Songpa-gu Dementia Care Center hosts integrated arts therapy performance 'Scent of Memory, Embraced by Art'
Seniors at high risk of dementia rehearse for 20 weeks, bringing their own life stories to the stage in a reminiscence play
"My heart races with excitement every time we rehearse — it's the first time in my life I've ever stood on a stage," one participant said. "I feel like my body and mind, which I thought could do nothing, are becoming clear again."
Seniors enrolled in Songpa-gu's integrated arts therapy program are set to take the spotlight as the lead actors of their own lives.
Songpa-gu will host an integrated arts therapy theater festival titled "Scent of Memory, Embraced by Art" on Monday at 9:30 a.m. at the main auditorium of the Songpa-gu Office. The event features seniors at high risk of dementia performing on stage.
The Songpa-gu Dementia Care Center has been running the integrated arts therapy program since May in partnership with professional arts group Gyeongbokgung Art Hall, targeting 13 seniors identified as being at high risk of dementia. The program aims to help prevent dementia and ease participants' sense of emotional isolation.
The festival marks the culmination of that program. The seniors take on the roles of actors themselves, weaving the joys and sorrows of their lives — along with cherished memories — into dialogue and song in a "reminiscence play." The district hopes the moving performance will spread warmth and understanding about dementia throughout the community.
The performers spent 20 weeks memorizing scripts and rehearsing their movements, a process that supported dementia prevention while helping them shake off emotional isolation and rediscover their vitality.
The festival opens with a theme song whose lyrics the seniors and instructors crafted together. A reminiscence play follows, in which the seniors act out happy memories from their lives, and the event closes with a finale sung together by the entire cast and audience. Admission is free and open to all Songpa-gu residents.
Alongside the main performance, a range of side events will delight visitors. Craft works the seniors made over the 20-week program will be on display in the auditorium on the day of the event.
A pre-show performance by flute ensemble Primo, offered as a volunteer contribution, will open the festivities. After the theater festival, booths promoting dementia awareness and offering hands-on experiences will be run by the Songpa Senior Welfare Center, Garak Community Welfare Center, Dongkook Pharmaceutical and others.
Songpa-gu District Mayor Seo Gang-seok praised the participants' dedication. "I send my warmest applause to the seniors who have shown such passion, throwing themselves into singing and script practice for months," he said. "I hope this stage brings them not only the benefits of dementia prevention but also a sense of achievement, and that it gives residents an opportunity to break down their mental barriers around dementia and build a warm sense of shared understanding."
seouldream01@heraldcorp.com
