Dance Fit program is dancing for fitness, a line dance program organized by the Sunset Way residence community centre for seniors. The ladies are mostly in either pre-retirement or retirement age, the oldest member being in her mid-70s and the teacher herself a grandmother of 60 plus years.
I had moved to Sunset Way, Clementi Street 13 and soon made friends with my next-door neighbour who persuaded me to join the Sunset Way CC Dance Fit club. She herself had been inspired by a TEDx talk by a Professor from Israel who was diagnosed with Parkinson’s and who overcame the disease’s challenges through ballroom dancing.
Dance Lessons
A dancer I certainly was not, so although hesitant at first, I slowly made my way through the basic simple steps, thanks to the kind patience of teacher Bee Lay and the CC ladies.
One of the songs that was compulsory, even mandatory to learn to dance to, was called “Electric Slide” as it is often danced by MPs for opening ceremonies
The line dance sessions are held every Wednesday from 7:30 to 9:30 pm at the Sunset Way basketball court. Teacher Bee Lay starts with a warm-up session followed by songs with a quicker tempo. She will also teach 1 or 2 new songs. I truly admire her tireless energy as she not only shows the steps in front of us but also runs around us.
Every Opportunity to Meet
I always feel vastly energised after these dance sessions, after sitting in front of a computer at work the whole day.
Besides the dance sessions, the Sunset Way CC ladies would also have gatherings to celebrate the Mid-Autumn festival, National Day, or Christmas. They would find any excuse to gather. These social gatherings bring forth joy and camaraderie among the ladies.
Celebrating Christmas in a void deck … 
… with fellow dancers.
Danceathons
I had been dancing for a year or so when I was invited by the dance teacher, who deemed me proficient enough to dance, to join her line dancing jam sessions. These sessions require one to know from 20 to 30 songs to be danced continuously. We also participated in danceathons, which took place every few months or so, in different community clubs.
Back Home in Myanmar
I am retired now and am back in Myanmar, my home country. I still keep in touch with my Dance Fit ladies and the teacher who posts new dances.
To this day, I continue to dance. I do so every evening, revelling in the simple joy and exhilaration that dancing brings.
(Featured image by Vidar Nordli-Mathisen on Unsplash)
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Dr Thazin Han is a retired radiologist with a strong interest in medical education. She worked as an education officer at the Dept of Diagnostic Radiology, Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, the National University of Singapore from 2007 to 2019. She is retired but still practices radiology part-time and is a resource person and committee member of the Department of Medical Education, Defence Services Medical Academy.
