class Facilitator
“Transformative. Inquisitive. Reflective. Restorative. Meryem creates an intimate, playful and nurturing atmosphere conducive to profound self-attunement, self-care and creativity.
Highly recommended for anyone interested in exploring the wisdom of the human body.“
Our seniors somatic dance classes are taught by Meryem Alaoui, a professional contemporary dancer and certified somatic movement educator.
Meryem has experience teaching seniors through the Hellenic Care for Seniors Home, Arts Etobicoke, the Arab Community Centre of Toronto and Dreamwalker Dance.
She is a graduate of the professional training program in contemporary dance of the School of Toronto Dance Theatre (2009) and a graduate of the Somatic Movement Education program of the School of Body-Mind Centering® (2022).
She loves helping people connect to their body and find joy through dance and movement. Her classes are fun, engaging for the body, stimulating for the brain and calming for the emotions. She brings warmth and care to every single class she teaches.
Meryem speaks English, French, Arabic and some Spanish. She is originally from Morocco and has been living in Canada for over 20 years.
She really enjoys coming in contact with people from various cultures, and she likes playing music that participants in her classes can connect with, whether that is Salsa and Merengue music, Greek folk songs, or popular hits from the 50s and 60s, while also adding Arabic and African melodies she grew up with.