'Automatic connection': Choir made up of seniors bringing joy to Winnipeg
One Winnipeg choir is proving that age is just a number.
The ‘Movin’ On’ choir is made up of tenants of Dakota House, an assisted living home in St. Vital. The choir’s youngest member is 76 and its oldest is 97; however, they are all young at heart.
“You know, it's not the best singing in the world, far from it. We're just amateurs, but we're singing together and it means a lot,” said Anne Yanchyshyn, a 95-year-old singer with Movin’ On.
The choir gives the seniors an opportunity to socialize. It also brings joy to both those singing and those who get to listen.
“I think it's important for older people especially, to have something of interest in their lives,” said Irene Young, the choir’s director.
“And we see by the residents' response when we have a concert, the room is packed. So they love it as much as we do.”
The members of Movin’ On perform songs from their youth, including It’s a Small World, Doggy in the Window, and He’s Got the Whole World in His Hands.
"They are from the past. We have fun, for example, doing 'Doggy in the Window', because we had another person, a man, do the barking at the end and he was so good and unpredictable,” Yanchyshyn said.
The Dakota House tenants who aren’t in the choir love to hear Movin’ On perform at monthly concerts and on special occasions.
“They enjoy it to the point where they sing with us when they know the words, so they always tell us they like us,” said Margaret Rempel, the choir’s pianist.
With the COVID-19 pandemic, the choir, which used to be called the Dakota Dazzlerss, took a long pause. But now it’s back with a new name that represents how the choir has persevered.
“After the COVID had passed, I changed the name to Movin On because we kept singing,” Young said.
Through a shared love of music and song, the choir continues to bring joy and harmony to many in the community.
“When you have a song that you're all enjoying -- it's automatic connection,” Rempel said.
“Just singing the same things, knowing all the songs that we used to sing, that's an automatic connection.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Made-in-Newfoundland vodka claims top prize at worldwide competition
A Newfoundland-made vodka has been named one of the world’s best by judges at this year’s World Vodka Awards.