With Valentine’s Day coming up, a red-themed Zumba class was being held at the Bayside community center for the elderly to join. Although the cold and early morning greeted us with gloomy skies, this fiery class easily brought our spirits back up! The class was fully engaged and the seniors actively and happily followed along to the steps I found difficult to follow at times. The Zumba teacher had a great music selection and time flew by quickly because of the amount of fun we were having.
A few of the seniors ushered out quickly after the Zumba session ended but it was entirely exciting and engaging. Near the end, goody bags that were assembled by four on-campus pre-health clubs the night before were passed out to the seniors. Whom some took time to stay behind and chat with us. I took the opportunity to talk to a senior named Pauline. She told me she just started coming out to Zumba and was still getting to know everyone. She shared her passion for dancing, which she says she inherited from her father, and she was grateful to her friend who invited her out to try Bayside’s Zumba class. Pauline, along with the other seniors who are part of this Zumba class, seemed grateful to have this sense of community and access to activities that promote their health.
I came into Zumba believing the dance moves would be “easy” because it’s a class for the elderly, but that wasn’t the case at all. I soon realized I had these thoughts because I assumed the elderly aren’t as capable and entirely slower in general. Through small activities like this I want to rid myself of any thoughts that put the elderly into a box and make them seem incapable. Zumba at Bayside truly was a place for these Seniors to shine and dance the day away!
A few of the seniors ushered out quickly after the Zumba session ended but it was entirely exciting and engaging. Near the end, goody bags that were assembled by four on-campus pre-health clubs the night before were passed out to the seniors. Whom some took time to stay behind and chat with us. I took the opportunity to talk to a senior named Pauline. She told me she just started coming out to Zumba and was still getting to know everyone. She shared her passion for dancing, which she says she inherited from her father, and she was grateful to her friend who invited her out to try Bayside’s Zumba class. Pauline, along with the other seniors who are part of this Zumba class, seemed grateful to have this sense of community and access to activities that promote their health.
I came into Zumba believing the dance moves would be “easy” because it’s a class for the elderly, but that wasn’t the case at all. I soon realized I had these thoughts because I assumed the elderly aren’t as capable and entirely slower in general. Through small activities like this I want to rid myself of any thoughts that put the elderly into a box and make them seem incapable. Zumba at Bayside truly was a place for these Seniors to shine and dance the day away!