Published: November 21, 2008 02:21 pm            

C.A.S.E. Country Kickers: ‘Dancing keeps you young’

As Alan Jackson’s twangy voice begins to croon from the CASE Senior Building’s stereo, Liz Harvey counts softly to herself. “Five, six, seven…” On eight, the room instantly comes alive, as 13 pairs of feet begin tapping and stepping in unison to the beat of “Don’t Rock the Jukebox.”

It might sound like nothing more than an everyday line dance, but Harvey and her counterparts don’t make up the run-of-the-mill dance club. The spunky 55 and over performers comprise the CASE Senior Country Kickers, a very special group of Princeton entertainers.

“We’ve got people out there that are 90 years old,” said Ed Craft, who has led the group since it started meeting at CASE four years ago. “They don’t act 90, though.”

No, not unless the normal 90-year-old is accustomed to dancing the Stray Cat Strut or the Circle 20. It seems that the members of the Kickers are of a special breed of seniors, one that believes that true age is determined not by the number of years lived but rather by the amount of liveliness maintained in the soul.

“This dancing keeps you young,” said Jake Hatcher, who proudly touts his status as the senior member of the group. “I’m just 92 years old, you know. We have people out there who’ve had artificial knee and hip replacements, too. People think that old people aren’t able to do things like this, but we do pretty good.”

Throughout their years of performing together, the Country Kickers have gotten used to proving those typical age-related stereotypes wrong. Since its original formation several years ago at the Mercer County Commission on Aging (the group eventually split off from the Commission and began meeting at CASE), the spirited team of dancers has taken its unique form of entertainment around the region.

“We dance at two or three nursing homes every month,” said Craft. “And, we’ve danced at the mall and at the Senior Expo. We dance at the Rich Creek Autumnfest every year. We’ll dance anywhere people want us to perform.”

Certificates of appreciation for such volunteer performances line one wall of the Thorn Street CASE location, where the Kickers practice every Monday and Friday. One card, from the Mercer County Health Fair, notes that the crowd-pleasing group drew the largest audience of the day. The most grateful recognitions, though, come from the area nursing homes, where the senior dancers’ energy-infused presentations seem to strike a special chord with residents.

“You can tell they enjoy it when we come,” said Wayne Nolley, already back with the group after a double knee replacement in May. “And, they participate as much as they can, too. We’ve danced with them, even the ones in wheelchairs. I think it just gives them a break.”

Craft agrees.

“They look forward to us coming,” he said. “They’ll pat their feet. It’s a change for them, you know.”

Perhaps it is the pure love of what they do that allows the Kickers to inspire their audiences so. One observation of the group proves that it is much more than a collection of individuals seeking exercise. The members have formed a close-knit bond that reaches far beyond the synchronized dance moves they perform together.

“We’ve become a family,” said Janet Ward, who joined the group after moving to the area six years ago. “When I started coming here twice a week, I really got acquainted with these people, and I feel close to them. We have fun; we joke and cut up and act silly. I know that if we needed something, we could call each other.”

“It’s true,” added Sandi Lively, the second youngest in the 18-member group. “We are a family. I have a lot of good friends in the Country Kickers.”

That special camaraderie stems from more than dancing. In addition to working out their unified steps and learning a new number here and there, the members of the Kickers exercise and eat lunch together when they meet each Monday and Friday in their home away from home. The relatively new center, affectionately called Bev’s Place, in honor of Beverly Creson, a CASE nutrition director who died in 2004, is open to all seniors each weekday from 8 a.m.—2 p.m.

“They eat, they socialize, play BINGO and dance,” said Debbie Folks, a cook with CASE’s Headstart program. “You can tell they just have good fellowship. The Country Kickers are an awesome group of people. They make my job more enjoyable, because they’re such a pleasure to be around. You don’t see many people that age out there doing what they do.”

While they’re all clearly proud of that fact, some of the Kickers would rather not broadcast the numbers that they feel don’t accurately represent their age anyway. Others, though, are quick to announce the ages that often surprise those who watch the agile group’s performances.

“I laugh whenever we go dance somewhere and Jake will say, ‘from 55 to 92,’” said Ward. “I always think, ‘Does he have to tell our age?’ But, he’s proud of his age, and he should be. What that man does at 92, it’s marvelous. I can’t believe it. I think that this group has helped keep him going.”

But, it’s not only the eldest member of the group who reaps physical benefits from a weekly dose of line dancing. All of the Kickers say that the exercise involved with the activity helps them to maintain a fitness level that belies their ages.

“It keeps us limber, and it helps us stay active,” said Harvey.

“It really gives us a lot of energy,” added Garnett Britten, of Bluefield, who has danced with the group for five years. “It keeps us going.”

Whether it’s the line dancing, the exercise, or the simple power of fellowship that’s responsible, one thing is evident: all of the Kickers are still going strong. Some of the lively seniors might put a little more swing in their dance steps than others, but as they mouth the words to Blake Shelton’s hit song “Some Beach,” each member’s eyes sparkle with a gleam that mirrors the youth that still lies in their hearts.

And, when Craft blows his whistle to signal the end of their short break and asks “Are you all ready to go again?” the answer is clear even before the talented Kickers break into the steps of the Red Hot Salsa. This full of life crowd, it seems, is always ready to go one more.

— Contact CharLy Markwart at cmarkwart@ptonline.net.

        

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