Seniors move and shake their Zumba thing with instructor Jill Tiberi Martin at the Connolly Center.
By Sandra Miller
Onlookers get tired just looking at the energetic Everett seniors taking part in the weekly Zumba aerobic dance class in the Connolly Center.
Set to South American beats, Zumba incorporates energetic Latin dance movies as merengue, salsa, and cumbia, which uses moves from a Colombian slave dance and belly dancing.
“The Everett group is really great,” said instructor Jill Tiberi Martin, an Everett native who has been teaching fitness classes for more than 20 years. “They are so motivated.”
Martin had been teaching Zumba elsewhere for a few years when she came to the Connolly Center as a fill-in instructor last October. It wasn’t long when she decided to sneak a few Zumba moves into her 10 a.m. low-impact aerobics class. Her students surprised her back by meeting her challenge.
“They said that they were ready for anything,” said Martin. “They were moving and shaking. It was awesome.”
The seniors were hooked, and were soon demanding a separate Zumba class.
“There was an overwhelming response,” said Council on Aging’s director, Dale Palma. “People were talking about how much energy they got, and soon they were badgering us to put together a Zumba class one day a week.”
So Palma, Dotty Randall, and Carolyn Lightburn asked the staff in the Mayor’s Office of Human Services if they could add the class, and were approved. Funding comes from the Cambridge Health Alliance and the Everett Foundation for Aged.
“There was no turning back once they had a taste of it,” said Palma. “We had no choice. The numbers are way up there.”
The Tuesday morning class now fills with up to 90 seniors, ranging in age from 60 to 87.
“With Zumba, you don’t get as tired,” said Tina Mardirosian, 81, of Myrtle Street. She said other aerobics classes gives her and others achy muscles. She likes to go ballroom dancing with her husband every Saturday, and she walks on her treadmill faithfully, so Zumba was right up her alley. “It’s wonderful,” she said.
But there was still a learning curve for many participants. At first, it took a while to get their hips going, said Martin. “They were using muscles that they hadn’t used before. They’ve come a long way,” she said.
Zumba and other dance aerobics are also good for mental fitness, said Martin, who is always introducing new moves to literally keep them on their toes. “They have to think about the next move, which helps with memory and balance. I try to mix it up, so they don’t go on autopilot.”
She teaches the dance to seniors in other towns, but there’s something about the energy level of the Everett group that really impresses Martin and anyone else who peeks into the dance class.
“They took to it so well,” she said. “But in some ways, I’m not surprised because they are so faithful to exercise.”
When Palma took over as director three years ago, he recalls his own shock at how active his seniors are.
“I really expected to see the knitters and crocheters,” he said. “Everett seniors have a full schedule. On their own, they dance two or three nights a week. Bingo and knitting are falling by the wayside, with the boomer generation coming in.”
These Baby Boomers are not your parents’ grandparents.
“They are much more interested in longevity and quality of life,” said Martin. “Maybe they do more walking than suburban people. They don’t complain about aches and pains. They just really embrace their age.”
And Everett seniors do so well because of the opportunities the Council on Aging provides them, said Mardirosian.
“They do more for us here. Cataldo Ambulance picks up the handicapped and brings them here. None of the other towns compare to what they do for us here,” said Mardirosian. “Dale is wonderful. Everett is a good city to live in.”
The Council on Aging also offers classes in tai chi, yoga and line dancing, movies, socials, and special events. Perhaps a few of these super-active seniors will follow the Irish step dancers, who are coming March 12. The Zumba class is offered Tuesdays at 10 a.m. in the Connolly Center. For more information, call 617-394-2323.
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