Class at Rodgers Center Helps Seniors Put Their Best Foot Forward

Joe Nocella admits to being a ham when he puts on a pair of tap shoes.

“If I can get someone in the audience to smile, that makes my day,” said the 74-year-old Huntington Beach resident. “It makes you feel like you’re somebody when people say, ‘That was great!’ and that they loved it.”

Nocella is among a growing number of seniors across Orange County who are discovering the joys of recreational tap dancing.

Renee Roseth, 45, who teaches tap classes at Huntington Beach’s Michael E. Rodgers Seniors’ Center, said tap is popular among the senior crowd for several reasons: the upbeat music, the camaraderie and the incentive to stay active.

“What separates it from all the other dance forms is that you’re making your own rhythms up to the music. It’s almost like singing with your feet,” said Roseth, who also teaches at Tustin Senior Center, Coastline Community College and the Dance Center in Newport Beach.

Roseth said older people often take up tap dancing as a way to keep in shape, but they stick with it because of the other benefits.

“Most of them come for the fun and exercise, but once they come, they enjoy meeting new friends. It opens another door,” Roseth said.

As one of her students, 71-year-old Betty Nocella, put it: “Boredom sets in, so you have to do something to get off your fanny.”

For others, the classes are an opportunity to fulfill childhood dreams. Carolyn Davis, 69, of Huntington Beach said she wanted to take tap dancing lessons as a youngster but never did. Nine years ago, she decided to go for it and found that “it’s something all ages can do.”

Charles Caproni, 65, started tap dancing about eight years ago despite teasing from friends. “They figure you should be doing something else--like ballroom dancing,” the Costa Mesa resident said. “What appealed to me was the effort that you have to put into it.”

That challenge and the discipline of learning a new skill keep many seniors tapping their way through classes.

“It’s good for your brain,” said Marge Maxwell, 75, of Huntington Beach, who also takes part in country line dancing and clogging. “It helps to keep your memory active. It keeps you young.”

Information: (714) 536-9387.