Edina resident Milly Schiemo, 99, dances with Woodbury resident Pat Murphy, 83, at April 14 at the weekly ballroom dancing event 1-3:30 p.m. Thursdays at Lenox Community Center in St. Louis Park. “The people are so friendly,” Schiemo said. “Everybody is a friend, and I’ve been coming here for years and years.” About 45 people attended April 14, a day that included live musical covers of such songs as “Hound Dog” by Elvis Presley, “My Bonnie” by The Beatles and “Luck Be a Lady” by Frank Sinatra. (Sun photo by Seth Rowe)
St. Louis Park resident Jim Stumpfa, 99, dances with his daughter, Minneapolis resident Carol Jensen, April 14 at the weekly ballroom dancing event in the gym in the lower level of Lenox Community Center in St. Louis Park. The St. Louis Park Senior Program has sponsored the activity, 1-3:30 p.m. every Thursday, for decades. Stumpfa said he has been attending the event for 25 years. “Ballroom dancing is something I’ve really enjoyed for many, many years,” he said, adding that he has danced in Florida, Arizona, Scotland and Germany. The cost to attend is $6 for members of the St. Louis Park Senior Program and $9 for nonmembers. (Sun photo by Seth Rowe)
Golden Valley resident John Rattray and Richfield resident Evie Aslakson dance the afternoon away at the weekly ballroom dancing event 1-3:30 p.m. Thursdays at Lenox Community Center in St. Louis Park. (Sun photo by Seth Rowe)
The St. Louis Park Senior Program hosts ballroom dancing 1-3:30 p.m. each Thursday at Lenox Community Center in St. Louis Park. The event returned last fall after a pandemic shutdown. While not as packed as the pre-pandemic period, the activity still attracted about 45 people April 14. (Sun photo by Seth Rowe)
From left to right, guitarist Jimmy St. Jacques, drummer Ollie Manley, saxophonist Bob Schroepfer and accordionist Bill Koncar provide music for an eclectic series of dances shown at right, including the waltz, the fox trot and the polka. (Sun photo by Seth Rowe)
Minnetonka resident Emil Tkachuk dances with attendees of a weekly ballroom dancing event in the gym in the lower level of Lenox Community Center in St. Louis Park. The St. Louis Park Senior Program has sponsored the activity, 1-3:30 p.m. every Thursday, for decades. Tkachuk, 82, said he appreciates that the event is during the day, is a consistent activity and helps participants gain exercise while they socialize and meet people. Mary Faltesek, who is a volunteer coordinator along with Joe Faltesek, pointed to a Albert Einstein College of Medicine study that concluded that frequent dancing helped reduce the risk of dementia in senior citizens 75 years of age and older. The activity has also been associated with reduced stress, cardiovascular benefits and socialization benefits. The cost to attend is $6 for members of the St. Louis Park Senior Program and $9 for nonmembers. Individuals with questions can contact Mary and Joe Faltesek at 763-553-9427 or mcfaltesek@hotmail.com or can call the St. Louis Park Senior Program at 952-928-6444. (Sun photo by Seth Rowe)
Dancers at Lenox Community Center twirl across the floor to live music. (Sun photo by Seth Rowe)
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