Quicksilver
Quicksilver is an improvisational senior dance company sponsored by Arts for the Aging. Our members are 65 and older, and present performances and workshops for older adults and their caregivers in the Greater Washington, D.C. region. Some of us started training before grade school, others didn’t venture into a dance studio until after retirement; some learned the rigors of classical dance, some explored modern and improvisational dance, and others just danced for fun in the living room, at the county fair, or in the rec center.
Quicksilver unites us in its philosophy that dance is for everyone, at any age, no matter what level of ability or skill you have, as a means of self-expression and community building. We bring improvisational dance to older adults as part of Arts for the Aging’s programs to enhance caregiving and healthy aging, foster communication and connection, and reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness.
For more information, please email [email protected].
About Us
Mission-History
Nancy Havlik started Quicksilver in 1992 as a vehicle to explore dance improvisation with a group of older adult dancers, under the auspices of Arts of the Aging. Around that time, Dance Exchange director Liz Lerman was disbanding her senior dance performance company, Dancers of the Third Age. Some of these wonderful dancers joined Quicksilver as founding members of the company, along with violinist Anthony Hyatt as music director and dancer.
Quicksilver began presenting interactive dance workshops for older adults in senior day care centers and nursing homes throughout the Washington area. The company members’ skills as dance improvisors proved invaluable in encouraging our senior participants to discover their own creative expression. Over the years, Quicksilver has participated in national conferences, performances, and teacher training sessions both locally and nationally. When Anthony Hyatt left Quicksilver in 2019, cellist Adam Gonzalez took over as music director.
Quicksilver celebrates the power of dance and music improvisation in our lives and in the lives of the older adults we serve, thanks to the ongoing support from our sponsoring organization, Arts for the Aging. As dance improvisors we are committed to practicing presence and attention to each other, to continuing to polish our skills, and to developing choreography “in the moment” that speaks to our audiences and to our senior clients.
Team
Nancy Havlik
Quicksilver founding director Nancy Havlik has some 30 years of experience teaching interactive creative movement and dance workshops for older adults. With Quicksilver music director Adam Gonzalez, Nancy presents interactive workshops for people living independently and for seniors with aging-related health challenges in community centers, day health programs, and nursing homes throughout the Washington metropolitan area. She emphasizes encouraging students to move freely and with pleasure within each person’s ability level. Nancy is also artistic director/choreographer of Dance Performance Group, a small experimental company of professional dancers and musicians. She studied dance/dance improvisation with Robert Dunn, Simon Forti, Susan Rethorst, and John Jaspers, and physical theater with Saskia Hegt. Nancy has Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Speech Pathology from Northwestern University and worked as a speech pathologist for Easterseals and as a speech therapist for preschool children with Head Start.
“My goal is always to help each dancer in their journey towards discovering their own creative voice, their unique story.”
Adam Gonzalez
Cellist Adam Gonzalez has been the music director of Quicksilver since 2019. He has taught at Georgetown University in Washington D.C. and Montgomery College, Maryland, and was director of Instrumental Music at the Waldorf School in Baltimore. Since 2007, Adam has taught classes in Music History, Music Theory, and Composition at Frederick Community College. He also maintains an active music studio at his home, where he teaches students of all levels ages 8 to 98. Adam started his professional career in Mexico City, where he played with the Mexico City Philharmonic. He then moved to New Mexico, where he organized the Helios String Quartet and the Placitas Artists series, now in its 33rd season. Adam has performed in a wide variety of styles as a freelance cellist in Washington, D.C. His commercial recording work has included music for the History Channel and National Geographic. He is a graduate of Wheaton College and has a Master’s Degree in cello performance from Boston University.
“Artistic freedom, collaborating with talented artists, and community service – what a great combination!”
Quicksilver in the News:
- As isolation takes a deadly toll on older adults, a senior dance group finds a new way to connect, by Theresa Vargas, The Washington Post, October 1, 2020
- CBS features Quicksilver founder Nancy Havlik on “The Talk—Feel Good Friday,” October 23, 2020
- Creative Aging with Quicksilver, Creativity Journal, June 21, 2017
- Art and music ease limitations, The Beacon, October 2014
Videos
Quicksilver performs “Water Spirit” as part of the 2021 Global Water Dances initiative.
Quicksilver on the “Age Stage” at the 21st IAGG World Congress of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
Arts for the Aging training for The Washington Chorus.