One of the Bayside Community Center’s classes for seniors is Zumba Gold. Although the exercise is meant to be a low-intensity version of Zumba, it was still an intense workout! Our class spent the morning getting fit with members of Bayside. Many members seemed to know each other. I asked one participant how often does she dance here, and she replied that she dances at the center every week.
Dancing is an excellent way to stay active while having fun. The benefits of dancing are not only physical, but mental as well. For most of the activity, we danced separately, focused on following the instructor's movements. There was a part where we danced with partners and another where danced in a circle. There were people who jumped in to the center of the circle while being cheered on by the crowd. These moments helped us feel more connected with everyone participating.
Once the activity ended, we gathered around for snacks and took photographs as a group. I joined one of the group conversations with a man who has been participating in Zumba for two years. As we got to know him, we were all impressed by how many languages he is able to speak fluently (English, Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish). His advice is to watch children’s cartoons and books to understand the basics of a language.
Dancing is an excellent way to stay active while having fun. The benefits of dancing are not only physical, but mental as well. For most of the activity, we danced separately, focused on following the instructor's movements. There was a part where we danced with partners and another where danced in a circle. There were people who jumped in to the center of the circle while being cheered on by the crowd. These moments helped us feel more connected with everyone participating.
Once the activity ended, we gathered around for snacks and took photographs as a group. I joined one of the group conversations with a man who has been participating in Zumba for two years. As we got to know him, we were all impressed by how many languages he is able to speak fluently (English, Tagalog, Chinese, Japanese, and Spanish). His advice is to watch children’s cartoons and books to understand the basics of a language.