Dancing into Brain Health

DanceStream Projects

Join host Magda Kaczmarska, dancer, researcher, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health and executive director of arts and health nonprofit, DanceStream Projects, in uncovering the interconnections of dance, brain health and community. Each episode Magda brings together leading researchers, artists, advocates and thought leaders to illuminate the magical interconnections of dance and brain health and explore their influence on all aspects of our lives. * New Episodes every month! * Follow us on IG: @ dancestream_projects or email us at: magda@dancestreamprojects.com

  1. 1D AGO

    Dancing into Co-Creation w/ Michelle Memran

    Even as global populations age and the incidence of dementia continues to increase, the collective narratives of what it means to be aging and living with dementia continue to perpetuate deficit driven, one-note narratives of loss. Such narratives drive fear and stigma, driving wedges between generations, further siloing individuals and expanding age-based isolation. Our guest today on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is Michelle Memran, a documentary filmmaker and dementiaadvocate who has dedicated her life’s work to transforming these narratives. Through collaborative visual storytelling alongside individuals living with dementia, Michelle amplifies the voices that most need to be heard while transforming the entire ecosystem of what we perceive living with dementia canand should be. Together we discuss her latest projects and consider the role of artists in collaboration with communities living with dementia to shape new narratives and inform social change.   Learn more about Michelle Memran here: https://www.michellememran.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/michelle-memran/ Read and watch more: The Rest I Make Up https://www.therestimakeup.com/   Let This Be A Symphony YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@LetThisBeaSymphony Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/letthisbeasymphony/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/let-this-be-a-symphony/   https://www.caringfortheages.com/article/S1526-4114(22)00495-4/fulltext   https://www.newyorker.com/culture/the-front-row/an-extraordinary-documentary-portrait-of-a-playwright-facing-alzheimers-disease https://bombmagazine.org/articles/2018/11/21/in-a-dark-time-the-eye-begins-to-see-michelle-memran-interviewed/   https://www.library.ucsf.edu/news/we-as-a-way-forward-notes-from-the-hiv-aids-epidemic-collection/ This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    44 min

  2. FEB 2

    Advocacy in Action w/ Helen Bundy Medsger

    Dementia in an umbrella condition defined by a change in brain function that affects daily activities. Dementia can be caused by a number of underlying pathologies, but despite extensive advances being made in diagnosis and understanding of some forms of dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease, those navigating other forms of dementia are still frequently met with a very different experience, one of misdiagnosis and lack of support.   Lewy Body Dementia is the second most common form of progressive dementia, yet for the estimated 1.4 million individuals living with Lewy Body Dementia in the US and around 11 million globally, much remains to be done to ensure their journey is met with understanding and guidance. Our guest today on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast, Helen Bundy Medsger, has dedicated her life to changing this reality. Transmuting decades of partnership in care to three family members living with Lewy Body Dementia, she is a passionate advocate across research, clinical, public and policy spaces, paving a way forward and building community along the way. Together, we discuss the role of lived experience experts at every stage of the dementia care journey, reflect on lessons learned from a lifetime of advocacy and envision a future where all those who receive a diagnosis of Lewy Body Dementia are met with clarity, community and hope. Learn more about Helen Medgser and her work: https://www.lbda.org/lbda_story/helen-medsger-volunteer-of-the-year/ Learn more and engage with Lewy Body Dementia Association: www.lbda.org Read more – articles co-authored by Helen: Implications and Opportunities Regarding Biological Frameworks in Overt and Prodromal Dementia with Lewy bodies, July 2025, Alzheimer’s & Dementia, The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.70470 Research Priorities in Neuropalliative Care: A Consensus Statement from the International Neuropalliative Care Society, JAMA Neurology, Published online February 03, 2025. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamaneurol.2024.4932 Long-term Effects of Collaborative Dementia Care on Quality of Life and Caregiver Well-being, November 2024, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14370 Public and Participant Involvement as a Pathway to Inclusive Dementia Research, November 2024, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.14350 A Global Conversation with Care Partners – Commemorating the United Nations International Day of Care and Support, November 2023, https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/global-conversation-care-partners-commemorating-united-nations-international-day Optimizing Brain Health Across the Life Course, 2022, World Health Organization, Geneva, CH, https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240054561 Peer Mentorship with Lewy Body Disease: A Protocol for Co-developing and Piloting a Program for Post-diagnostic Support, June 2023, Alzheimer’s & Dementia: The Journal of the Alzheimer’s Association, https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.066048 This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    1h 20m

