After attending the Casa de Manana’s Senior Prom, it was interesting comparing it to the other intergenerational dances I attend on a monthly basis.
There weren’t as many seniors dancing, which given that most of them were over the age of 80, was quite understandable. When speaking with several different men and women, they said that they “would love to dance but the knees won’t”! Some of them had been active dancers when they were younger, like the woman who had macular degeneration. Others said that age hadn’t changed them; they were lifelong viewers.
Some of the seniors were active dancers. There were three primary couples on the floor near the band and most of them were doing some variation of a waltz, swing, or foxtrot. One older man tried to lead me through some variation of a waltz, which I have very little knowledge of besides the basic steps. Another man also led me through a variation of West Coast swing. While I know some people were surprised to see someone as active as him; I was comfortable doing it -- after all, I have done both lifts and dips with agile and active men who were in their 70s and 80s. I didn’t realize it until later, but one of the men who introduced himself as “Mell”, turned out to be a professor emeritus of biology at UCSD.
The raffle was also well enjoyed and it touched the seniors that there were so many of us who wanted to spend time with them and spend money (through the budget) to get them little things. The plants were very popular; the lavender was a top prize. Many of the seniors were also laughing at the Starbucks gift cards, saying that while they didn’t need them, their grandchildren would love them.
There weren’t as many seniors dancing, which given that most of them were over the age of 80, was quite understandable. When speaking with several different men and women, they said that they “would love to dance but the knees won’t”! Some of them had been active dancers when they were younger, like the woman who had macular degeneration. Others said that age hadn’t changed them; they were lifelong viewers.
Some of the seniors were active dancers. There were three primary couples on the floor near the band and most of them were doing some variation of a waltz, swing, or foxtrot. One older man tried to lead me through some variation of a waltz, which I have very little knowledge of besides the basic steps. Another man also led me through a variation of West Coast swing. While I know some people were surprised to see someone as active as him; I was comfortable doing it -- after all, I have done both lifts and dips with agile and active men who were in their 70s and 80s. I didn’t realize it until later, but one of the men who introduced himself as “Mell”, turned out to be a professor emeritus of biology at UCSD.
The raffle was also well enjoyed and it touched the seniors that there were so many of us who wanted to spend time with them and spend money (through the budget) to get them little things. The plants were very popular; the lavender was a top prize. Many of the seniors were also laughing at the Starbucks gift cards, saying that while they didn’t need them, their grandchildren would love them.