Presenters
Meg H. Chang, Ed.D. BC-DMT, LCAT, NCC
Meg Chang is a lifelong dancer and practitioner of creativity and bodymind wellness. She currently teaches dance/movement therapy at Lesley University’s expressive therapies graduate program in both on-campus and distance learning programs. Her career as a dance/movement therapist and licensed creative arts therapist has encompassed years of private and group work with hospitalized psychiatric patients, housebound elderly, U.N. peacekeepers in Kosovo, and support groups for domestic violence survivors. She is a certified Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) teacher and offers classes remotely through the University of Massachusetts Memorial Health Care Center for Mindfulness.
Dr. Chang co-authored a training manual for improving non-verbal communication between clinical and family caregivers and their clients/loved ones living with dementia. She is currently developing the knowledge base and operational model for Creative Longevity LLC, an organization focused on establishing multigenerational living solutions that would integrate arts therapies, professional wellness programming, and shared community resources.
Deborah Riley
Arts for the Aging teaching artist Deborah Riley is a life-long dance artist and practitioner of Laban Movement Analysis, the basis for teaching movement arts to people of all ages and abilities. In her capacity as artist-in-residence, faculty member, staff and co-director of Dance Place, she helped nurture the careers of thousands of dance artists, students and arts administrators. She retired as co-director of this legendary institution in 2017.
As a dancer, choreographer, and educator, her career highlights include international touring with Douglas Dunn & Dancers, collaborative choreography with Diane Frank and director of Deborah Riley Dance Projects. Deborah’s Moving Affirmations workshops in partnership with community organizations in the Greater Washington D.C. region, helped to facilitate healing and recovery for women. Among many honors and funding awards over the years, she was especially privileged to receive the 2016 Pola Nirenska Award for Lifetime Achievement in Dance.