  3. JAN 6

    Dancing into Reflection with Szewah Chin and Hilary Brown-Istrefi

    We launched the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast out of a desire to hold space for conversations that expand our understanding of the role dance can play in supporting and sparking brain health. By bringing together leading researchers, doctors, artists, lived-experience advocates, and thought leaders, the podcast builds new bridges between neuroscience, community practice, and the arts. In the first episode of Season 2, we open with a conversation rooted in reflection, personal story, inspiration, and hope for new beginnings. This episode returns to the core intention behind the podcast—exploring the early seeds of impact we hope it is cultivating and sharing our evolving vision for where this work is headed next. Our guests for this episode are Szewah Chin, communications expert and journalist, and Hilary Brown-Istrefi, dancer and choreographer. Both share a deep connection with DanceStream Projects: Szewah serves as our Board Chair, and Hilary is our podcast editor and a lead teaching artist. Drawing from their personal stories, practices, and perspectives, they articulate a shared vision forward and underscore the vital need for more conversations that bridge what may seem like disparate fields—but are, in fact, deeply interconnected: the arts, neuroscience, and community. To learn more about Szewah Chin here:  Asians in Art Podcast: YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AsiansinArt Instagram: @aiashow Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/0KBj2lY0OGjgZAaNEevJ78?si=9c7fa37dad0548d1 Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/asians-in-art/id1848559972 Learn more about Hilary Brown-Istrefi here: Same As Sister: https://sameassister.com/ Instagram: @sameassister This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    52 min

  4. 12/22/2025

    Dancing Through The Senses with Dr. Anusha Yasoda-Mohan

    Our senses are one of the primary ways in which we encounter, interact with and make sense of the world around us. But what happens when our sensory perception begins to disintegrate and transform? And how might engaging through the arts help us heal and better understand these conditions? Our guest on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is Dr. Anusha Yasoda-Mohan, a perceptual neuroscientist whose work illuminates the ways our sensory perception influences our brain health and how using the arts may build pathways toward healing for those living with neurodegenerative conditions. We discuss the interconnection of our senses, specifically auditory perception, and brain health and ways Dr. Yasoda-Mohan is partnering with artists and communities to build awareness and inspire wellbeing among individuals living with dementia and sensory processing disorders. To learn more about Dr. Anusha Yasoda-Mohan here: https://www.gbhi.org/profiles/anusha-mohanand https://www.linkedin.com/in/anusha-yasoda-mohan-a397363a/ Read more: The Longitudinal Relationship Between Tinnitus and Cognitive Decline https://www.gbhi.org/projects/longitudinal-relationship-between-tinnitus-and-cognitive-decline Tinnitus – Can the Experience of a Phantom Sound be Expressed Through Creative Movement? https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/tinnitus-can-experience-phantom-sound-be-expressed-through-creative-movement Auditory illusory models as proxies to investigate bottom-up and top-down neural networks of phantom perception https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40800848/ Unveiling the mind's ear: Understanding the science behind auditory processing using illusions https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40020557/ Namaste from India: “Reaching the Unreached” in Dementia and Brain Health https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/namaste-india-reaching-unreached-dementia-and-brain-health Adaptive and maladaptive neural compensatory consequences of sensory deprivation—From a phantom percept perspective ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0301008216301605 Chronic pain – A maladaptive compensation to unbalanced hierarchical predictive processing ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1053811924002052 Facebook Group for Lewy Community Ireland https://www.facebook.com/share/g/1AcWbfqs9e/?mibextid=wwXIfr Lewy Body Dementia Association https://www.lbda.org/ Lewy Body Ireland https://lewybodyireland.org/ The Lewy Body Society https://www.lewybody.org/ EMERALD-Lewy Research Program to Address Gaps in Diagnosis and Care ⁠https://www.gbhi.org/news-publications/emerald-lewy-research-program-address-gaps-diagnosis-and-care⁠ World Lewy Body Day – Open Event hosted by EMERALD-Lewy at Trinity College Dublin https://drive.google.com/file/d/1mEtU02hDBqXyGa6JqtPdm4GkMQddX0T8/view?usp=sharing   This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    1h 5m

