More Than Just Movement: Exploring Embodied Group Synchrony During Seated Dance for Older Adults Living in Residential Aged Care Communities

Abstract

One in six people in Australia are aged over 65, with many older adults currently living in residential aged care communities (RACC). Fostering meaningful human connection through social activities, such as dance, is imperative to maintain or improve the quality of life in these settings. Drawing from an embodied cognition framework, this mixed-methods study explored synchrony during a seated dance program with 15 older adults living in a RACC. Qualitative video content analysis was used to code movement, language and music cooccurrences, resulting in five group synchrony labels. Hierarchical Cluster Analysis (HCA) was then employed to distil ten higher-order forms of embodied group synchrony. Using existing neurocognitive evidence, we detail the therapeutic and interpersonal implications of the most prominent forms of embodied group synchrony. These findings can be used to choreograph therapeutic forms of embodied group synchrony in dance programs with older adults.