Events
Discover DanceCARE’s public dissemination activities and project meetings, reflecting both the project’s outreach across Europe and the ongoing collaboration among partners.
External Dissemination Events
Conferences, festivals and public events where DanceCARE was presented to professional, educational and care-related audiences across Europe.
DanceCARE at the 5th EADMT Conference
DanceCARE was presented at the 5th EADMT Conference in Vilnius through both a presentation and an experiential workshop focused on supporting long-term caregivers through Dance Movement Therapy and conscious movement practices.
The session highlighted the importance of accessible embodied practices that can be integrated into daily caregiving routines to support communication, emotional regulation, empathy, and wellbeing.
The workshop introduced movement-based tools currently used in DanceCARE pilot sites and brought together professionals working with older adults across Europe. Participants explored creativity, self-awareness, and embodied connection through practical activities, while feedback emphasised the growing need for programmes that support caregiver wellbeing and help reduce burnout.
The event also contributed to the wider dissemination of DanceCARE methodologies and the exchange of good practices within the European Dance Movement Therapy community.
DanceCARE at Dutch Dance Days Festival
DanceCARE was presented at Dutch Dance Days Festival in the Netherlands by Marloes van Houten (Research, Education & Team Manager on behalf of EADMT) as part of the project’s dissemination and outreach activities.
The presentation introduced DanceCARE as an Erasmus+ KA220 project addressing global ageing trends, the growing demand for care, and the need to support informal caregivers.
Key elements of the project’s development process were shared, including the literature review, expert consultations, focus groups, and participatory methodology used to shape the training curriculum.
The presentation also highlighted the project’s blended learning approach, combining in-person activities, online resources, educational videos, and self-help group formats.
Through its participation in Dutch Dance Days, DanceCARE reached audiences from the fields of dance movement therapy, education, and care, helping to strengthen awareness and dissemination of embodied approaches to caregiver support across European networks.
DanceCARE at the APID National Congress 2026
DanceCARE was presented at the APID National Congress, organized by the Italian Professional Association of Dance Movement Therapy (APID), in Bologna, Italy.
The event brought together approximately 85 Dance Movement Therapy practitioners and experts from across Italy and provided an opportunity to present the objectives, methodology and educational outcomes of the DanceCARE project.
The presentation stimulated discussion on innovative body-mind approaches to support long-term caregivers of older adults and contributed to the dissemination of DanceCARE within the Italian Dance Movement Therapy community.
Photos from the event
More information:
APID National Congress
DanceCARE at the XIX Conference of Gerontological Psychologists
DanceCARE was presented during the XIX Conference of Gerontological Psychologists hosted by the University of Macerata, Italy.
The presentation focused on how Dance Movement Therapy and Wise Motion interventions can improve the psychological well-being of informal caregivers of older adults, presenting results from the international piloting of the DanceCARE programme.
The work was also published in the conference proceedings.
Publication
Galassi F., Santini S., Pasquini S., Re M., Polloni A. (2026).
Come interventi basati sulla Danza Movimento Terapia e il Movimento Consapevole possono influire sul benessere dei caregiver informali di persone anziane: risultati dalla sperimentazione internazionale del programma DanceCARE.
More information:
XIX Convegno SIPI
DanceCARE at the Founding Symposium: Trauma-informed Futures
DanceCARE participated in the international symposium Founding Symposium: Trauma-informed Futures – A Global Movement in Creative Care through an online poster presentation.
The poster highlighted the DanceCARE intervention and its preliminary findings, focusing on the contribution of Dance Movement Therapy and Wise Motion in reducing emotional strain and cumulative stress among long-term caregivers of older adults.
Poster Presentation
Galassi F., Santini S., Rodríguez-Jiménez R.M., Shami-van Houten M., Poikonen H. (2026).
Dance Movement Therapy and Wise Motion to relieve long-term caregivers of older people from emotional strain and cumulative stress: the case of DanceCARE project.
📊 Download Presentation (PowerPoint)
More information:
Founding Symposium: Trauma-informed Futures
Multiplier Events
Multiplier Events present the DanceCARE project results, training materials and educational outcomes to wider local, national and European audiences.
🇮🇹 Italy – DanceCARE Multiplier Event
The Italian DanceCARE Multiplier Event was held at the historic Mole Vanvitelliana in Ancona and gathered healthcare professionals, researchers, Dance Movement Therapy practitioners, caregivers and professionals from the performing arts sector.
The conference presented the DanceCARE project, its innovative body-mind methodology for supporting informal caregivers of older adults, and the scientific evidence emerging from the pilot implementation carried out in Italy, Greece and Spain.
Participants explored the theoretical foundations of the programme, the educational methodology, the pilot implementation process and the preliminary scientific results achieved throughout the project.
The event concluded with an experiential Dance Movement Therapy and Conscious Movement session, allowing participants to experience the DanceCARE methodology first-hand through guided body-mind activities.
Overall, 31 participants attended the public conference, while an additional experiential workshop organised earlier in the day involved healthcare professionals, caregivers and Dance Movement Therapy practitioners.
