FOUNDER
Cynthia’s tenure as an educator began with a class of Learning Disabled 9th grade students. Later in her career, she shifted from teaching students to teaching teachers. Cynthia created Professional Development Workshops to deliver to teachers within her school, to teachers within the county, and to teachers gathered for state and national conferences. Early in her retirement, she consulted for Hillsborough County Schools.
An avid social dancer in her youth, Cynthia’s formal dance training began the same year she became a teacher. She trained with Russian Ballerina, Natasha Derbanova in the Cecchetti method gaining substantial experience in technique. After ten years of ballet, she branched out to other forms such as Jazz, Modern, Tap, Flamenco, Middle Eastern, and Hawaiian. She has attended various classes in New York’s Broadway Dance Center, as well as 5Rhythmsclasses.
Upon retirement in 2009, Cynthia became a member of Forever Moving Dancers (a senior dance group) and since has performed along with Moving Current (Tampa’s Modern Dance Company) in three “NewGrounds Community Projects” at University of South Florida.
It was in her second year of retirement that Cynthia launched her encore career by combining her love of dance and her skill to train. Mindful Moves LLC is a dance program for seniors of many ability levels. Cynthia and several part-time employees facilitate Mindful Moves’ classes in Memory Care, Skilled Nursing, Assisted Living, and Independent Communities. In 2016, Mindful Moves was featured in two publications, LifeStyles Magazine and Dance Studio Life Magazine.
Cynthia continues to build on her knowledge in order to provide the best possible experience for a senior population. Trainings include: • “Tools for Health…Making Art in Healthcare with Dance and Storytelling” sponsored by Liz Lerman’s DanceExchange and the MetLife Foundation, April 2010. • “Teaching Artist” Training Workshop sponsored by the National Center of Creative Aging and the National Endowment for the Arts at Ruth Eckerd Hall, April, 2012. • “Zumba Gold® Instructor” Training, May 2012. • “Dementia Care Literacy for the Professional” workshop provided by the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association in Lakeland, FL, January, 2013. • “Dance for PD® Introductory Workshop,” August 2015, Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. N•• • “Advanced Professional Development Dance for PD®,” October 2015, Mark Morris Dance Center, Brooklyn, N.Y.
• “BrainDance and Brain-Compatible Dance Education Workshop,” January 2016, Presented by Terry Goetz, Director of Creative Dance Center, Seattle, WA at UT Edison Building in Tampa, FL.
• Two Lectures and Resource Tables @ the Sixth Annual Parkinson’s Resource Fair @ Cypress Palms of Largo.
• “Yoga Reach’s Training for Mindful Movement Yoga for Parkinson’s, February 2020 @
Garden of Heart Yoga in Sarasota, FL.
• "Radiance Sutra Instinctive Meditation's" 200-hour Zoom Teacher Training, lead by Lorin Roche and Camille Maurine, from February 2021-June 2021
Using her prior knowledge as a presenter, Cynthia has created and delivered several participatory movement workshops in Pinellas County. • “Our Hands” presented to a church community, 2011. • “Create Health…One Dance at a Time.” presented to two separate retirement communities, 2011.
• “Stroll Down Memory Lane” presented to residents of Regal Palms in Largo, 2012. • “Put a Little Love in Your Heart” presented at ALOA’s “Lift Up Your Heart” Conference, 2012. 2 • “Active Aging and the Benefits of Dance” presented at a retirement community in Sarasota in 2016 and a retirement community in downtown St. Petersburg, 2017. • “Dancing Through Parkinson’s,” an Introduction presented at Parkinson’s Café, St. Pete in Feb. and Nov. 2017.
As a Co-Director of Ageless Adventures in Movement (AAIM) with Suanne Ferguson, they provided movement workshops for those working with older adults. These workshops were directed toward replication in a variety of senior settings.
• “Create Health…One Story…One Dance at a Time” @ 2012Senior Theatre USA Festival,
New Orleans.
• “Why Just Listen” Let’s Dance!” AND “Create Health…One Story…One Dance at a Time” at ATHE (Association of Theatre in Higher Education) Conference in Orlando, August, 2013.
• “Encourage Memory and Cognitive Awareness…One story…One Dance at a Time” at
THE CREATIVE AGE: Global Perspectives on Creativity and Aging in Washington DC, September 2016.
Ms. Alicea earned her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Special Education in 1979 and her Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction with an Emphasis in Theatre in 1999. Teaching is and always has been a part of who she is, which is evident in her classes and workshops. She continues to expand her knowledge, while sharing her passion for dance.