OUR STORY
Helping Hearts Through the Arts (HHA) inspires lifelong movement and fosters a love of the arts through dance programs featuring innovative, uplifting choreography, live musical performances, and movement activities. HHA is committed to reaching a variety of audiences and changing perspectives on dance and aging. The more than 10 performances annually are geared toward reaching senior communities throughout the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area.
Founded in 2013, HHA has been involved in more than 85 music and dance performances at local arts centers, senior centers, adult-day care and elder-care facilities, and retirement communities to help foster a greater sense of community and spread goodwill through the value of the arts. These programs for seniors have taken place at over 25 different venues, including Brightviews, Fairfax County Senior Centers, Greenspring, Sunrises, Westminster @ Lake Ridge, Workhouse Arts Center, and Capital One Hall in Tysons Corner.
Helping Hearts Dance, the dance component of HHA, has performed by invitation at dance festivals including the Publick Playhouse and Transformations. Helping Hearts Dance has also performed for charity fundraisers including the Network for Victim Recovery of DC, ALS DC, NEDA (National Eating Disorders Association), and NIMH Suicide Prevention, Project Heal, and Dance for a Cure for pediatric cancer.
The dancers, aged 50 to over 75, demonstrate that high-quality dance performance is possible at all ages. Performances include a variety of styles of dance including tap, musical theater, modern, ballet and contemporary dance. Programs can include creative dance and movement workshops, live music (piano, clarinet, flute, and guitar), poetry, and vocal performance. HHA has performed alongside renowned local groups including MinhVo Jazz Trio, Paul Carr’s Jazz Academy of Music, Beau Soir Ensemble, East of the River Steel Band, singer/songwriter Rebecca Berlin, and up and coming with QuinTango.