Event Highlights
- Presentation of the DanceCARE project and its innovative methodology.
- Scientific evidence from the pilot implementation in Italy, Greece and Spain.
- Educational programme and project outcomes presented by the consortium.
- Experiential Dance Movement Therapy and Conscious Movement workshop.
- 31 participants representing healthcare, research, arts and caregiver communities.
Photo Gallery
🇪🇸 Spain – DanceCARE Multiplier Event
The Spanish DanceCARE Multiplier Event was hosted by the Instituto Polibienestar of the Universitat de València, bringing together professionals from healthcare, psychology, social care, research and Dance Movement Therapy, together with informal caregivers and members of the wider community.
The event presented the DanceCARE project, its innovative methodology and the educational programme developed to support the wellbeing of informal caregivers of older adults. Participants were introduced to the project’s digital platform, training resources and audiovisual material illustrating the implementation of the programme across Europe.
Special attention was given to the scientific evaluation of DanceCARE, presenting the main findings from the pilot implementation and discussing the role of Dance Movement Therapy and the WiseMotion approach in preventing caregiver stress and burnout.
The programme also included a one-hour experiential Dance Movement Therapy session, allowing participants to experience the methodology in practice, followed by an open round-table discussion where attendees exchanged reflections on the project’s applicability in real care settings.
Overall, 20 participants attended the event, representing diverse professional backgrounds including psychology, social work, healthcare, education, research and informal caregiving.
Event Highlights
- Presentation of the DanceCARE project and its innovative body-mind methodology.
- Demonstration of the project’s digital platform and educational resources.
- Presentation of the scientific evaluation and pilot study results.
- Experiential Dance Movement Therapy workshop led by project experts.
- Interactive round-table discussion on future implementation and sustainability.
Photo Gallery
Read more:
Multiplier Event at Instituto Polibienestar – Universitat de València
🇬🇷 Greece – DanceCARE Multiplier Event
The DanceCARE Multiplier Event took place at the AKTIOS Elderly Care Units in Athens, bringing together professionals, informal caregivers and stakeholders to present the project’s innovative approach for supporting caregivers of older adults through Dance Movement Therapy and WiseMotion.
The programme included presentations on the DanceCARE methodology, the neuroscientific impact of movement on brain function and emotional wellbeing, and a demonstration of the project’s digital platform together with its educational video resources. The event concluded with an open discussion session, encouraging participants to exchange experiences and explore the practical application of DanceCARE in everyday caregiving.
The event successfully engaged 29 participants, with informal caregivers representing the largest participant group, contributing to a highly interactive exchange of knowledge and experiences.
Photo Gallery
Project Meetings
Internal consortium meetings supporting project coordination, implementation planning and partner collaboration.
Kick-off Meeting
The Kick-off Meeting officially launched the DanceCARE project and brought together all consortium partners in Ancona, Italy, to establish a shared vision for the project’s implementation and long-term collaboration.
During the three-day meeting, partners aligned their objectives, defined roles and responsibilities, agreed on communication and coordination procedures, and established the overall work plan for the project. Discussions also focused on identifying potential risks, validating key assumptions and ensuring effective collaboration across all participating organisations.
The meeting provided an opportunity to introduce the DanceCARE methodology, review the project’s objectives and expected outcomes, and strengthen cooperation among partners through collaborative planning and knowledge exchange.
Overall, the Kick-off Meeting laid the foundations for the successful implementation of DanceCARE by establishing common goals, reinforcing team cohesion and creating a strong collaborative framework for the activities that followed.
TM2 – Valencia
The second Team Meeting in Valencia, held between 26 and 28 March 2025, focused on defining the study design and preparing the launch of the DanceCARE pilot activities across the participating countries. The meeting also hosted the DanceCARE trainers’ training, ensuring a common understanding of the intervention methodology, training materials and implementation procedures.
Partners reviewed the pilot protocol, coordinated timelines and responsibilities, discussed participant recruitment and data collection procedures, and aligned the practical application of the DanceCARE methodology across all pilot sites. Dedicated sessions also addressed quality assurance, evaluation methods and operational planning for the upcoming implementation phase.
The meeting strengthened collaboration among consortium partners and ensured that all organisations were fully prepared to deliver the pilot activities using a harmonised approach, contributing to the consistency and scientific quality of the DanceCARE project.
Final TM – Athens
The third Team Meeting was held in Athens, Greece, on 10–11 March 2026, bringing together all consortium partners to review the progress of the DanceCARE project and coordinate the final implementation phase.
During the two-day meeting, partners discussed the preliminary cross-national pilot results, coordinated the preparation of the Final Report, reviewed scientific publications and dissemination activities, and planned the organisation of the project’s multiplier events and final communication actions.
The meeting also focused on the long-term sustainability of the DanceCARE e-learning platform and educational resources, ensuring a coordinated strategy for the exploitation and continuation of the project’s outcomes beyond its completion.
