What participants, clients and health professionals say about:
- RIPE Dance Jazz and Ballet classes
- Yes, You Can Dance! classes for people with mobility issues (scroll down further)
- Aged Care Seated Dance sessions (scroll down further)
RIPE Dance Jazz and Ballet classes
Gail’s classes are well structured, always within the capacity of the participants and highly enjoyable. Gail’s enthusiasm, wealth of dance experience, and expertise mean that we are encouraged to explore a wide variety of dance styles and movement vocabulary – classes are never boring. The broad selection of music chosen by Gail ensures continual variety and creativity in classes. KG 62 yrs – Jazz participant and former Professor of Nursing
Gail is a wonderful fun loving woman whose background in dance and choreography enables her to teach with warmth and humour as well as expertise which shows through in each new dance we learn. The social aspect of our classes is also important and allows us to widen our circle of friends and meet wonderful young at heart people in our age group. Most of all, our RIPE Dance Classes are great exercise and FUN! AG – 66 yr old Jazz & Ballet participant
Classes are loads of fun with lots of variety in the exercises and sequences and the music is terrific. We all benefit from Gail’s expertise as a teacher – I wish I had Gail for a teacher when I was young. However, now in my later years I can still dance and enjoy it because they are geared to my age group. DH – 73 yr old, former professional dancer
Gail, I just thought I’d email congratulations on a successful start to your new classes. I particularly wanted to say thank you for the ballet class. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be able to attempt ballet but your class has fulfilled that dream. The other ladies were as chuffed as I was. We know that we’ll never become prima ballerinas but just learning the basic moves is fantastic. The French lesson through learning the name of the movements and the beautiful classical music is a plus! SC – 62 yr old Ballet participant
Gail, I do hope you realise just how much your classes mean to us, now and again I look at the faces surrounding me and think what great pleasure you bring. CR – 62 yr old Jazz participant
Yes, You Can Dance! classes for people with mobility issues
I just enjoy! Everyone is so friendly. The exercise is doing me a lot of good. It frees my muscles. I feel great for the rest of the day. YYCD participant with Parkinson’s
Easily followed gentle movements, friendly and fun. I have gained strength and improved my balance. YYCD participant recovering from a shoulder reconstruction
What I like most about class is Gail’s joy, the music and the clever moves to match the music. My balance and agility is improving as is my coordination and getting left & right and I’m less stiff. YYCD participant with Parkinson’s
Also see participant comments from 2016 Feedback Survey
What Health Professionals say about Yes, You Can Dance! classes:
As an occupational therapist, I would highly recommend Gail’s dance therapy classes to everyone! Young and old! I attended (reluctantly) with my client (an older lady in her late 80’s, with various health conditions) and we both had an absolute ball. Gail gets you moving in a highly therapeutic way but you just feel like you’re having fun! Her classes are physically, cognitively and socially stimulating. Gail has a solid functional knowledge of anatomy and the impacts of various medical conditions. She tailors her classes for each individual attending to maximise their participation and takes into account any particular needs they have. Her extensive background has positioned her perfectly to not only run these classes but she is now willing to share her knowledge & train others to improve the community’s access to such a vital resource. The benefits of dance and music therapy are well documented, and to see Gail put all of this into practice showed me first hand that this should be the way of the future for any rehab and maintenance program. The participation, retention and health outcomes for clients, I believe, far out way many other conventional therapy approaches. My only frustration at present is there aren’t enough classes available and I have clients wanting to attend if more classes were to open! Thank you Gail, I’m a huge fan!
Lacey Styles, Occupational Therapist, 24 March 2017
I am delighted to have been asked to provide a reference for Gail Hewton of RIPE Dance. I have personally attended Gail’s class. From start to finish Gail showed great professional rapport with her audience/attendees and newcomers were encouraged to do what they could manage. Gail handled herself with confidence and has great skill in managing group exercise. Her movements are easy to follow with verbal, tactile and demonstrations of an appropriate level. She modified movements so her group could each cope and progress their abilities, considering their mobility state. Each occupant was provided with safety instructions, before, during and after to ensure a safe experience with an aged population. I have no hesitation to recommend Gail Hewton to prospective clients. Wendy Jensen, Principal Physiotherapist, Encompass Health Services, 27 March 2017
As an allied health professional I can’t think of a better way to provide therapy to clients than in the form offered by Gail and her techniques using music and movement! There’s been a lot of research done on this modality but I doubt if few have been as dedicated and motivating as Gail in carrying it out. I have participated in two of Gail’s sessions under the guise of introducing a number of clients to the class. Whilst thoroughly enjoying the sessions, I was able to witness first-hand the knack Gail has in deftly combining physical and cognitive exercises, with individualised attention to work within each person’s limitations, within the context of dance. Her choice of music and delivery is so delightfully motivational. The benefits to my clients have been enormous. Propagating this hugely beneficial, fun and energising therapy amongst all aged care facilities would be a fantastic thing. It will most definitely enhance both physical and mental health of participants. Marian McCarter, Occupational Therapist, 23 March 2017
Aged Care Seated Dance sessions
Gail Hewton has been delivering her classes at Carramar since 2013. Gail brings a special blend of professionalism, enthusiasm and demonstrates a keen attention to detail. Her classes have been an unequivocal success with an unwavering following and the best individual participation rate that I have experienced in my seven years at Carramar. Her classes have been perfectly safe and appropriate to the needs of those attending. The benefits to residents are documented in research for this method of therapy but a quality that supersedes that is feeling of joy left in the individuals who participate, this is a great way to add some meaningful improvement to our seniors’ day. Gail has proved to be a positive, sensitive person who is happy to accommodate our needs and delivering an excellent service to our community. Craig Barnes, Diversional Therapist, Noosa Care – Carramar, 4 April 2017
RIPE DANCE 