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Donna Newman-Bluestein

Octaband-land

I am passionate about dance therapy and the power of dance to inspire, uplift and heal.

Interests: dance, antiques, elderly, dance therapy, people with dementia

Recent Activity

Dance for Dementia by Guest Blogger Erica Hornthal

Thanks to Erica Hornthal for her guest blog below: It isn't very often that caregivers and the people they care for can socialize and lose themselves in music and movement together. As a dance/movement therapist dedicated to working with individuals... Continue reading

Posted 4 days ago at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Pattee Russell Curry uses the Octaband with Orthopedically Handicapped Dancers

Dance movement therapist Pattee Russell Curry was very generous in sharing how she has used the Octaband in classes and performances at Summer Youth Arts with orthopedically challenged Dancers youth, mostly 13 - 23 y.o. in Merced, CA. Her group... Continue reading

Posted Jun 11, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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The Octaband Brings Joy to Orphans in Sarajevo and Bosnia

Margy Grosswendt went to Bosnia and Sarajevo for the first time in May 2012 with a British tour company. While there, Margy made connections, returning on her own in October to November 2012 to bring play, breathing, creative movement, jazz... Continue reading

Posted May 26, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Arts, Dementia News and Resources

Today's blog is a patchwork of inspiring news and events that have come across my desk in recent days. Mass Creative reports: Senator Dan Wolf’s amendment approved to add $1.6 million to the MCC budget. This vote increases the state's... Continue reading

Posted May 25, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Life Long Learning for a Dance/Movement Therapist

Finished teaching for the school year, so I have time to glance at a few links about dance moments. There were so many great links posted on the American Dance Therapy Association's FB page the past couple of days. If... Continue reading

Posted May 11, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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I, too, have always had memory problems and of late, word-finding difficulties. Good point about the teeth, I'll have to insert that into my care plan. Dark chocolate truffles sound yummy.

Commented May 5, 2013 on What to Do When I Get There at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

You're welcome, Lora. I'm so glad it spoke to you.

Commented May 4, 2013 on What to Do When I Get There at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

What to Do When I Get There

My father had vascular dementia, his sister Alzheimer's Disease. So I want to train people how I want to be treated when and if I ever need to be in a residential or day care setting caring for people with... Continue reading

Posted May 2, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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2013 Korean Dance Therapy Conference

2013 KDTA INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE “HEALING, CONNECTION, HARMONY through Dance Therapy” Jun 28 - Jun 30, 2013 Seoul Olympic Parktel, Seoul, Korea Hosted by Korean Dance Therapy Association (KDTA) Korean Dance Therapy Association(KDTA), non-profit organization, has been contributing to development of... Continue reading

Posted Apr 23, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Mostly People Are Good ~ Coping with the Aftermath of the Marathon Bombings

Today I am grateful once again for the role of dance, dance/movement therapy and the arts in my life as I struggle to make sense of the senseless in the aftermath of the Patriots Day bombings in Boston. I am... Continue reading

Posted Apr 17, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Thank you so much for letting me know that this poem moved you. It's always difficult to know how much to share of one's own experience. Yet, the memory of my dad is precisely what fuels my motivation to make the world a better place for people with dementia.

Commented Apr 14, 2013 on Pathos, a Poem to My Father at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

The Present Moment ~ Learn from Janet Adler or Eckhart Tolle?

What is wrong with this picture? Googling "Eckhart Tolle" provided 5,790,000 results; googling "Janet Adler" 15,500. Motivated by a desire to get rid of books and other things I no longer need, I look once again at Eckhart Tolle's A... Continue reading

Posted Apr 14, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Pathos, a Poem to My Father

It's 10 years since my father died. Today I found a poem I'd written to help me cope with his decline resulting from vascular dementia. I share it here: Pathos Pathos. Pathetic. Sad. My dad. Sitting in his dirty blue... Continue reading

Posted Apr 13, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Dance Movement Therapy Is in the Air

What does dance movement therapy for healthy aging look like? This lovely article by dance movement therapist Wendy Elliott will give you a picture ~ Moving Our Spirits: Healthy Aging Through Dance-Movement Therapy, Group class gives senior women an outlet... Continue reading

Posted Apr 5, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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AMA Recommends Dance First before Medication

According to Conscious Dancer Magazine: "In a surprise statement today, the American Medical Association did an about face on the pharmaceutical industry, and recommended that before prescribing anti-depressants or mood-altering drugs to people of any age, and especially youth, that... Continue reading

Posted Apr 2, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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The Moving Child a film about the Vital Role of Movement in Children's Development

Movement matters. Children grow through movement. By moving, they learn to communicate, express feelings, heal trauma, make friends, and learn to live in the world. How a child moves indicates their developmental stage and communicates their needs. Healthy neurology, shaped... Continue reading

Posted Mar 29, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Thank you, Alicia. It's so very exciting to see the ways that people are using the Octaband to help connect people, young and old, across the world. I'd love to hear more stories.

Commented Mar 20, 2013 on Octaband a Good Way to Bring Kids together in Bosnia at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

Octaband a Good Way to Bring Kids together in Bosnia

In May, Margy Grosswendt will bring the Octaband to Bosnia where she will volunteer for the second time, teaching creative movement to a large group of 2.5-5 year olds, a staff class, and a teen class in a government-run orphanage.... Continue reading

Posted Mar 20, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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The Octaband Promotes Communication thru the Universal Language of Movement

Music Together by Bunny has been using the Octaband in her Parent-Child Music and Movement classes in Taipei since January. Bunny says "the classes are having the most fun." You can tell from the photos. Movement is a universal language. Continue reading

Posted Feb 20, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Heidi Ehrenreich an Ambassador for Children with Autism

Beyond Verbal Language: Communication as a Means of Connection How Speech and Movement Therapist Heidi Ehrenreich Unravels the Mysteries of “Mystery Kids” This is a wonderful article about my friend and colleague, dance/movement and speech therapist Heidi Ehrenreich by Sarah... Continue reading

Posted Feb 15, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Protocol for Using Octaband for Recreational Therapy

Hot off the press! Behavioral Health Protocols and Treatment Plans for Recreational Therapy, 2d Edition by Karen Grote and Sara Warner was just published with a Geriatric Program Protocol for Octaband Movement. Unfortunately, they misspelled my name, but they spelled... Continue reading

Posted Feb 12, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Yoga Therapist Interviewed about Yoga with Older Adults

Steffi Shapiro has been teaching yoga since 1970. In this interview on Newton TV with Sheila Vernick, Steffi shared some of the testimonials she's gotten from some of the older adults whom she's taught. Some of the abilities which improved... Continue reading

Posted Feb 10, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Lesley University Dances to End the Violence against Women

On February 14, students, faculty and employees will dance in solidarity with One Billion Rising to end the violence against women. If you're anywhere in the Cambridge area, I hope you'll join us. Here's the schedule: 3:30pm @ Quad on... Continue reading

Posted Feb 3, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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Dance Therapy Demonstrates the Mind-Body Connection in Alzheimer's

Deerfield-based North Shore Dance Therapy delivers ‘amazing’ results according to a January 8, 2013 article in the Deerfield Review, IL. “'There is so much research that shows creative arts having a positive impact on people with dementia,' said Hornthal.... 'It... Continue reading

Posted Jan 31, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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The Healing Power of Dance for Older Adults

Thanks to dance movement therapist Danielle Arana for alerting me to this Jan. 7, 2013 article from Youville Assited Living, Notes from Youville: Body Language, The Healing Power of Dance. I like this quote, 'Let us read, and let us... Continue reading

Posted Jan 28, 2013 at Musings of a Dance/Movement Therapist

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