SARASOTA (WSNN) – Got ants in your pants from staying at home so much? Now you can get your jitterbug on at the Senior Friendship Centers. It’s hosting live music and dances again, safely, of course.
The coronavirus isn’t stopping high-risk individuals from getting back on their feet.
“Dancing is not only a social activity, but it is a healthy activity. It’s a form of exercise for a lot of our seniors,” Centers Manager, April Moschini said.
Pre-covid lockdown, Senior Friendship Centers offered live music every day with crowds of around a hundred people. Now, Moschini says it’s gone down to about 35.
“Taping the dance floor into four quadrants, so that only four couples could be on the floor at the same time because when they do move around, we didn’t want them bumping into each other,” Moschini said.
And you can’t switch dance partners.
“The dancers come as a partner already, as a couple, or come and only choose to dance with one partner the entire time they’re here,” Moschini said.
“My partners are my two dogs, I don’t have a partner,” Member, Susan Sherman said.
Sherman says movement helps with her loneliness.
“I find if you get active, the depression doesn’t last,” Sherman said. “That’s the most important thing is to get up and do something. And not let yourself sink into an area where you’re really feeling badly.”
The band, ‘Brunoconnection’ plays music from the 1930s and on, lending itself to various dances: from rumba and waltz to samba and swing.
“It’s good for your soul. It also increases your endorphins,” Bass player and bandleader, Joe Bruno Jr. said. “Hearing music you heard when you were younger really makes a difference.”
An uplifting atmosphere many look forward to. And everyone follows the rules.
“They want to dance so bad, and they want to be with each other so bad, they do all the rules,” Drummer, Lenny Balistreri said. “They social distance, they were their mask.”
“This gives us an opportunity to continue using our muscles and socialize a bit,” Sherman said. “And that’s a wonderful feeling with all of this staying home all the time.”
The center offers live music three times a week. It’s open to the public for a small fee. You can sign up ahead of time, online, or show up at the door.