dance for our mental health
May 3, 2024 | Ballroom Dance Events, Ballroom Dance Party
On April 27th, Dance with Sabor studio, in conjunction with Mi Fiesta Dance professionals Imi and Mariasha, hosted the Longfellow Group in an evening entitled “Dancing for our Mental Health”. Dance parties are always fun and when it includes helping others, even better.
What weshould know about the Longfellow Group?
The Longfellow Group, established in 2022, works to deconstruct the stigma associated with mental health struggles by hosting educational and engaging events to build connection and increase knowledge.
How was the event?
The night started with group dance lessons including Salsa and Bachata. The class was taught by Mi Fiesta Dance professionals Imre Gombkoto and Mariasha Izmajlava.
Our speakers for the evening, introduced by Michael Allard of Home Base, were Dr. Joseph Bonvie, Senior Director of Clinical Services, and Ryan Van de Weit, Director of Warrior Health and Fitness Coaching. Home Base is a Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital program dedicated to healing the invisible wounds of war including PTSD for Veterans of all eras, Service Members, Military Families, and Families of the Service Members. Home Base spoke about the benefits of exercise and mental health. The presentations were fantastic and we were enriched with a lot of interesting information about recovery and PTSD.
After the speeches, the rest of the evening was dedicated to dancing. The guests could now also show what they have learned in the group lesson on the dance floor. It was a special treat to watch the performances of Imre and Mariasha Viennese waltz and Samba, and Amanda and Imre’s Bachata and Jive show.
We thank each and every guest for supporting MGH psychiatry with the price of the ticket. With the collected donations, it is perhaps more important that this event drew attention to mental health and expanded the community with the help of dance.
Special thanks to The Longfellow Group for organizing the event, to Mi fiesta Dance for the high-quality group music and teaching, and to Ramon Matinez Campo of Dance with Sabor for providing us with the venue for free.
