The greater Washington, D.C. area may have experienced one of the coldest winters on record, but Mother Nature has rewarded our tenacity with a beautiful spring. In fact, the Washington Post is boasting a ten week streak of (nearly) rain free weekends. Our Shine Together program at Kensington Park Senior Living could not have a more fitting backdrop. For the past six weeks, members of Kensington Park’s Independent and Assisted Living communities joined in celebrating a mutual love of the arts. The series culminates in a Summer Garden Party on Saturday, June 14, 2014. The best part? You’re invited – more information below.
AFTA Teaching Artist Donna McKee’s program Looking Out Loudengaged seniors in the Independent Living community in an exploration of visual art intersecting with performing arts. They also assisted in setting an artistic scene for residents in the Assisted Living community, who put together a musical performance Kensington Kabaret with AFTA Teaching Artist Peter Burroughs.
Artists in Looking Out Loud let go of inhibitions and let music guide them as they created abstract shapes and mandalas. At the first session ofLooking Out Loud, participants expressed uncertainty about successfully completing an art project. Donna encouraged them to let go of their expectations and simply move a piece of charcoal across the paper to Mozart’s Overture from Don Giovanni. At the end of the session, participant Skip commented, ‘There was no feeling of stress. This is my kind of day!’”
Images from the art sessions, along with specially crafted streamers, will enhance the performance by members of the Kensington Kabaret.
Meanwhile, Teaching Artist Peter Burroughs and residents in the Assisted Living Community are kicking up their heels and singing musical theater numbers for the Kensington Kabaret performance on June 14. Group discussions centered on cabaret shows and the artwork of Henri de Toulousse-Lautrec. In fact, you may recognize Toulousse-Lautrec’s iconic “can-can” painting when the seniors perform their own version of “Can-Can”, complete with lyrics of their own creation:
We CAN do almost anything
Like dance and sing! WE CAN!
CAN smile and laugh and eat
Our veggies from a CAN!
WE CAN share our art and talent
With our artist friends from down the road
Oh yes WE CAN
After doing the can-can, participant Mary remarked that she had a stroke not long ago, and for a while it was difficult to do anything. “But now,” Mary says, “I’m doing the can-can!”.
Join us if you can-can!
Shine Together Garden Party
Premiere performance of Kensington Kabaret, art exhibitions, refreshments and more.
June 14, 2014
4:30 – 7:00 p.m.
Location: Kensington Park Senior Living
3620 Littledale Road
Kensington, MD 20895
Free and open to all ages