‘Totsu-totsu Dance ~like art, like care’ a Japan-Malaysia collaboration on dementia
Two events in Ipoh and Penang open to public to create awareness on the role of creative arts in dementia care
AFTER the successful Introductory Talk Session in August, ‘Totsu-totsu Dance ~like art, like care’, a collaborative project between Japan and Malaysia, has run five workshops online, crossing physical expressions (dance and music) and dementia care.
Towards the end of this year, the project will finally be conducted physically as the Japanese team will be visiting Malaysia.
In this project, Jareo Osamu, a Japanese dancer/choreographer with over 10 years of experience working with dementia patients and Kamal Sabran, an artist/researcher who has been researching the possibility of sound art interventions for dementia in Malaysia, are working together with people with dementia, their care partners and families living in Malaysia through a series of workshops and talks.
The Japanese team led by Jareo will be in Malaysia from December 24 to January 3 to join in an art festival and conduct workshops in Ipoh and Penang.
Ipoh Healing Arts Festival
A one day art festival, in conjunction with Ipoh International Art Festival, curated by Kamal Sabran featuring Totsu-totsu Dance as well as other forms of healing arts.
Date: December 29 (Thursday)
Venue: Port Ipoh (No. 9, Jalan Sultan Azlan Shah, Ipoh)
Admission: Free
*Please refer to the 2nd page for program lineup and details.
For further inquiries, please contact Kamal Sabran (016-553 3391).
Totsu-Totsu Dance Workshop
Two public workshops by Jareo Osamu
1. Date & Time: December 26 (Monday) at 10am
Venue: Bagan Specialist Centre (Eldercare Centre), Penang
Participants: Dementia patients, care partners of dementia
Participation Fee: Free. Prior registration required.
2. Date & Time: January 2 (Monday) at 10am
Venue: Bagan Specialist Centre (Seminar 1, Level 4, Block A), Penang
Participants: People who are interested in dementia care, care partners
Language: English and Japanese (with Japanese to English interpretation)
Participation Fee: Free. Prior registration required.
*For registration, kindly contact Dr. Cecilia (013-438 4388) or Ms. Ang (017-751 7808).
Since 2009, ‘Totsu-totsu Dance’ in Japan has brought together dance workshops and dance performances by Osamu Jareo and elderly residents of Graceville Maizuru, a special nursing home for the elderly in Kyoto Prefecture, as well as the facility staffs and local community members. In Japan, it is also attracting attention as a new potential approach to dementia care.
The word ‘Totsu-totsu’ is named after the Japanese words meaning ‘faltering’ and ‘unsophisticated’, evoking the image of ‘slowly, wavering and hesitating’. This project is not a “dance” that seeks perfection of sophisticated physical expression, but rather an experimental project of day-to-day bodily communication.
source – The Vibes
