{"id":11336,"date":"2026-06-01T16:02:04","date_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:02:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11336"},"modified":"2026-06-01T16:02:04","modified_gmt":"2026-06-01T16:02:04","slug":"you-should-be-dancing-yeah-moving-to-music-offers-all-kinds-of-benefits-as-you-age","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11336","title":{"rendered":"You should be dancing, yeah. Moving to music offers all kinds of benefits as you age"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<p><strong>By ANITA SNOW<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>TUCSON, Ariz. (AP) \u2014 Carol Ross can\u2019t stop smiling at dance practice as she shouts out the steps of a routine to members of her tap and jazz troupe for women age 50 and older.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11334\">As the Pentagon pushes for battlefield AI, some military leaders urge caution<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u201cI\u2019ve been dancing my whole life, it\u2019s the best,\u201d said Ross, who founded the Rodeo City Wreckettes group 23 years ago at an age when many people are getting ready for retirement.<\/p>\n<p>Now 87, Ross and her husband and lifelong dance partner John, also 87, have long known what more older adults are now discovering: Moving to music is one of the best ways to stay healthy. Medical professionals say it doesn\u2019t matter if it\u2019s Western line dancing, ballroom steps, salsa, tap, Zumba at the gym, or with a group like the Wreckettes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDancing is one of the most powerful activities for older people,\u201d said Julio Loya, a nurse and geriatric program coordinator at the Tucson Medical Center.<\/p>\n<h4>Why dancing helps balance, strength and more<\/h4>\n<p>Dance, like other exercise, can help people lose weight, get stronger, reduce fall risk, increase mobility and flexibility, and even improve brain health.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt engages their brain, it changes their mood, and it connects them socially while getting them moving,\u201d said Loya. \u201cAnd it\u2019s fun. Everybody has a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Thomas Johnson, a geriatrician at the UCHealth Seniors Clinic in Aurora, Colorado, said he remembers one man in particular whose passion for dance was so strong that he willed himself to attend one last class before he died in his late 80s.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cHis No. 1 priority was that he danced until the day that he died,\u201d Johnson said of his patient.<\/p>\n<p>Johnson said dance can improve the balance of his patients at the clinic, which serves about 2,500 people 75 and older a year.<\/p>\n<p>He said older patients can benefit from adding two to three dance sessions to the 150 minutes of aerobic exercise he recommends for them each week, because dancing often involves movements that help with balance, such as walking backward or standing on one foot.<\/p>\n<h4>Meeting people by dancing together<\/h4>\n<p>The Wreckettes practice their routines during two-hour sessions at least twice a week in a rented dance studio.<\/p>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<p>After studying ballet as a girl, then moving on to everything from ballroom to tap as an adult, Ross said it made sense to keep dancing when she and her husband moved from Philadelphia to retire in Tucson.<\/p>\n<p>John Ross is a key part of the Wreckettes\u2019 routines, typically joining his wife for at least one number. At one recent practice, it was a saucy saunter to Merle Haggard\u2019s \u201cLet\u2019s Chase Each Other Around the Room.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI learned early on that dancing was a great way to attract the chicks,\u201d joked John Ross, who slid across the floor like a much younger man.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11332\">Jerome Powell uses JFK award speech to warn against political pressure on Fed, courts and schools<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Wreckettes member Cindy Soffrin said that watching her mother suffer as she aged convinced her to stay active as she got older.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy mom was sedentary the last 20 years of her life. It was pretty rough,\u201d said Soffrin, 74.<\/p>\n<p>For 67-year-old Gail Kowalski, joining the Wreckettes three years ago meant finding new friends after her husband died and she moved from Utah to Tucson.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPlus, it\u2019s so dang fun,\u201d Kowalski said.<\/p>\n<h4>The fun of performing<\/h4>\n<p>The Wreckettes perform throughout the year, from holiday events to rodeo shows, dressing up in a series of matching sparkly costumes.<\/p>\n<p>But they all said what they love the most is being hired by retirement homes to perform for memory care patients. Wreckette members take turns picking a favorite charity to donate their earnings.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen we first arrive, people will be distracted or sleeping,\u201d said Soffrin. \u201cBut once the music comes on, they perk up right away.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>A similar dance group for older women in Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Gals, also performs at retirement homes, said Cheryl Cortez, the group\u2019s president. They add pompoms to their routines.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI must now know close to 40 routines,\u201d said Cortez, 69. \u201cAnd that alone has to be great for the memory.\u201d<\/p>\n<h4>How to begin dancing when you\u2019re older<\/h4>\n<p>If you want to start moving to music, here are some tips from health professionals and dance instructors:<\/p>\n<p>BEFORE STARTING: Check with your health provider before starting a dance or any exercise program. Choose something simple to start, like line dancing rather than intricate tango steps.<\/p>\n<p>FIND A CLASS: Check with a YMCA, parks and recreation department, or senior or community center. Community colleges often have dance classes, sometimes tailored for older people. Local dance studios and YouTube videos are other options. If you have Medicare Advantage insurance with the Silver Sneakers benefit, find out if your local gym has Zumba or other dance classes you can attend for free.<\/p>\n<p>BEFORE THE SESSION: Dress comfortably for easy movement, and warm up and stretch before class.<\/p>\n<p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/siliconvalleymovingpost.com\/?p=11330\">A new trove of Mandelson files brings more bad news for Keir Starmer<\/a><\/p>\n<p>MOST IMPORTANTLY: Have fun! You are doing great things for your mind and body.<\/p>\n<p><em>For more AP stories about healthy aging, go to https:\/\/apnews.com\/hub\/aging<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Medical professionals say moving to music, whether line dancing, tap or more, is a great way for older adults to stay healthier as they age.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11335,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[43,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11336","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-based-on-facts-either-observed-and-verified-directly-by-the-reporter-or-reported-and-verified-from-knowledgeable-sources","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>You should be dancing, yeah. 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