  5. 10/29/2025

    Neuroaesthetics and the Brain w/ Dr. Edward Vessel

    How do we perceive beauty? How can engaging in art and the pleasure we elicit from it help us make sense, meaning and inspire us toward action in our daily activities? Can the experience of pleasure and beauty through the arts strengthenour health?  Our guest on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is Dr. Edward Vessel, a neuroscientist who uses behavior, brain imaging and computation to study the psychological and neural basis of aesthetic experiences, creative insight and curiosity. We discuss how neuroaesthetics research is helping us understand the way the brain responds to art, beauty and creativity and how these findings can inform future practice to improve brain health and wellbeing across our life.   To learn more about Dr. Edward Vessel here: https://www.ccny.cuny.edu/profiles/edward-vessel andhere: http://edvessel.com   Read more: Biederman, Irving & Vessel, Edward. (2006). Perceptual Pleasure and the Brain. American Scientist - AMER SCI. 94. 10.1511/2006.3.247. https://www.americanscientist.org/article/perceptual-pleasure-and-the-brain Vessel EA, Starr GG, Rubin N. The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network. Front HumNeurosci. 2012 Apr 20;6:66. doi: 10.3389/fnhum.2012.00066. PMID: 22529785; PMCID: PMC3330757. https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/human-neuroscience/articles/10.3389/fnhum.2012.00066/full   Vessel, E.A., Pasqualette, L., Uran, C., Koldehoff, S., Vinck, M. (2023). Self-relevance predicts the aesthetic appeal of real and synthetic artworks generated via neural style transfer. Psychological Science, 34(9), 1007 1023. https://doi.org/10.1177/09567976231188107   Vessel, E.A., Isik, A.I., Belfi, A.M., Stahl, J.L., Starr, G.G. (2019). The default-mode network represents aesthetic appeal that generalizes across visual domains. Proceedings of theNational Academy of Sciences, Sep 2019, 201902650, https://dx.doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1902650116   Conwell, C., Graham, D., Boccagno, C. & Vessel, E.A. (2025). The perceptual primacy of feeling: Affectless visual machines explain a majority of variance in human visual visually-evoked affect. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 122(4), e2306025121. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2306025121   Welke, D., Purton, I., & Vessel, E. A. (2023). Inspired by art: Higher aesthetic appeal elicits increased felt inspiration in a creative writing task. Psychology of Aesthetics, Creativity, and the Arts, 17(3), 261–277. https://doi.org/10.1037/aca0000393https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2Faca0000393   Trupp, M.D., Bignardi, G., Specker, E., Vessel, E.A., Pelowski, M. (2023). Who benefits from art viewing, and how: the role of pleasure, meaningfulness, and trait aesthetic responsiveness in computer-based art interventions for well-being. Computers inHuman Behavior, 145, 107764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2023.107764   Christensen, J.F., Muralikrishnan, R., Münzberg, M., Castaño-Manías, B., Khorsandi, S., Vessel, E.A. (2024) Can 5 minutes of finger actions boost creative incubation? Journal of Cognitive Enhancement. https://doi.org/10.1007/s41465-024-00306-0   This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by me, Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    52 min

