Student Spotlight

from July 23, 2021

Innovation Hub

Rhythmic Rams Remix

By Sasha Shanker

Through Rhythmic Rams, the Mary Institute and Saint Louis Country Day School community service club, students can visit metro area senior living facilities to teach dances to residents.

In so doing, the club seeks to boost residents’ health through enjoyable exercise and to help them make meaningful connections with students.

Rising seniors Ellie Gira and Hailey Kim and I established Rhythmic Rams, which operates under the guidance of Summer Beasley, head of the MICDS dance department. Although known for organizing in-person events at local senior living facilities, the club has digitally adapted its program to account for COVID-19 pandemic safety.

Given the pronounced vulnerability of residents of senior living facilities to mental and physical hardships amid the pandemic, Gira, Kim and I filmed outdoor solo dances in front of a green screen. That yielded the 30-minute Rhythmic Rams Holiday Special – a fun, easy instructional video that seniors can dance along with. The video also integrates cultural diversity by collaborating with metro area nonprofit Bal Vihar of St. Louis, which seeks to promote Indian culture among children.

“I love the narration and guidance throughout, as well as the variety of music and backgrounds,” states Laura Greenberg, community engagement manager at University City’s Gladys & Henry Crown Center for Senior Living.

The club hopes to produce another themed dancing video in the near future. “I had a lot of fun filming and editing the first video,” Gira says. “Although it is something small, I think we as a club can make a difference reaching out a virtual hand to these communities that we would be frequenting if not for COVID-19.”

The club has reached out to many senior living communities worldwide. Gira, Kim and I hope Rhythmic Rams Holiday Special can help spread the joy of Rhythmic Rams outside of the metro area – especially necessary during these difficult times.

Although difficult to lens under COVID-19 restrictions and time-intensive to edit, the video was all worth it knowing the joy it will bring. The online world has no boundaries, so with this video and, hopefully, subsequent videos, we can have an even larger outreach. ln View Rhythmic Rams Holiday Special at rhythmicrams.weebly.com/videos.

Sasha Shanker is a rising senior at MICDS.

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