By Laura Drinan
Hometown Weekly Reporter
On December 13, Needham’s Center at the Heights invited seniors to dance the cold (and the evening) away at the first ever Snow Ball. Although most seniors would prefer to never endure the New England winter’s snow again, a handful happily welcomed a chance to hit the dance floor and enjoy a mixture of Christmas songs and party hits.
Couples and friends meet on the dance floor at the Center’s first ever Snow Ball. Photos by Laura Drinan
However, one couple that spent each song twirling and leaping requested Adele’s “Rolling In the Deep.” As the British singer played on the speakers of the Center’s multi-purpose room, the participants left their chairs, grabbed some friends, and showed off some of their favorite moves.
“It’s great to see them get up and be moving,” said one of the Center’s staff members. “It’s nice, too, that we’re having this in here, because a lot of people don’t realize we have this space.”
The room was decorated with paper snowflakes and paper chains were draped from the light fixtures, giving a festive vibe to the party without being overdone.
While some of the dancers at the Center’s Snow Ball simply came to enjoy time with friends, others saw it as an opportunity to show off their years of dancing experience. By Laura Drinan
As Aicha found more upbeat songs for the dancers to groove to, the COA’s social workers Kerrie Cusack and Jessica Moss inspired some of the sitting seniors to join them on the dance floor as they pulled out some novelty dance moves, and even threw in some jazz hands.
While the seniors and staff members laughed at one another’s dancing, they chuckled at their own silliness as well, and brought an entire new meaning to the phrase “dance like no one is watching.”
For the group of seniors who welcomed the new program to the COA and spent the evening dancing with friends, hoping it would become an annual tradition, the Snow Ball was a complete and utter success.
