Caretaking with dance - Local Michigan line dance instructor teaches at Senior Center

Photo permission Nancy Warner Smoker
Caregivers and seniors can enjoy line dancing for stress relief

January 20, 2010  Nancy Warner Smoker believes that caregivers can enjoy line dancing exercising with senior clients.

There are a myriad of dance choices for fun exercise and stress relief.

A senior who can stand, walk and move for five minutes or more might enjoy dancing the ‘Freeze’ or as some call it the ‘Elvira Freeze‘.  (See instructions below)  There are many great variations of beginning dance movement in ‘County Boy‘, ‘County Strut’ and ‘Chocolate City Hustle‘.  One easy dance is called exactly that, ‘Easy Dancing‘.

For 18 years, Nancy Warner Smoker from Vicksburg Michigan has taught students from 8 to 80. She has taught at the Burnham Brooks Senior Center in Battle Creek, Michigan, and the Senior Center in downtown Kalamazoo, Michigan.

Some seniors have been known to take to the floor upwards to 90 for safe exercise.  Line dancing offers Seniors the option to dance with alternate movements, although some older people might want to stay away from dancing on crowded dance hall floors.  Senior Centers offer the best options for dancing exercise.

Dance movement is easy and fun exercise

During the first year that Nancy taught, she visited her ‘Winter Texan’ mother from Michigan and taught the retirees in her park a few of the slower dances.  After she came back home from her visit, her mom continued teaching the folks in her park the dances that she had taught, and the lessons continue to this day.  Nancy has pride in knowing that she started the classes there.  

The dance that she always starts teaching is ‘The Freeze‘.  It is low impact and has the basic vine that is used in most dances.  It can be done as slow or fast as you want to any beat of music and is a favorite with seniors.

See this article, Caregivers can offer seniors dance exercise health options for movement alternatives for dancing.

 The Freeze  (aka Elvira Freeze)

Right vine, Left vine
1-2    Step right to side, cross left behind right
3-4    Step right to side, scuff left forward
5-6    Step left to side, cross right behind left
7-8    Step left to side, scuff right forward
 
Walk back, Lock, turn one quarter
9-10    Step right back, step left back
11-12    Step right back, hitch left knee
13-14    Step left forward, slide/step right together
15-16    Step left forward, turn ¼ left (weight to left)
REPEAT

  Go to Kick It for other Line Dance instructions by Nancy Warner Smoker

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