  6. 09/28/2025

    Partnering with Youth to Spark Brain Health w/ Dr. Francesca Farina

    This World Alzheimer’s Month, we engage in a topic that is largely under-addressed – youth brain health. Public health recommendations encourage a life course approach to brain health and dementia prevention, however much of the public discourse, research and interventions around these topics center middle and late adulthood. Young adulthood and the potential brain health risk factors are largely neglected in dementia research and policy making despite this demographic being highly exposed to several known modifiable risk factors. Globally, the potential risk and protective factors that have the biggest effect on dementia outcomes in young adulthood remain unclear.   Our guest today on the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is neuroscientist and Assistant Professor in the Pritzker School of Medicine at the University of Chicago, Dr. Francesca Farina. In our discussion, she introduces a new initiative that is shining a light into the topic of youth brain health.   Learn more about Dr. Francesca Farina here: https://profiles.uchicago.edu/profiles/display/41427710 https://www.gbhi.org/profiles/francesca-farina https://www.linkedin.com/in/francescarfarina/⁠ Learn more about Next Generation Brain Health and get in touch HERE: https://preventdementia.co.uk/next-gen/ Learn more about PERI-MIND and get in touch HERE: https://obgyn.uchicago.edu/research/peri-mind Read or watch more: Next generation brain health: transforming global research and public health to promote prevention of dementia and reduce its risk in young adult populations https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanhl/article/PIIS2666-7568(24)00191-0/fulltext   Exploring brain health awareness and dementia risk in young adults: A focus group study https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39864278/   Young Adult Brain Capital: A New Opportunity for DementiaPrevention https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37302036/   Shifting the Narrative, Bringing Light to Younger-Onset Dementia https://www.gbhi.org/events/shifting-narrative-bringing-light-younger-onset-dementia   Global burden of young-onset dementia, from 1990 to 2021: an age-period-cohort analysis from the global burden of disease study 2021 https://www.nature.com/articles/s41398-025-03275-w#Sec18   Reducing fear and avoidance of memory loss improves mood and social engagement in community-based older adults: a randomized trial https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10688470/   Why Science Needs Art: From Historical to Modern Day Perspectives https://www.routledge.com/Why-Science-Needs-Art-From-Historical-to-Modern-Day-Perspectives/Roche-Commins-Farina/p/book/9781138959231?srsltid=AfmBOop_pe_xnN3sq3rr8sifbuVEy-br2TzfLJaFJu-LT7ka4wVAFVVn   This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    54 min

  7. 09/04/2025

    Dancing into Dementia Advocacy w/ Mark Timmons

    A strong sense of purpose and meaning is increasingly recognized as having extensive health benefits. Recent studies illustrate the correlation of a strong sense of purpose and meaning in life to promoting better outcomes after a stroke and being associated with a decreased risk of dementia. For many people who receive a diagnosis of dementia, the pervasive narratives which exist in public discourse paint the experience of dementia as one-note, characterized solely with tragedy, loss and deficit. These narratives around dementia inadvertently influence how people who receive a dementia diagnosis perceive their own agency and sense of purpose. Our guest on this episode of the Dancing into Brain Health Podcast is artist and dementia advocate Mark Timmons. He has channeled his own lived experience, as someone diagnosed with early-onset dementia in his late 40s, to influence his ongoing advocacy work with people newly diagnosed with dementia. Together we discuss the ways we can support nurturing a new sense of purpose, agency and meaning and how engaging in creative expression supports brain health and a new identity when navigating the experience of dementia.   Learn more about Mark Timmons here: https://marktimmonsphotography.com/about/   Read or watch more:   Snee, J., Snee R., & Momo the Poet. (Eds.). (2025) The Rockland Rhapsody: A Collection of Poetry and Prose by Rockland Writers. Access a digital copy here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/hbezpkn8q0bqvvcjuwrme/RocklandRhapsody2026.pdf?rlkey=lk3lfl7tj811y1xz7soletsz9&e=1&dl=0   “Photography Helps with Dementia & Advocacy (Mark Timmons) Ep#42 This Dementia Life” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ohLGjtJgD0   “Featured Artist Mark Timmons on Dementia and the Arts” https://alzheimersspeaks.com/featured-artist-mark-timmons-on-dementia-and-the-arts/   Learn more and connect with the Dementia Action Alliance: https://daanow.org/ This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited and produced by Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    53 min

