Dance101

Profession: Physician Consultant and Advisor
Age: 64
Started dancing at 55

I hate gyms. Honestly, I hate to exercise. It’s boring - for me at least. I’ve never been an athlete, never did sports when I was in school. After graduating college, I went to Med school and got a medical degree. There is no question that agility, balance, strength, and movement are the key to a longer and healthier life. As a physician, I’ve known this for years, but for most of my life I just couldn’t find any kind of anything - sport, fitness, yoga class that held my interest for very long. Never would I have imagined regularly attending a dance studio starting at age 55 and enjoying every class.

But then I discovered Dance 101.

I started in 2013 because their Saturday morning Dancers Stretch & Conditioning class caught my interest. I felt a bit out of my element at first, but I loved the music and the experience of being in a class where everyone moves in unison (to music) from stretch to stretch (even doing push ups). I was immediately hooked and fascinated all at once and set about on a journey of exploration. I added another class called Hip Hop Fit. Next thing I know I’m taking a Broadway Jazz class! In the last two years I’ve added Latin Fiesta and Fuego (Salsa!).

When I first set foot in dance 101, I was there looking for an exercise class; a workout that sounded interesting and different. Much to my surprise (and delight) I discovered that dance offers a whole lot more than that. I made a bunch of new friends (I would never have met otherwise). If I'm having a bad day, I can grab my dance shoes, head to class knowing it will turn my day around. That’s priceless. Dance stimulates our cognitive processes which has a positive effect on memory. I have to focus on what I’m doing in class - which helps me concentrate. I feel transported to another “place” in every class I take, and that’s therapeutic: I get to take a little break from my life when I’m in a dance class. I keep calling them classes, but truthfully, the “classes” at Dance 101 are better described as “curated dance experiences” that jolt you out of your reality and into a better place for an hour. We already know about the physical benefits of dance (and exercise in general), it’s what dance training does for the mind that is especially remarkable.

Dance 101 truly is an extraordinary place. It is a true community for women and men of all ages and all levels of dance proficiency in a beautiful setting (come and see the place!). Dance 101 is an important part of my weekly routine (for me, 6 days a week!). I truly believe Atlanta is lucky to have this gem of a place at Emory Point. The writers of Ted Lasso coined the popular “Football is life!” They almost got it right. “DANCING is life."