L to R: Elizabeth Berlasso, Bethany McMorine, Gail Eskes, Joan Nightingale. Photo Courtesy of Mocean Dance, Program - Communities in Mocean. Dancers perform in From Strong Roots, These Tender Shoots (2026), Photo Credit: Stoo Metz.
January 27, 2026 — Community-based arts programs can support mental health, social connection, and overall well-being — particularly for older adults. With support from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia, Mocean Dance (like ‘ocean’ with an ‘m’) is bringing those benefits to life through Communities in Mocean – Older Adults Centre Stage, a program that places retirees and seniors at the heart of a collaborative creative process.
The full program represents approximately 30 weeks of engagement across two locations. With the support of a Community Grant from the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia and other partnerships, Communities in Mocean is expected to reach approximately 1,000 people this season through classes, rehearsals, and public performances.
“Each contribution creates a ripple effect,” says program facilitator Sara Coffin. “We’re deeply grateful that the Mental Health Foundation has recognized the multi-layered benefits of this work — particularly its positive impact on mental health, community connection, and personal growth.”
Communities in Mocean – Older Adults Centre Stage invites older adults into a full creative journey — one that centres their stories, their bodies, and their lived experience, and culminates in a public dance performance created entirely by the participants.
Traditionally, choreographic creation and performance are experiences reserved for professional dance artists. Communities in Mocean intentionally challenges that idea by inviting participants into the same studio practices used by professionals: collaboration, exploration, learning new movement, sharing personal narratives, and working collectively toward a common goal.
“These tools offer profound physical, social, emotional, and mental health benefits,” Coffin says. “In many ways, the impact can be just as meaningful—if not more so—than a traditional dance class.”
Two groups meet weekly at Halifax Central Library and Northwood Central, engaging in a ten-week creative process that blends movement, storytelling, and artful play. Over time, ideas take shape, gestures evolve, and choreography emerges — built not around technical perfection, but around connection and shared experience. Later, the two groups come together to present their work in public performances at Northwood Centre Auditorium and Halifax Central Library’s Paul O’Regan Hall.
While Communities in Mocean is open and welcoming by design, its focus on older adults is both intentional and deeply personal. The pilot year of the program was supported by New Horizons for Seniors, allowing Mocean to centre retirees and seniors from the outset. At the same time, the organization noticed that older adults were the most consistent participants in its free, library-based movement classes.
“We saw seniors actively seeking inclusive, non-intimidating ways to engage in the arts,” Coffin notes, “spaces that also supported physical well-being.”
On a personal level, Coffin’s experience caring for aging parents further shaped the program’s direction. “Dance is often perceived as a highly athletic art form,” she says. “But there is something profoundly moving about witnessing older bodies in motion. There is wisdom, tenderness, lived experience, and depth held within each gesture. These bodies and stories deserve visibility, care, and celebration.”
A space for connection and care
Beyond movement, Communities in Mocean is fundamentally about connection. For seniors navigating life transitions, health changes, or isolation, the program offers a space rooted in possibility, reverie, and hope.
Participants reconnect with their bodies and with one another—telling stories, learning new movements, and supporting each other as they try something unfamiliar. Over time, these shared experiences foster trust, confidence, and belonging.
“I was hesitant to join because of health and mobility challenges, but showing up changed everything. Creating movement with other older adults built confidence, connection, and joy. Sara’s inclusive approach made space for everybody. What stayed with me were the acts of kindness, and not wanting to miss what’s next.” — Georgina Chambers, participant
One of the most powerful outcomes, Coffin says, is the way genuine relationships form. Participants check in on one another, meet for coffee outside of program hours, and build friendships that extend well beyond the studio — helping to counter social isolation among older adults.
For Coffin, the heart of Communities in Mocean is revealed each spring at the final performance, Spring Blooms | The Dance of Life. After ten weeks of working together, participants step into the spotlight to share the dance they have created.
“What unfolds is an extraordinary display of bravery, vulnerability, care, and pride,” she says. “These moments truly feed the soul.”
Programs like Communities in Mocean highlight how movement, creativity, and connection support mental well-being at every stage of life. That same belief is at the heart of Body Movin’, the Mental Health Foundation of Nova Scotia’s annual campaign encouraging Nova Scotians to move in ways that support mental health. No matter how big or small the movement, it all counts.
Learn more: mentalhealthns.ca/body-movin
This story was first published on January 27, 2026 in the Chronicle Herald’s Senior Living column.