  8. 08/08/2025

    Physical Activity and Cognitive Aging w/ Dr. Kaitlin Casaletto

    Physical activity is one of the key actions we can introduce into our lifestyles producing significant benefits on our lifelong health. Researchers and public health officials advise that engaging in physical activity across the life course influences our health in multiple ways from prevention and management of noncommunicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, cancer and diabetes, reducing symptoms of depression and anxiety, and improving overall well-being. When considering brain health and cognitive aging, the Lancet Commission lists physical activity as one of the 14 modifiable risk factors that contribute to lifelong reduction of dementia risk by up to 45%. Whereas the impact of physical activity on brain health is undeniable, significant variability exists in the understanding of the impact on diverse demographics and specific mechanisms related to cognitive aging and among diverse forms of dementia. Our guest this episode of the Dancing into Brain HealthPodcast is neuropsychologist and researcher, Dr. Kaitlin Casaletto. Dr. Casaletto's research program aims to prevent cognitive decline by identifying the biological and behavioral drivers of cognitive resilience with age. Together we discuss the latest research on how engaging inphysical activity can protect our brains as we age and explore new avenues of research and practice on the horizon. Learn more about Dr. Kaitlin Casaletto here: ⁠https://memory.ucsf.edu/people/kaitlin-casaletto⁠or follow her on LinkedIn: ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/kaitlin-casaletto-68959b58/⁠' Read some of Dr. Casaletto’s work: Late-life physical activity and cognitive resilience: “Late-Life Physical and Cognitive Activities IndependentlyContribute to Brain and Cognitive Resilience” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7233450/   “Late-life physical activity relates to brain tissue synaptic integrity markers in older adults” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9259753/   “Microglial Correlates of Late Life Physical Activity: Relationship with Synaptic and Cognitive Aging in Older Adults” https://www.jneurosci.org/content/42/2/288   “Get Moving! Increases in Physical Activity Are AssociatedWith Increasing Functional Connectivity Trajectories in Typically Aging Adults” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7198911/   “Network-based Plasma Proteomics Reveals Molecular Overlap Between Physical Activity and Dementia Risk” https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.03.07.25323587v1   Physical activity correlations with progression amongpeople living with Frontotemporal Dementia: “Active lifestyles moderate clinical outcomes in autosomaldominant frontotemporal degeneration” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6953618/   Sex differences in cognitive aging: “Sexual dimorphism of physical activity on cognitive aging:Role of immune functioning” https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7416443/   Interested to learn more about Dr. Casaletto and colleagues’research on sex-specific brain health? Check out ⁠Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health Initiative⁠ (https://wbhi.ucsb.edu/) to access educational videos, learn about the latest research and reach out to participate in upcoming studies. This episode of Dancing into Brain Health was edited andproduced by me, Magda Kaczmarska and Hilary Brown-Istrefi. The music for this show is the title cut from the album, Critical Path by Joe Venegoni and Carl Weingarten.

    56 min
See All (13)

Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
3 Ratings

About

Join host Magda Kaczmarska, dancer, researcher, Atlantic Fellow for Equity in Brain Health and executive director of arts and health nonprofit, DanceStream Projects, in uncovering the interconnections of dance, brain health and community. Each episode Magda brings together leading researchers, artists, advocates and thought leaders to illuminate the magical interconnections of dance and brain health and explore their influence on all aspects of our lives. * New Episodes every month! * Follow us on IG: @ dancestream_projects or email us at: magda@dancestreamprojects.com

Information

  • Creator
    DanceStream Projects
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    13
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © DanceStream Projects
  • Show Website
    Dancing into Brain Health