Weekly dance classes keep seniors moving at Shumka
Outside the Shumka dance studio, it's a grey and rainy Monday morning in October, but inside the energy provides a sharp contrast. Conversation and laughter fill the air as dancers over the age of 55, dressed in all black, file into the studio.
The 40-odd dancers are here for Seniors Can Shumka, a weekly low-impact dance class. Shumka means "whirlwind" in Ukrainian, and Canada's foremost Ukrainian dance group, Canada's Ukrainian Shumka Dancers, was founded in Edmonton in 1959. Tasha Orysiuk, Shumka's artistic director and the class instructor, told Taproot the students are lively, and they come early to chat and go for coffee after class. "I call it my Monday morning party, because that's what it feels like — they're so happy to see each other, it's actually sometimes hard to quiet them down because they're having such a good time," she said.
Victor Melech, 89, is in his eighth year of taking the class. "This is one of the best things you can do for yourself when you're elderly because it's got everything. We dance and we do exercises, that's good. That's what we need when we're my age," he said.
"And then there's the socializing. There's 37 of us, most of them women — that's an advantage for me," Melech added with a laugh.
Nearly one in five Canadians aged 65 and older reported experiencing loneliness in 2019 and 2020, a Statistics Canada study found, and it got worse, particularly for women, during the pandemic. Those who are widowed, live with lower incomes, or live in a city with a population of more than one million were more likely to be lonely, the study found.
Classes like this one are important to address isolation and a loss of connection among seniors, Orysiuk said.
"This is their favorite place to come. They're always disappointed when dancing ends. When our classes end, they still keep in touch. But that's the whole point of it," Orysiuk said. "The whole point is to have that community, to have that enjoyment, to have that fun in that community, and then on at the same time, let's get some exercise."
Melech said the physical element of the dance class has improved his health. "When I joined, I weighed 240 pounds, and I found out in a big hurry what poor shape I was in because I didn't realize it before then." He said he lost 70 pounds through dancing and is now at a healthy weight.
Some of Orysiuk's students have been taking classes since the program started in 2016, and she said she's noticed an improvement in their energy and balance.
Those interested in signing up for Seniors Can Shumka — or Shumka's Silver Swans, the organization's ballet class for seniors — can visit Shumka's website.
