Organised by Jade Club and presented by Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation, Jade Party 2016 will be held on 10 April at Rotunda 3, KITEC, Kowloon Bay. Building on its success over the past two years, Jade Party this year will be attended by elderly teams from 40 elderly centres and elderly homes. Over 1,000 elderly participants will perform the creative Happy Chair-based Dance. A series of new awards will be added to encourage elderly teams to enthusiastically prepare for the contest and bring honour to their respective organizations. Making its first announcement to the media today, Jade Party 2016 kicks off with Patrick Cheung, Founder of Jade Club, Koo Tong-Fat, Governor of Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation, Det Dik, Happy Chair-based Dance Ambassador, and other officiating guests.

Happy Chair-based Dance: exclusively designed to boost physical and mental health of the elderly

Jade Party is a Happy Chair-based Dance event created exclusively by Jade Club. Reaching its third year, Jade Party is social enterprise that promotes active aging among the elderly through a happy, exercising and social activity. In recent years, Chair-based dance has evolved into a popular, new form of dance that originated from dance rehearsals for celebrities. Jade Party exclusively introduced and evolved this dance from the UK and created Happy Chair-based Dance, a musical exercise designed to meet the needs of the elderly. Dance steps are choreographed to train limb coordination, gripping, balance and muscle strength so that the elderly can safely do an appropriate amount of exercise. Happy Chair-based Dance is taught by professional dance teachers and is suitable for elderly people with different conditions (including dementia, partial loss of movement ability and the physically weak). Jade Club discovered that recreational activities that couple jolly music with dance can effectively improve feelings, bringing good health and laughter to the elderly. Research also shows that exercise regularly can reduce falling among the elderly by 28%.

Jade Club Founder Patrick Cheung said: “Listening to music while doing exercise can train the brain to analyze the tempo and rhythm of the music. The tempo of the music is reflected in the exercise which can boost the effects of the exercise. That is to say, exercises that go with music are not just physical exercises, but can also train up the brain, stimulate the parietal lobe, and improve the awareness of visual space. Japan’s Mie University did a yearlong research on elderly people aged over 65 in good health. They found that elderly people who listen to music while exercising can prevent brain degeneration. Some elderly participants reported that their memory was significantly boosted. Governor of Chow Tai Fook Charity Foundation Koo Tong-Fat said: “We are  honoured to support this meaningful event and promote the message of active aging to the community. Through Jade Party 2016, we hope to promote active aging and encourage more elderly people to develop a habit of doing an appropriate amount of regular exercise, so as to improve their physical and mental well-being and enhance their quality of life, thereby injecting positive energy in society.

Young aspiring singer cum all-rounded dancer Det Dik has been appointed as the Happy Chair-based Dance Ambassador of Jade Party 2016. He will perform his creative version of Happy Chair-based Dance accompanied by an original score with he composed. Over a thousand elderly participants will also dance the Happy Chair-based Dance to salute those who are actively aging.

New awards added to promote active participation among the elderly

Maintaining the spirit of “Actively Socialising, Happily Aging”, Jade Party 2016 offers a platform for the elderly to enjoy themselves with music, dance steps and a happy atmosphere in their familiar Happy Chair-based Dance. Through the dance, they can delight themselves, socialize and improve their well-being, while expressing confidence and sharing their satisfaction and positive energy with their family and friends. To promote active participation and independence among the elderly, Jade Party 2016 will be giving out many awards, including Best Elderly Dancer Award, Funniest Outfit Award, Top Participation Award, Strongest Support Award and Touching Moment Photography Prize. For details, please visit http://www.thejadeclub.com.hk/activities/jade-party-2016/