Keep dancing

It’s a glorious summer’s day in the seaside town of Weston-Super-Mare. But while some locals flock to the beach, many older residents are heading to the seafront’s historic Winter Gardens pavilion, where a tea dance awaits.

This is the fourth time Age UK Somerset has hosted a social dance to fundraise for its vital services, and the popularity of the event has continued to build – today, around 300 attendees from across the country are gathered in the ballroom.

“It’s always a really special afternoon,” says Kate, Volunteering and Communications Manager at Age UK Somerset.

“Around half of the people who come to the event dance, while the other half watch, enjoy the atmosphere, and treat themselves to a bit of cake. It’s nice to give people something to look forward to.”

Dancing through the decades

For some of the attendees, today’s dance isn’t just something to look forward to – it’s a way of looking back. One visitor shares that today is the first time she’s been inside the Winter Gardens in nearly 70 years, since the many dances she attended during the pavilion’s 1950s heyday.

Another, Dominic, also has fond memories of the grand ballroom, which has been hosting dances since it first opened in 1927: “I competed here a long time ago. There’s a lot of history here – nearly 100 years – and so much character. But if there were no dancing here, it would just be a building.”

Today, Dominic’s competitive streak is still going strong. He and his partner barely leave the dancefloor, gliding through a repertoire of waltzes, tangos and foxtrots. “I’ve been dancing for more than 30 years,” he says. “I’ve got a lot of solo interests, like photography and canoeing, but once I found a dance partner, I gave those up to concentrate on dancing. You need to make the time to commit and put in the training – after all, it takes two to tango!

“We’ve done lots of competitions together,” continues Dominic, “and I find that they can motivate you to move to the next level. The trophy is nothing at all; it’s the process of improving yourself that’s the important thing.”

All the right moves

Dominic isn’t the only guest to see his life improved by dancing. For just over a year, Jeannie has been attending a Movement to Music class. It’s part of Age UK Somerset’s Ageing Well programme, which offers a range of exercise classes – from chair-based sessions to tai chi – that saw around 4,000 attendances last month.

“I had an operation on my foot about nine years ago, and since then I’d struggled to bend it,” says Jeannie. “But when I started going to a Movement to Music class, the lovely instructor, Chris, encouraged me to start standing on my toes and do a bit more every time. Now I can stand on my toes and count to 15 without even thinking about it.

“It’s true what they say – if you don’t use it, you lose it!” continues Jeannie. “People have got a silly idea that when you get old, you can’t do things because of your age. But the fact is, it’s not true. I can do things now that I couldn’t do a few years ago.”

This afternoon, in between the ballroom dancing, Jeannie and 50 of her fellow Ageing Well class members are demonstrating the routines they’ve learned in their sessions. “You feel part of something,” she says. “I don’t get lonely, but other people do, so at the class we all chat to each other. Everyone helps each other and it’s a nice atmosphere – and we do things like this now and then, which is fun.”

Tracey and Andi, who are attending their first Age UK Somerset tea dance today, know better than most that dance can be the first step to creating connections. The pair met at a dance class about 10 years ago and have been friends ever since.

“I’m more into bachata, salsa and street dance, but Andi’s trying to teach me ballroom,” says Tracey. “We haven’t danced together much before today, but it’s been great. I think it’s easy for people to lose a sense of community and get lonely, but if you can bring people together at events like this, that’s the best thing.”

Andi agrees: “You just need to get people out of the door. Dancing’s in my heart – I’m in a different place when I’m dancing. And it keeps you young!”

Taking the lead

Bringing people together to celebrate dancing comes naturally to the team of volunteers and staff hosting today’s event – and to one person, in particular.

Age UK Somerset volunteer Tansin can be spotted leading almost all of the dance demonstrations this afternoon. After retiring from her career as a university professor, Tansin started keeping busy by volunteering at Age UK Somerset – and it was all inspired by her mum.

“My mum had Alzheimer’s, was no longer able to walk, and was living with me,” she explains. “I started looking for activities that I could take her to in a wheelchair, and came across Age UK Somerset’s classes. Then I started wondering whether I could teach some of the classes, too – I’d been a dancer and had a background in physical education, so wanted to put my skills to good use.”

“Today really is Tansin’s event,” Kate says of her superstar colleague. “This wouldn’t be happening without her.”

Tansin lost her mum three years ago, but has retained her close bond with Age UK Somerset. She served several years as a Trustee for the charity, and currently teaches four of their Ageing Well classes every week, as well as leading the way with organising events like today’s tea dance.

“Volunteering has brought me tremendous joy,” she says. “Every week in the classes I see determination, resilience and courage, and it’s up there with the most rewarding teaching I’ve ever done. The classes seem to offer moments of escapism from the challenges that we can all face, and I’ll help keep opportunities like today’s dance going for as long as people want to come along. Let’s keep dancing together.”