Welcome to Ballet for Seniors,
A program that invites you inside a world of beauty, musicality, friendship, and an overall wonderfully rewarding personal experience.
Ballet for Seniors is an exercise class that uses foundational ballet to work strength, stability, and mobility.
The class is designed to improve balance, stimulate cognitive learning, and embrace the social experience. It’s been awarded the Balance Stamp of Approval in Dane County, Wisconsin by Safe Communities, a program that focuses on preventing falls among older adults. Ballet has been professionally¹ assessed and proven helpful for strengthening balance and stability in seniors.
Contrary to what some people may imagine, we don’t wear tutus or fancy costumes to class but people do come ready to explore, try new things, and enjoy every moment together.
My name is Catrina Choate-Heretoiu and I welcome you to my Ballet for Seniors Program.
Ballet has always been a lifeline and a happy place for me and it’s such a gift to share this work that brings connection and joy to so many. My life experience in different ballet environments has helped me expand an elite artform into a wellness experience accessible to anyone. I encourage people from all walks of life and at any age to use and enjoy ballet for health benefits and personal satisfaction.
Ballet for Seniors offers a multisensory experience as it works the kinesthetic, auditory, and visual circuits - which, when executed together, requires a complex cognitive integration.
Physically, we strengthen balance with standing exercises that require the shifting of weight from leg to leg which engages the glutes, the abdominals, and leg muscles to activate. We talk about moving from the body’s center of gravity and transferring weight slowly through space in a low-impact way that is gentle on joints.
Cognitively, Ballet for Seniors provides a POSITIVE challenge because the exercise combinations need to be learned and remembered. We typically work in 5 week segments where we learn and work on the same material which offers the ability to gain comfort with the technique but also question how to improve the quality of the execution. It’s not an easy endeavor to remember the combinations, direct yourself through space, coordinate the movement to the music, and also work in unison with a group but it sure is fun to try which is what makes Ballet for Seniors so rewarding!
Dance is definitely an experience of multisensory integration!
Aside from the Physical and Cognitive² benefits there is also the Social and Emotional aspect to this work that does wonders for people. Dancing offers a release of endorphins which helps reduce stress and also generates that ‘feel good’ experience by increasing levels of serotonin.
When you combine this with socializing, Ballet seems to be a magical key to feeling good. During the final part of each class, we work on a dance where we spatially move in different patterns which helps us to work as a unit.
Throughout the dance we observe each other, we organize ourselves together, we time our movements so we’re in sync, and we connect not only our bodies but our inner selves as well. We laugh and joke as we try and learn while this sense of connection grows and binds us together.
It’s not uncommon for people to engage socially after the class finishes by going out for lunch or simply staying to chat together. Friendships grow while community blossoms.
For one hour during the Ballet for Seniors class, we pause normal life to leave our worries behind. We focus, we listen to music, we move and dance. We engage each other. We lift ourselves up by dancing together and we also transport ourselves into a wonderful space that is full of joy and connection.
If you cannot be with us in person, you can always join us online for on-demand video lessons, a community board to ask questions, and live classes as well.
Virtual ballet classes improve mobility and reduce falls more effectively than wellness classes for older women, highlighting the importance of social interaction in mobility interventions.³
All levels are welcomed to experience Ballet for Seniors and no special equipment is needed.
Simply join and enjoy!
— About Catrina:
Founder of SomaStudies and KineOasis.
I grew up in a ballet family so the studio was truly a home away from home and it offered me a friendly atmosphere where hard work was fun and human connection was important. At 15 years old, I moved away from home to attend the prestigious School of American Ballet in New York City which catapulted my professional ballet career. I danced with Miami City Ballet and eventually earned my MFA degree in dance from the University of Illinois Urbana Champaign where I was challenged to push the normal boundaries of ballet. I’m also a certified somatic practitioner of the Feldenkrais Method which instills in me a healthy and scientific approach to movement and learning. All of these experiences have helped me to create a sound and researched program for seniors.
— External Sources:
*1 Simpkins, C., Ahn, J., & Yang, F. (2025). Recreational Ballet Practice Is Associated with Improved Fall Risk Factors in Older Adults.. Journal of dance medicine & science : official publication of the International Association for Dance Medicine & Science, 1089313X251380085 . https://doi.org/10.1177/1089313x251380085.
*2 Liu, C., Su, M., Jiao, Y., Ji, Y., & Zhu, S. (2021). Effects of Dance Interventions on Cognition, Psycho-Behavioral Symptoms, Motor Functions, and Quality of Life in Older Adult Patients With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2021.706609.
*3 Harrison, E., Haussler, A., Tueth, L., Baudendistel, S., & Earhart, G. (2024). Graceful gait: virtual ballet classes improve mobility and reduce falls more than wellness classes for older women. Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnagi.2024.1289368.
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