Health, leisure, and aging: An analysis of meninas de sinhá’s circle game

Abstract

The artistic group Meninas de Sinhá started as a meeting of elderly women in vulnerable situation who used the circle game as a healing power to become healthier. We investigated the group’s attribution of senses in the health and leisure areas throughout its establishment in spaces/times of playing circle. We analyzed the body states revealed in the women’s testimonies in documents related to the group and in their own songs. We explained these states in the “transition” from a sick condition to their artistic life. We realized that, as a community practice, the circle game represented a specific social need for enjoying a leisure experience, mobilizing a network of meetings and care (in exchange and selfcare), and empowering these elderly women.