Dancing for all ages at Dennis Senior Center

SOUTH DENNIS - Alyce Potvin, 97, grimaced and waved to the reporter entering the room. Potvin, along with six other senior citizens with more than 80 birthdays behind them, were “dancing” to the music Golden Age Society director Avis Kaeselau had playing.

“We talk, we have lunch, we exercise. It’s fun here,” said Potvin, who had impishly skirted the senior center’s van destined for her biweekly group. Instead, she first opted to grocery shop at Patriot Square. “Have you ever tasted this?” she asked of a bottle of country French salad dressing. “I thought I’d try it. I like salads. Don’t eat much of anything else these days.”

Although Potvin wouldn’t say if her dietary preferences are the secret to longevity, she walks unassisted and is happy to participate in the Golden Age Society. “It’s just what the doctor ordered,” she said, giggling since her doctor had ordered no such thing.

Following lunch on a recent Friday, the group was exercising under Kaeselau’s direction. “Tighten your knee and stick your other foot out,” she encouraged. “OK, Dottie, you’re doing great. Ten more beats, then you can rest.”

The five women and two men come every Tuesday and Friday to enjoy time together. They help and encourage each other, sensitive to the various needs that accompany age.

“I have a dream, a song to sing, it helps me cope with everything,” sang Abba, as the group of seniors rotated their arms and ankles. “This will help keep you stable,” Kaeselau said, encouraging them to reach further.

As the workout proceeded, it became clear that one woman needed assistance, and it came quickly. “OK, you’re OK now,” Kaeselau said. Relief washed over the others as they continued the routine. “Now let’s end it gently by walking in place,” Kaeselau encouraged.
“Such exercise!” said Don, a man well into his 80s.

In her heyday, Roberta “Bobby” Guarante, was in the WAVES during World War II. Asked if she enjoyed dancing with the GIs, Guarante said, “I love to dance, but I’m not good at it.” Others shared their dancing backgrounds, including Dottie Glidden of South Dennis, who said she met her husband 50 years ago at Kimball’s Starlight Ballroom, just outside Wakefield.

As the group scattered for their return home on the senior center’s van, Potvin said, “It’s nice to come here. You meet lots of people your own age who understand you.”

Kaeselau said the program prevents isolation. “Most of them don’t drive anymore, they live alone or with children or a spouse. They have different degrees of mental and physical limitations, but they enjoy this program at whatever level they’re able to participate.”

Kaeselau, who in 1972 became Massachusetts’ first female emergency medical technician, is prepared for any medical emergencies that may occur during the 4-hour program. “They’re very safe with me,” she said.

Baby-boomer opportunities
The Dennis Senior Center offers many weekday programs for retired folks. These range from opportunities to play bridge, mahjongg and cribbage with other like-minded folks to learning to paint, operate computers, cane chairs and build model ships.

Designed for younger seniors still working, offerings include Mary Jane Doonan’s tap-dancing classes beginning at 5 p.m. Mondays.

With students ranging from 50 to 78, Doonan offers beginner and intermediate tap classes. “The intermediates are a combination of people who started with me five or six years ago and moved up and those who excelled at tapping as children and have returned in their later years,” Noonan said.

The classes are an opportunity for women to exercise together to music. One dancer’s pedometer testifies to burning about 500 calories per hour.

“People can come with leather-sole shoes for the first classes because tap shoes are expensive, and I want them to be sure they want to continue before investing in shoes,” Noonan said.

One tapper, a former ballerina who has Parkinson’s disease, finds that her body moves fine during classes, Noonan said.

Noonan’s tappers perform at Cape and off-Cape venues, but those who are shy are not forced to travel with the group. “Some ladies auditioned for the National AARP convention at the Boston Civic Center,” Noonan said. “About 100 groups auditioned, and 20 were selected. My girls and I were selected, and we performed all three nights.”

Tap-dancing keeps women in mental and physical shape. “It’s also good for memory, because you need to recall your steps,” Noonan said.

A square dancing group convenes Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Dancer Johanna d’Entremont, who serves as the group’s secretary, said this is the only square dancing group this side of the bridge, gathering participants from across the Cape.

Some come in costume, but most square dancers wear casual attire. “Some of our women have learned the man’s part because sometimes we’re short of men,” d’Entremont said. “Square dancing is excellent exercise and it’s a wonderful way to socialize, to meet people who share an interest.”

D’Entremont and her husband got involved in the group through Vida and Dan Demale, a couple in their 80s. “I took a computer class at the Eastham Senior Center and Vida recruited me,” she said. “They picked us up, brought us to Dennis, and that was it. We’re hooked!”