Line dancing improves balance, coordination, cardiovascular health and boosts brain health.
It also brings people together.To get members moving together, The African-American Club of The Villages (TAAC) hosted Boots on the Ground: Line Dancing for Brain Health. The Sept. 22 event was sponsored by Charter Research, the clinical research facility, at the Wildwood Community Center, 6500 Powell Road, Wildwood.
With their fans flapping and cowboy hats spinning, more than 60 people gathered for the event hosted by the club that has been in The Villages for 25 years and has over 300 members.
Carrie Dixon, president of TAAC, said the goal of the social event was to keep members active with their love of music.
“Most of our members are in their late 60s and up,” Dixon said. “As we age, our memory decreases. We do this because a lot of our members are older and may have mild growing memory problems. People love music and dancing. It heals. You can keep your memory by staying active.”
Physical activity such as dancing, improves cognitive function, boosts energy levels, improves sleep and reduces feelings of stress, anxiety and depression. Dancing also can improve balance, motor skills, coordination and more.
Latifah Martin, event coordinator with Charter Research, said the organization has worked with TAAC as a part of its event sponsorship program.
“Along with having many known benefits for brain health, dancing gets people to socialize” Martin said. “We aim to create a community with Charter Research.”
Community is exactly what Lawrence Parker feels he found in The Villages and TAAC. Parker, a member of the club and resident of the Village of Piedmont, played musical hits throughout the event with his DJ business LP Sound Productions — something he has done for all the TAAC events held for more than 15 years. “The fact that they recognize me and my love for music is amazing,” Parker said. “Music has always been a part of my life, but when I came to The Villages, we didn’t have anything like this. When (TAAC) had our first Christmas party (and I played music), the whole atmosphere changed. It made a big difference and me a happier person.”
Nancy Brennen, of the Village of Sunset Pointe, taught two of the three line dances presented during the event, including “Bad Girl” and “Boots on the Ground.” Brennen also instructs the Rhythm & Blues intermediate classes of the R&B Linedance Club at 1 p.m. Fridays at Pimlico Recreation. “(Participants) really wanted to learn,” she said. “They didn’t stand just looking at me; they really tried.”
Brennen joked the key to learning any line dance is “Keeping your right foot different than your left foot.”
TAAC member Ron Booker was the second instructor of the night, teaching the group how to do the “Jodie’s Thang.”
Since 2010, Booker, of the Village of Winifred, has led the Gentlemen Rhythm and Blues Steppers beginners dance classes of the R&B Linedance Club at 1 p.m. Thursdays at Chula Vista Recreation.
During the event, Booker advised participants to take small steps to help keep their balance as they dance.
“For 15 years, I’ve been teaching line dancing geared for men with two left feet, but women are also invited,” Booker said. “Dancing is universal, just like music. I’ve met a lot of lifelong friends (by dancing). It’s more than just dancing; it creates community and camaraderie.”
Mark LeHew, of the Village of Pine Ridge, said he feels that he, like many other men in The Villages, owe his newfound love for dancing to Booker and his weekly dance classes.
“There isn’t a guy in The Villages that doesn’t owe dancing to (Booker),” LeHew said. “If it wasn’t for him, I wouldn’t be dancing.”
La’wana Harris, of the Village of Belvedere, couldn’t miss the chance to line dance with her fellow TAAC members. “I dance on the squares every night. They know me because I always have a cowboy hat on,” Harris said. “I’m there the whole night. I don’t leave until the band leaves.” During an intermission, Martin spoke to attendees scheduling an assessment to participate in the Charter Research clinical trials for Alzheimer’s disease, weight loss and liver disease.
Harris, who serves on the global board of directors for the Healthcare Businesswomen’s Association, was drawn to the event because of the focus on brain health and diversifying medical research.
“The Black community isn’t well-represented in medical research,” she said. “We need to have more research targeting different demographics so medicine that comes out is more effective. We can’t expect ethical representation if we aren’t in the research.”Along with getting members moving and informed about research trials offered by Charter Research, the goal of the line dancing event was to raise awareness about upcoming TAAC events including Friendship Golf Tournament and the 2025 All-Male Fashion Show.
The Friendship Golf Tournament, the primary fundraiser for TAAC and The Sophisticated Gents of Florida’s scholarship program that benefits students in the tri-county area, will be 7 a.m. Oct 25 at Harbor Hills Country Club, 6538 Lake Griffin Rd, Lady Lake. The 2025 All-Male Fashion Show — featuring members of The Sophisticated Gents presenting fashionable styles — will be from 5 to 9 p.m. Nov. 1 at Savannah Center. Tickets for the event will be $30 per person. Money raised from the fashion will go toward future TAAC programming.
For more information about TAAC, or the club’s upcoming events, visit taaclub.org. For more information about clinical trials offered by Charter Research, visit charterresearch.com/studies.
Staff writer Brea Jones can be reached at 352-753-1119, ext. 5414, or brea.jones@thevillagesmedia.com.
