Celtic Colours to host workshops and presentations for elders.
Nursing home residents to benefit from festival’s cultural efforts
Cape Breton is an island rich in culture. From the Mi’kmaq people to the French-Acadian, Scottish, and Irish settlers, to immigrants from all around the world, we are blessed with a diversity of culture.
When I was growing up, I was fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn a little bit about my Ukrainian heritage through folk dancing. From the time I was five years old - when I danced my first solo in the annual St. Nicholas Day Christmas concert at the Ukrainian Hall in Whitney Pier - until around 19 or 20 years old, I performed with the Barvinok Ukrainian dancers.
We travelled around the Maritimes, to Toronto, and out west to Dauphin, Manitoba to perform. We were on TV for the Jeux Canada Games opening in 1987, and we danced for Pope John Paul II and Prince Andrew at different times in Halifax. We also danced at many multicultural events, high school variety shows, and seniors’ homes around Cape Breton.
It was always a big hit wherever we took the stage, but there was something extra special when we danced for the seniors, even for us as teenagers. The joy our performances brought them was obvious. You could feel the engagement, see the excitement on their faces. No audience anywhere was ever as appreciative.
And no wonder, really. These folks may have been active in their cultural communities, maybe they were artists or performers, or dedicated supporters and lovers of the arts. But now, confined to senior care homes, they are no longer able to get out and enjoy these things that brought them so much joy.
“We’ve received anecdotal feedback over the years about potential outreach and engagement projects,” says Celtic Colours Outreach Coordinator Yvette Rogers, who has been co-ordinating the festival’s outreach activities since 2008. “Delivering cultural presentations to seniors homes and longterm care facilities is one of the requests that is repeatedly brought up. We thought it was time to extend our outreach efforts to this demographic.”
And so this year, Celtic Colours is presenting a series of cultural visits - workshops and presentations - delivered to elders living in long-term care facilities around Cape Breton Island.
“We will offer a variety of presentations,” explains Rogers, “from performances, catering to an audience who would benefit most from passive participation, to more participatory workshops that engage the audience, sharing songs and stories or taking part in Gaelic milling frolics.”
“The elders of our community have knowledge and wisdom from their experiences in life,” Rogers continues. “They carry with them the culture of the communities they lived in, and have much to offer in terms of passing along traditions, stories, language, and music. Sharing stories and songs, for example, is an opportunity to engage and encourage the deep-rooted knowledge and
experience they possess. This would not only be beneficial to the elder receiving the visit, but also to the artist facilitating.”
Kenneth MacKenzie, a piper, fiddler and Gaelic speaker from Mabou and one of the artists participating, agrees.
“It’s vital for any community or culture to honour and celebrate its elders,” MacKenzie says. “It goes both ways - bringing music and a simple visit to an elder is beneficial to them, but they also have a lot to offer and it’s important for younger generations to remain connected with that. Honouring and respecting our elders honours and respects who we are, as a community.”
With support from the Provincial Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage, the program is running this fall until the end of November.
The 21st Celtic Colours International Festival, October 6-14, 2017, featuring concerts and cultural events in more than 60 communities all over Cape Breton Island. For tickets or more information visit celticcolours.com or call 902-5673000 (local), 1-888-355-7744 (toll free). If you are in the area, why not drop by the Celtic Colours Box Office on Nepean Street in Sydney and browse the selection of merchandise on sale, including books, music, apparel, and hand-made craft items designed exclusively for the festival.