Educational Alliance Newsletter: April 2025
How an intergenerational tap class builds community
Educational Alliance’s intergenerational tap dance program is composed of older adults from our Sirovich Center – many of whom are well into their 70s – who come together every week to tap dance with kids from the 14th Street Y after school program – some of whom are as young as five years old.
Unusual for sure. But why do we do this?
Community is more than the people we already know and those we are most comfortable with. Community can also be the thrill of building bridges to those with whom we would seldom engage. From that experience comes wisdom, creativity, and growth.
Imagine the transformative effect of this program on both the older adults and the kids. At both stages of life, many face primal fears: how we look, whether we maintain poise in front of others, if we have worth as creative individuals. Now imagine overcoming those fears together, finding affirmation and perspective in supporting others who share our insecurities but are at such a different point in life.
The intergenerational tap program has been such a success that we’ve started two other intergenerational arts programs: a chorus at Sirovich and an art class at Manny Cantor Center’s Weinberg Center for Balanced Living. You’ll be able to enjoy performances from the dancers and singers, and view some of the artwork next month at our CelebratEArts festival.
Educational Alliance provides assistance to tens of thousands of people. Some of that help is about fundamental needs, like food and clothes. But our aspiration is to stick with people, and to find the ways in which they will truly flourish, whatever their starting points. This takes many forms, including tap dancing with community members who are decades apart in age, but still share so much.
Please take a moment to watch the video above, featuring tap dancers Laurianne and Rimona.
