MUSIC & MOTION
Albuquerque Museum hosts ‘Creative Age’ workshops
Improvisational expression inspired by the Albuquerque Museum is the focus of “Creative Age: Dance and Movement.”
The workshops are geared to ages 55 and older. The museum was awarded a grant from the Aroha Foundation to offer the classes to seniors at a lower cost. The workshops will be held from 10 a.m. to noon Wednesdays from Jan. 22 to March 18, when the class will present a performance it created. The workshops will be led by instructors from Keshet Dance and Center for the Arts.
“In the past, (the Aroha Foundation has) offered grants for arts organizations to do classes for seniors age 55 and up,” said Jessica Coyle, associate curator of education at the Albuquerque Museum. “This past year, they started offering it to museums specifically, so we were able to apply for and get that. They’re covering the costs, so we were able to keep them very affordable. It gives a chance to try all different mediums.”
The improvisational dance workshops will take place in the gallery area of the Albuquerque Museum.
“We’re really experimenting and exploring ways to create movements in the moment and create dance pieces that we can even perform,” said Adrian Moore Trask, workshop instructor and Keshet director of business advancement. “They’re created really in the moment so an important aspect of being in the museum is we want to connect with both the unique gallery space and being able to create dance and perform in this different kind of space other than a dance studio or on a theater stage. It’s really special to be able to be able to perform it and create work in the site-specific gallery but also to use the artwork and the themes of the exhibit to help inspire us to create that work and kind of taking in our surroundings and using that to help create something.
The workshops will revolve around the museum’s current psychedelic poster exhibit, “Dreams Unreal,” and some other artwork in the museum. “Dreams Unreal” features about 150 concert posters from the late ’60s and early ’70s. Workshop participants will have an opportunity to experience the exhibit individually as well as come together and discuss the poster art, the themes and the music that inspired the posters.
“We’re going to find ways to bring the music into the workshop,” Moore Trask said. “There will be some fun music. … I think that is going to be a good opportunity to focus on the music itself.”
The workshops are designed for seniors who have little or no dance experience. Seniors who use walkers, canes or other mobility devices are welcome to participate.
“The movement is not prescribed,” Moore Trask said. “It’s not telling you what to do; it’s about finding movement that feels good for you and then inspiring and getting information from the others in the class.”