Thread: Senior Center class

Have any of you given classes to seniors 55+? If so, how "toned down" is the difficulty level? Any suggestions???? Thanks!

I'd be interested in anyone else's perspective on this subject too! Thanks.

I have subsituted for one of these classes several times. From my perspective a lot of them want a "workout" meaning they need to lower blood pressure, lose weight, get their cardiovascular workout in de-stress etc. This is just general I'm not saying all. I do a lot of hip bump varations, backward/forward figure 8's, snake arms, walks, chest circles and very slow shimmies. They also love, love, love working with veil. They love high tempo music like "Chicky" and just want to get out there and move! At the end of class I have them get in a circle, walk in the middle, and they show me a move and point to another member to have a turn. If I know the students and they have been dancing a while I teach very basic choreography that has a chorus that repeats a lot - I love seniors!

My class was well attended for just a few sessions...after the novelty wore off, they went back to more traditional workouts.

Originally Posted by anala

My class was well attended for just a few sessions...after the novelty wore off, they went back to more traditional workouts.

Serious? ..c::

Serious! And when the Zumba class came in same thing. Huge class for 2 sessions and then the been there done that effect kicked in.

One thought is that, for beginners of ANY age group, we shouldn't be teaching the gnarly moves like deep backbends, Turkish drops, etc. But assuming you're not teaching any of the physically demanding/risky stuff....

A lot depends on which end of the age range they're on.

Those in their 50's probably don't need any special accommodation. I've had students in their 50's in my "Belly Dance for Exercise" class which is open to students of all ages, and the students in their 50's weren't any different from beginners in younger age groups with respect to what they could do, how quickly they could learn, etc.

With students in their 70's, I've noticed a need to introduce less new material in a given class than I would in a class for younger students. Some have issues with their balance, so things like spins or moves requiring the student to have all their weight on one leg might not be such a good idea.

For students of any age group, a good teacher will stay alert to how quickly people are learning and whether she needs to adjust her pace to accommodate them. I see classes for seniors as being the same way.