Cancer Survivors Get Dance Therapy!

Cancer Survivors get Dance Therapy

When most of us decide to start an exercise regimen, we make the decision, possibly do some research, and get started. For cancer survivors, leaving their home to exercise may feel like an enormous task. After having surgery and experiencing treatments such as chemotherapy and radiation, cancer survivors find themselves exhausted—not just physically but emotionally.

Dance Therapy and DC Dance Center are offering cancer survivors an opportunity to move to music and dance with others who want to inspire and support each other through recovery and remission. Dance Therapy is a unique dance and exercise class using multiple styles of dance with a variety of music. One month students may dance hip hop and the next month Broadway. Whether choreography requires sweeping arm gestures, staccato footwork, or complete stillness, Dance Therapy students are encouraged to modify the choreography to honor their bodies and move their way. Perfection is not the goal. Even though improved muscle tone, endurance, coordination, and musicality are among results of Dance Therapy, the goal of Dance Therapy is to enjoy dancing and “feel the music.”

Although Pam Koga, the instructor and choreographer of Dance Therapy, and Debbie Cabral, the owner of DC Dance Center in San Leandro, are collaborating for the first time to offer cancer survivors a free series of Dance Therapy classes, they are not new to dance. Pam worked as a professional dancer and choreographer for over fifteen years. “We’d rehearse for long hours and perform with a singing artist for just a few, fleeting minutes on stage. There’s a special bond that develops among dancers. I was always the slowest to learn choreography, but I think that helps me when I teach others,” says Pam. She continues, “I try to give my Dance Therapy students that kind of experience I had as a performer. We come together to dance and create a personality for each song.” Debbie Cabral has over 30 years of experience teaching dance and developing local talent in her studio since 1987. Everyone who teaches in her studio is hand-picked to give her students a positive, dance experience in a safe environment. She takes pride in all aspects of her studio, DC Dance Center, but also gives her best outside the studio. In December 2014, she was honored with a leadership award from the San Leandro City Council for outstanding community service.

Zumba instructor, Grace Boyson, has been taking Dance Therapy classes since 2011. She explains, “As someone who loves dancing, Dance Therapy is the perfect venue to let my inner Rockette, Ginger Rogers, Cyd Charisse, and Janet Jackson out! Pam brings so much dance variety to class that it’s always fresh. And it’s such a great feeling when you master a step! An unexpected and added bonus is the camaraderie that develops among us. We laugh, encourage and cheer for one another. We’re not professional dancers, but I defy anyone to say we don’t have dancers’ hearts and souls! When I was recovering from breast cancer surgery, Dance Therapy not only helped me physically, but even more so, mentally and emotionally. It’s not called Dance Therapy for nothing!”

Dance Therapy and DC Dance Center will offer a special Dance Therapy Survivors series of six Thursday classes, April 16 – May 21, 2015. Registration is required for cancer survivors who would like to attend the series for free. To register, cancer survivors may contact Dance Therapy through the website. Registrants should provide full name, advise that they are a cancer survivor, and request participation in the Dance Therapy Survivors Series. At their first class, cancer survivors are required to submit a note from their doctor clearing them for exercise. Regular and new Dance Therapy students, as well as friends and family of cancer survivors, are also welcome. Regular rates apply. Proceeds will be donated to charity.

Ongoing classes are Thursdays, 9:45-10:45am, and Saturdays, 8-9am. No experience is required.

More info at our website:  dancetherapy.yolasite.com