Dance class for older adults fosters community in metro Atlanta

MARIETTA, Ga. (Atlanta News First) - If you have a little bit of swing in your step and you are an older adult, there is a place for you. The line dancing class in Marietta is creating a community for people who might otherwise feel isolated and alone.

Walking in the room at Oak Street Health Center in Marietta, joy can be felt.

“It feels great. I know you can probably see the sweat coming through,” said Carlotta Crawford, a line dancer.

A room full of women, enjoying the moment, dancing out loud, laughing with each other — it is a community more than it is the weekly line dancing class.

“I felt welcomed, I felt seen and heard,” said Sara Fox, another line dancer.

Said Crawford: “We have got issues that we talk about, we just enjoy being around each other.”

“Here we have the ladies, we have bonded together,” said Shelly Watson, a line dancer.

Oak Street Health Center in Marietta is a primary care doctor’s office for adults on Medicare Part B.

“For me, bringing them here to the community or to our center or us going to their communities and bringing a little bit of new life to them,” said Mickey Rivera, community relations analyst at Oak Street Health.

The line dancing class is an extension of that mission.

“I do have a lot of pain so I try to dance it out, dance through it and I have had such a wonderful time,” said Gracie Houston, another line dancer.

Said Watson: “For me, it is life-changing. A couple of years ago, I had open heart surgery. So cardio is greatly emphasized.”

It can be easy for older adults to be isolated, not just because of the pandemic. This class is a way to build bonds that last.

“It is not just this class it is everyone who comes in,” said Rivera.