At my small, rural dance studio in Kemptville, I have been teaching adults to “move” for over ten years. People come because they’ve heard that Line Dancing is fun or there’s a new Tai Chi class in town. Styles change, music changes, but something else stays consistent. Something I didn’t expect when I opened the doors of The Workshop Dance Studio in Kemptville, Ontario.
What I see every week has very little to do with fitness, tap shoes or remembering line dance patterns.
A woman walks in for her first class. She stands near the back, arms crossed, apologizing in advance for her two left feet. By week three, she’s claimed a spot in the front row. By month two, she is encouraging the newcomer standing near the door.
I have watched this happen so many times I could almost set a timer.
I have watched people come through my door carrying things they think I can’t see like grief, early retirement, and a feeling they’ve started to fade into the background. They came for the exercise. They stayed for something harder to name.
No names, but one silently grieving student told me that her class was the only time all week she looked forward to leaving the house. Did she come for my fabulous choreography? She came for the other people in the class and because someone noticed when she wasn’t there.
That is not a small thing.
Often the talk is about the importance of keeping both our brains and body active. But in my ten years of watching adults rediscover the joy of movement, I have come to believe that the physical benefits are almost secondary.
Showing up for class restores a sense of mattering. Of being seen. Of belonging somewhere on a Tuesday morning.
North Grenville is a community that understands this intuitively. We look out for each other here. But seniors can slip into invisible lives. Retirement, loss of a partner, or maybe loved ones have moved away. This is the natural slowing of a once busy social world. It happens quietly, mostly without announcement.
Signing up for a dance or fitness class is where it starts. Then slowly, it becomes the place where everybody knows your name and they notice your new hair cut. At the end of class there’s always a buzz of chatter starting with “How are your knees today? See you next week?” It’s genuine and comforting.
I started teaching because I love to tap dance. I continue to teach because I see how much people care about themselves and others. They walk in apologizing and walk out smiling. I see you.
It is never just about getting in the steps.
Nancy Morgan is the owner and instructor at The Workshop Dance Studio in Kemptville, Ontario, offering adult dance and fitness classes for all levels. Learn more at theworkshopdancestudio.com.