Guest Column: Using Dance to Promote Brain Health in Elderly
When I was little, my grandmother made me learn dance. I didn’t like it. In fact, I resisted it. It was not until after my grandmother had a stroke that I first realized dance could mean more than what I thought it did: something my parent’s signed me up for. During my grandmother’s recovery, I tried doing some simple dance and physical movements with her while listening to music. Gradually, we saw her become happier, and she slowly regained some of her physical abilities. That experience made me wonder: What can dance offer older adults?
So, when I learned that 17-year-old Michelle Liu was running a program called Memory in Motion, I wanted to meet her. Liu is a senior at Algonquin Regional High School and has also studied dance since childhood. She founded Memory in Motion in January 2025, hoping to connect dance, brain health and older adults. While interviewing Liu, I often thought about my own grandmother. After her stroke, I simply hoped that music and dance could help her move a little and feel a little happier. I did not see that experience as a project, nor did I study it from a scientific perspective. But it showed me for the first time that when a young person reaches out to an older person, what we give each other is more than companionship. Something inside us changes, too.
For World Alzheimer’s Day last month, I interviewed Liu to learn why she decided to bring the dance she knows so well into senior communities.
Liu said she also saw dance at first as simply as an activity her parents had signed her up for. As she grew older, she began to understand that dance is both an art and a form of exercise. She also learned to express emotions through movement, rhythm and Chinese dance.
But as she practiced, as a young Chinese American, she be began to think about her own cultural identity through dance. She used working on the solo part of “Mulan” as an example.
“I learned to see dance as an extension of myself,” Liu said. “To actually become ‘Mulan,’ rather than just perform her.”
For years, Liu had been performing Chinese dance at senior centers through the Angel Dance Youth League of Angel Dance Company. She noticed that older adults did not just enjoy watching, they also liked participating. Those early performances and volunteer experiences at senior centers helped inspire her decision to bring dance into senior communities.
Liu said she once thought she would study biology or chemistry when she got older, and had always been looking for a connection between dance and science. Since November 2025, under the guidance of a professor at Northeastern University, she has been conducting research related to Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI). She is currently preparing to submit a research paper on the topic.
Her research has made her more aware of the barriers to early diagnosis. It has also led her to think more seriously about the relationships being studied among physical activity, healthy aging and brain health. She said she finally began to see the connection between dance and science that she had been searching for.
Liu had performed in front of hundreds of older adults before. But the first time she actually stood in front of a group of seniors to teach dance, she was nervous. During a typical performance, the audience only needs to watch. This time, however, she needed everyone to participate. She worried that the movements might be too difficult. She also worried that older adults who had never experienced Chinese dance might not like it.
Before the event, she prepared a special warm-up playlist featuring ABBA, Billy Joel and Queen. Once the familiar music began, the feeling of unfamiliarity slowly disappeared. Everyone first moved to the music and talked with one another before moving on to Chinese dance movements and breathing exercises. The event turned out well, she said. What began as a one-time experiment later became a weekly activity. When Michelle returned, almost everyone who had participated before came back.
Memory in Motion is not a performance brought to senior centers simply for entertainment, nor is it professional dance training. The program usually begins by introducing the brain, healthy aging, and research related to physical activity and brain health in an easy-to-understand way. Participants then take part in simple dance and physical activities.
Liu is careful, however, to note that the program does not promote dance as a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease. Instead, it encourages people to make physical activity according to their own abilities, while also promoting social engagement and brain health.
The program has held activities at senior centers, retirement communities and adult day health centers in Massachusetts. Some events are bilingual. According to post-event surveys provided by Memory in Motion, 96% of participants said they were satisfied, 97% said they felt happier after the activity, and 96% said they would like to continue participating in physical activities that benefit brain health. These numbers come from the program’s own participant feedback and are not clinical research results.
After one event, a staff member at the senior center sent an email that said, “THEY LOVED YOU!!! WOW!” Michelle remembers finally feeling relieved when she saw the email.
I asked Michelle what older adults had taught her through this project. She said many people know that brain health is important, but few make it part of their everyday lives. Older adults also showed her that age does not necessarily have to separate people. A familiar song and a few simple movements can help a teenager and someone decades older find a common language.
When talking about Alzheimer’s disease, what she most wants young people to notice is the stigma surrounding aging and dementia. In her view, stigma can make people afraid to talk about the disease and can also become a barrier to seeking early diagnosis and help. Instead of putting labels on older adults, communities should offer more understanding and support.
Memory in Motion has also changed the way Liu thinks about her own future. She now hopes to study cognitive science in college and continue using research and learning opportunities to improve the program. Its in-person activities are currently based mainly in Massachusetts, while team members in different parts of the United States participate online.
I asked her what she hoped Memory in Motion would become five years from now. She hopes the program can grow beyond Massachusetts and reach more communities.
“My dream is for my work to make a positive difference in someone’s life—even if it is just one person.”
Zhang is an 11th grade student at Lexington High School. She submitted this column to Sampan, which was edited by staff for publication. When translating her original Chinese writing to English, Zhang used artificial intelligence software.
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