"Chair Ballerina" Susan Cade of Merion Brings Flexibility and Fun to Symphony Square Senior Living

Merion Dancer Stretches the Possibilities for Senior Vitality through Music and Movement

Accompanied by live piano music that exactly duplicates the sound of a professional dance studio, the residents of Symphony Square Senior Living in Bala Cynwyd have been packing their living room for the monthly “chair ballet” class led by Merion-based professional dancer Susan Cade.

Designed to gently stretch their bodies and keep residents limber, Cade’s class also stretches the assumption that those who use canes, walkers and wheelchairs must leave dancing in their past.

By incorporating swirling ribbons and fun percussion instruments like maracas and tambourines, Cade and her professional accompanist Tatiana Shargorodsky choreograph an hour that gets Symphony Square residents’ legs kicking, arms reaching, and heads, shoulders and necks rotating to the rhythms of everything from refined waltzes to the big band boogies of their youth.

Cade, the artistic director of a local ballet company called Pages to Pirouettes, typically performs on her toes, of course, presenting the famous story ballets like Sleeping Beauty and Cinderella to international audiences.

Cade realized it was possible to bring ballet to seniors --- not just to watch, but to participate --- when her mother became a resident at an assisted living community and she adapted some movements and stretches from the ballet barre to work from a seated position. Now, Cade has a regional following for her senior “chair ballet” classes. And some of her most ardent fans live in Bala Cynwyd at Symphony Square Senior Living.

“The artistry of ballet is what makes this stand alone and different from your regular senior exercise class,” explained Cade, with tremendous enthusiasm for what has become an unexpected second career in dance. “It also has such positive benefits for posture and even for the brain, as the residents keep track and follow a sequence of movements.  I see such joy in their faces. During that hour, they forget what they have been doing and what they’ve been feeling and become immersed in music, movement and self expression. That’s the biggest payback for me.  I can’t tell you how many times people will come up after a class and ask if they can give me a hug!”

“The room is full every time Susan and Tatiana come, and it’s not just women. Lots of men like it too,” said Linda Calvert, Symphony Square’s Director of Recreational Services. “We have a beautiful baby grand piano that sounds so wonderful when a talented pianist like Tatiana plays it. All around, it’s a joy to watch and a pleasure to listen!”