Ballroom dancing: Fast, rhythmic motion for fitness

When Della McConnoughuy was a little girl growing up in Iowa, there were no televisions. So when company came to visit, she entertained them by dancing the Charleston.

The spirited 97-year-old with a quick smile still loves to dance, but “only the fast ones!” She enjoys doing the jitterbug, fox trots and fast waltzes twice a week during the winter season at Golden Roadrunners Ballroom.

“I’ve hunted and fished for years. But I’m sure the dancing’s what’s kept me going. I’ve danced all my life.”

McConnoughuy “is still going like a house on fire,” said Larry Miller, president of Golden Roadrunners Inc. But she’s not the only one. Many of the people who attend dances at the ballroom are in their 80s and 90s, and dancing keeps them physically and socially active, he said.

Live music is played by the Rhythm Masters band on Wednesday nights and by Ray Cox, a one-man band, on Saturday nights. Big band, Latin and country and western tunes are among the variety of music they play, Miller said.

Patrons and members do the Saskatchewan barn dance, Latin rumbas, the schottische and everything in between, he said.

Dancing is a fun form of exercise, he said. It’s rhythmic movement that’s better than walking but not probably not as intense as an exercise workout, he said. “It’s somewhere in between.”

“It’s like taking a brisk walk,” said his wife, Laura Miller, who feels energized after dancing.

Both of them said their doctors have told them to keep dancing twice a week for exercise. But they believe the social aspect is just as important for overall wellness. It’s a good way to fight loneliness and depression, Laura said.

They each used to go dancing with their former spouses, who have since passed on. When Laura’s former husband died, she felt bad and didn’t feel like going out anymore. But her friends encouraged her to go on and live her life. So instead of isolating, she returned to dancing.

She and Larry danced and socialized together and eventually married. The newlyweds celebrated their wedding reception at the ballroom last April. Other couples have met at the ballroom as well, they said.

But dancing is not limited to couples. Many single men and women attend the dances, Larry said.

“There’s a lot of exchanging of dancing, too. You don’t just dance with one person the whole night. That’s the whole idea, the whole social thing. Most women are outliving men these days, so there’s more older, single ladies. And all of them dance during the exchanges - and not just one dance, either.”

Dancing is also good for muscle tone. “If you do it too much, and you haven’t danced lately, you’re going to feel it later,” Larry said, chuckling. “If you’re out there dancing, you’re going to be moving, and that motion is sort of like fast walking.

“Most of the women who do a lot of dancing, and most of them are in their 50s and beyond, they have very nice, shapely legs. That’s how they keep them shapely, by dancing.” 

Younger adults are encouraged to attend the dances, too, he said. To be a member of  Golden Roadrunners, however, a person has to be 55 or over. The annual fee is $3 to join the not-for-profit organization. And the cost for each dance session is $4 per member or non-member, he said.

“Back in the pre-World War II era, ballroom dancing was a big thing. It was the primary Saturday night going-out-to-do-something that people did. And after the war, television became big and people stayed home more.”

Anyone wanting to get off the couch, away from the television and out on the dance floor can call 342-3711 for more information about Golden Roadrunners Ballroom. It’s located at 245 S. Main St., and the entrance is in the back by the parking lot on Madison Avenue.