Dance classes for older people can help improve flexibility, balance and motor fitness while building confidence and reducing limits, writes SYLVIA THOMPSON.
VALERIE OWENS (66) retired from work two years ago and immediately started looking for new pursuits to follow. She heard about the Macushla Dance Club, a free weekly dance class for the over-50s held in Dance House on Foley Street, Dublin, and she has never looked back.
“It’s a very energetic class and I’ve an overall feeling of wellness afterwards. There’s a social dimension to the class too and I’ve met new people,” she explains.
Patty Doyle (71) is another member of the dance club. “The class helps to keep my brain active,” she says. Doyle and her friends, Mary Ronayne (73) and Marie Nolan (65) also go to old-time ballroom dancing in Fairview and North Strand, but the Macushla Dance Club (named after the Macushla Ballroom which was on Buckingham Street) offers them something different.
“We do a range of exercises, seated or standing, which have been developed for people with limited movement, and then we do dance routines in a mix of dance styles,” explains choreographer and dancer Ríonach Ní Néill, who runs the classes, along with dance teacher, Michelle Cahill.
“The classes improve the flexibility, balance, strength and motor fitness, while building confidence in movement ability. By forgetting your limitations, you actually lose some of them,” she says.
“Initially, people come for the health benefits, but then they forget about that because they are having so much fun and they keep coming back.”
Founded two years ago by Ní Néill, the Macushla Dance Club is one of a number of dance classes springing up all over the country for older people. While the aims of the club are to provide access to dance for older people and to develop links between older people and the professional dance community, the holistic health benefits are an unexpected, yet fully appreciated, dimension of the experience.
“The HSE is complaining about how expensive medical care is now – but if they supported more classes like this, there would be fewer people going to AE. A lot of the exercises we do are the same as the ones the physiotherapists recommend, and if you’re active, you’re less likely to have mental health problems,” says Paddy Behan (70), another enthusiastic member of the club.
Coiscéim Dance Theatre Company is another group of professional dancers that runs outreach programmes in the community. Their dance classes for the over-50s are held every week in St Teresa’s Church on Clarendon Street, Dublin.
“Older people see dance as an alternative to fitness classes. The classes combine fitness exercises with blended dance forms,” explains Philippa Donnellan, director of Coiscéim Broadreach.
Mary Maguire (65) attends the Coiscéim dance classes every week.
“It’s good for the mind, body and spirit,” she says. “I love dancing. I never trained as a dancer or went to classes before but I’ve always danced in my kitchen. Now, I’m learning steps and doing movement which is also good for my arthritis.”
Catherine Campion (56) is another regular at St Teresa’s Church dance class. “I’m fairly fit for my age because I walk five kilometres most days, but the body does start to slow down and these classes are ideal for me. I’d love to go three or four times a week.”
According to Donnellan, “We are aware that there are fewer opportunities for older people to dance and there are safety issues and issues around people being single when they are older. We are currently looking at extending our programme to other areas so that we can offer regular dance classes to active retirement groups in their communities,” she says.
The fact that the classes are held during the day makes it easier for many people to feel safe and comfortable about attending them.
On another level, professional dancers and choreographers are also keen for older people to grow as dancers and perform on the stage. To that end, Coiscéim organised a series of dance workshops for older people in the National Concert Hall last year, which culminated in a performance.
The Macushla Dance Club also has links with professional dance companies. “Professional companies come and do studio performances for our club and sometimes it is the first time for our members to see professional dance. We also did Palimpsest, a dance performance with professional dancers from my company, Ciotóg, in the Project Theatre last year,” explains Ní Néill.
“Older people can be marginalised in the arts world and it can be difficult to find opportunities for the generations to mix. The professional dancers have also benefited from the involvement with our dancers,” she adds.
Ní Néill, who divides her time between Connemara in Galway and Dublin, also runs dance and movement classes in residential and day care settings between Spideal and Rosmuc in Co Galway. “These classes are chair-based and they help with older people’s physical and mental mobility. We call them chairobics. We’ve a fantastic time and the feedback from staff is wonderful,” says Ní Néill.
Valerie Owens believes that dance classes for older people have great potential. “When you consider that we are approaching a bulge of older people in our population in about 20 years’ time, it’s an interesting innovation that could be further developed,” she says.