Members of the Step & Sway Ballroom Dancing student interest group have been busy this year. After performing a swing dance and teaching the Shivers line dance at the Aesculapius Ball, the Step & Sway members Julianna Bailey, Taylor Giansante, Zachariah Alkhayri and Joshua Harris shared their time and talent for some good causes.
During National Public Health Week, members of Step & Sway, along with students from the Geriatrics and Palliative Care student interest groups, hosted a nostalgia dance for area senior citizens as a fundraiser for Open M, a nonprofit food distribution center. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that of those 65 and older, nearly 1 in 4 adults are socially isolated. The students danced with the seniors, and for the guests who did not dance, the students sat with them and listened to their stories.
The event was featured in The Nation's Health, a publication by the American Public Health Association.
On May 6, Julianna Bailey, Taylor Giansante and Joshua Harris accompanied Lynda McPhail to The Gardens at Liberty Park in Streetsboro to perform several dances and dance with the residents. During their visit, these students brightened the day of residents and staff members who came to watch them perform.
One resident was especially excited about the performances when she heard the dancers were from Northeast Ohio Medical University. Phyllis Griffith exclaimed, “I worked there for 20 years!” What a wonderful experience to bring some joy to someone who was once a part of Northeast Ohio Medical University.
The Step & Sway student group invites students, faculty and staff to join them for dance lessons. Join the Step & Sway Ballroom Dancing interest group to receive information on upcoming lessons.
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— Submitted by Lynda McPhail, administrative coordinator, Consortium of Eastern Ohio Master of Public Health