TUCSON — Carol Ross greets members of her tap and jazz troupe with a broad grin and a shouted count as they move through a routine designed for women aged 50 and up. Ross founded the Rodeo City Wreckettes 23 years ago, a decision she made at a stage in life when many are contemplating retirement rather than taking on a new hobby. Now 87, she still leads rehearsals alongside her husband and longtime dance partner John, 89, and the energy in the studio is unmistakable.
Members of the Rodeo City Wreckettes, a tap-and-jazz troupe for women 50 and older, rehearse choreography in Tucson, Arizona, wearing matching group T-shirts (photo taken April 16).
Health professionals who work with older adults say what the Wreckettes have long embraced is backed by research and clinical practice: moving to music is an effective, multifaceted form of exercise for seniors. "Dancing is one of the most powerful activities for older people," said Julio Loya, a nurse and geriatric program coordinator at the Tucson Medical Center. He said dance can mirror the benefits of other forms of exercise by helping people lose weight, build strength, and lower the risk of falls, while also increasing mobility and flexibility.
Beyond the physical advantages, Loya emphasized the cognitive and social gains that accompany dance. "It engages their brain, it changes their mood, and it connects them socially while getting them moving," he said. "And it's fun. Everybody has a good time." Those elements — mental engagement, mood elevation and social connection — are central to why clinicians encourage older patients to stay active in ways they enjoy.
Tom Johnson, a gerontologist at the UC Health Seniors Clinic in Aurora, Colorado, recalled a patient whose devotion to dance was so strong that he insisted on attending one final class shortly before his death in his late 80s. "His No. 1 priority was that he danced until the day that he died," Johnson said. The clinic, which serves roughly 2,500 patients aged 75 and older each year, has observed measurable balance improvements among participants who incorporate dance into their routines. Johnson recommends that older adults add two to three dance sessions to the 150 minutes of weekly aerobic activity he advises, noting that common dance movements — walking backward, turning, balancing on one foot — specifically target skills that reduce fall risk.
The Wreckettes' own regimen reflects that commitment. The group rents a local studio and holds two-hour practice sessions at least twice a week, working on choreography that draws from ballet training, ballroom steps and classic tap. Ross, who studied ballet in her youth and later explored a range of dance styles as an adult, relocated from Philadelphia to Tucson as a retiree and kept dancing as a way to anchor her days. John Ross frequently joins the troupe for one number, and recent practices included a playful saunter performed to Merle Haggard's "Let's Chase Each Other Around the Room." "I learned early on that dancing was a great way to attract the chicks," John Ross said with a laugh as he slid across the floor.
Members say the Wreckettes also fill emotional and social needs. Cindy Soffrin, 74, said watching her mother spend decades largely sedentary convinced her to remain active as she aged. "My mom was sedentary the last 20 years of her life. It was pretty rough," Soffrin said, explaining her decision to commit to regular movement and community. For 67-year-old Gail Kowalski, joining the troupe three years ago provided a network of friends after she moved from Utah following her husband's death. "Plus, it's so dang fun," Kowalski said, underscoring that for many participants the joy of performing is as important as any physiological benefit.
The Wreckettes take their routines beyond rehearsals, performing at holiday events, rodeos and community gatherings in matching, sparkly costumes. They also accept invitations from retirement homes and memory-care facilities, and members said those appearances are among the most meaningful. The troupe typically donates earnings from such performances to charities chosen by members. "When we first arrive, people will be distracted or sleeping," Soffrin said. "But once the music comes on, they perk up right away." The effect is not unique to Tucson: a comparable older-women ensemble in Las Vegas, the Vegas Golden Gals, also visits care facilities and incorporates pom-poms into their numbers, said Cheryl Cortez, the group's president.
Across clinics and community studios, the message is consistent: dance offers a combination of physical, cognitive and social benefits that can be particularly valuable for older adults. Whether seniors take to ballroom floors, line-dance at community centers, join tap troupes like the Wreckettes, or follow instructors in a gym-based Zumba class, practitioners and clinicians alike point to movement and music as tools that can help maintain balance, mobility and engagement well into later years. The Rodeo City Wreckettes continue to rehearse and perform, carrying that lesson from studio to stage and into the communities they visit.