Thoughts from the Dance Floor: Three Generations, One Dance Floor
I looked across one of my classes recently and realised I wasn't just watching a group of people exercising.
I was watching three generations of the same family dancing together.
A grandmother, her daughter and her niece.
Three different generations. Three different life stages. All sharing the same music, the same dance floor and, very often, the same laughter! And it got me thinking.
Because once I'd noticed them, I started noticing just how many families I have dancing together in my classes.
There are mothers and daughters who come together regularly. Some of those "daughters" are themselves in their 50s, while their mums are in their 70s and 80s, and I absolutely love seeing it.
When Did You Last Do Something Just for Fun Together?
As we get older, our relationships with our parents inevitably change.
We might help Mum with something around the house. Take her shopping. Drive her to an appointment. Pop round for a cup of tea. We spend time together, of course.
But how often do we actually do something purely for fun together?
That's what struck me while I was watching these families dance.
For 45 minutes or an hour, nobody is the person who needs looking after.
Nobody is organising anything.
Nobody is thinking about the shopping list or what's for dinner.
They're simply two — or sometimes three! — people enjoying themselves together.
And there's something rather special about that.
Making New Memories at Every Age
We tend to associate making family memories with childhood.
Holidays. Christmases. Birthdays. Days out when the children were small.
But why should making memories stop just because we're older?
A daughter in her 50s dancing next to her mum in her 70s or 80s is creating another chapter of their story together.
They're hearing songs they'll talk about later., laughing when one of them goes in completely the wrong direction. They're learning routines together and encouraging each other.
Perhaps they're even having a little friendly competition about who remembers the choreography best!
Those moments matter.
Years from now, I hope some of those daughters will remember more than simply taking Mum to an exercise class. I hope they'll remember dancing with her.
The Generations May Be Different – But Music Connects Us
This is another thing I love about dance.
Age becomes surprisingly unimportant once the music starts.
Someone in their 50s might have grown up dancing to completely different music from someone in their 70s or 80s, but put on a great rhythm and suddenly everybody understands the same language.
Music has an extraordinary ability to take us somewhere else.
One song can transport you straight back to a particular summer, a nightclub, a holiday or a moment you'd completely forgotten.
And then we mix those memories with new music, different rhythms and songs from around the world.
Salsa, Bollywood, flamenco, pop, Latin rhythms...
Suddenly three generations are experiencing something new together.
Staying Active Together
Of course, there's another lovely benefit to all of this.
Everybody is moving.
As we get older, maintaining our strength, balance, mobility and confidence becomes increasingly important , but staying active doesn't have to mean spending hours in a gym or doing something you don't particularly enjoy because you feel you should.
Movement can be joyful, It can involve music. and it can involve friends.
And apparently, it can involve Mum, your daughter, your auntie, your niece or even Grandma!
When someone you love comes with you, there's also that little extra bit of encouragement.
"Are you coming to Zumba this week?"
can sometimes be exactly the nudge we need when the sofa is looking particularly appealing!
Nobody Has to Move in Exactly the Same Way
One of the nicest things about seeing different generations exercising together is that it demonstrates something I talk about all the time in my classes:
There is no single "right" way for everybody to move.
One person might take bigger steps.
Someone else might keep things smaller.
One might lift their arms right above their head while the person next to them keeps theirs lower.
Someone might add a bit more bounce while somebody else chooses to stay completely low impact.
They're still sharing the same experience.
That's particularly important when people of different ages and abilities exercise together.
You don't have to keep up with your daughter and you don't have to keep up with your mum, and you certainly don't have to keep up with me.
You just move in the way that feels right for your body.
It's Not Really About Getting the Steps Right
If you've ever been to one of my classes, you'll know that getting every step perfect is very low down on my list of priorities. I'd much rather see someone going the wrong way with a huge smile on their face than worrying because they've missed a step.
And when family members come together, there's usually plenty of that!
A knowing look, and a laugh when one is going left while the other has confidently gone right.
Those are often the best moments because exercise shouldn't always feel serious.
Sometimes we need to move simply because it makes us feel good.
More Than an Exercise Class
This is probably one of the biggest things I've learned from teaching.
I might be standing at the front teaching choreography, but there's an awful lot happening in the room that has nothing to do with the steps.
Friendships are forming and people are gaining confidence.
Someone who was nervous about walking through the door a few weeks ago suddenly feels part of the gang. People are checking in on each other and families are spending time together.
It's one of those moments when I realise that what happens in these classes goes far beyond the choreography.
A Thought from the Dance Floor...
Seeing a grandmother, mother and niece dancing together made me look around my classes slightly differently.
I started noticing the mums and daughters, the relatives.....
The friendships that have lasted decades and the new friendships that probably wouldn't have happened without the class.
It reminded me that movement can connect us at any age, so perhaps the question isn't:
"Am I too old to dance?" Maybe it's: "Who could I bring dancing with me?"
Because whether you're 50, 60, 70, 80 or beyond, there are still new songs to discover, new memories to make and plenty more dancing to be done.
And if three generations can share one dance floor...I'd say we're doing something right.
Fancy Dancing Together?
If you and your mum, daughter, sister, auntie, niece or friend fancy trying a class together, you're always welcome.
My Zumba Gold classes are friendly, low-impact and designed so that everyone can work at their own pace. You don't need any dance experience and you certainly don't need to get every step right.
Just come along, enjoy the music and move in the way that works for you.
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