The Virgin Mary and Baby Jesus gaze benevolently at the 50 hands raised in the air. It’s not an act of praise and worship, and the refrain is no “Hallelujah.” What unfolds this Wednesday evening in the community hall of St. Anne’s Church, Mazgaon, is a dance routine choreographed to Boney M’s Hands Up, Baby Hands Up. The group, made up almost entirely of women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s, is deep into line dancing.Line dancing is a synchronised group dance, with dancers arranged in parallel rows. Picture a Country-Western boot-banging routine at a saloon in the Midwest—only here, Minton tiles replace wooden floorboards and saints replace stirrups.The dance was reportedly introduced to Mumbai’s parish culture about 18 years ago by a parishioner of Mahim’s St. Michael’s Church, Reina Azavedo. Encouraged by Bishop Bosco Penha to organise recreational activities for retired Christian seniors, she chose line dancing, a form she learned abroad. Azavedo, who passed away in April this year, was in her mid-70s when she led the first group of women through the synchronised steps of the dance. They practised in her living room, guided by YouTube tutorials.“We were around eight women,” recalls Sylvia Coutinho, 76, a retired teacher-supervisor who joined Azavedo in 2007 and remains part of the original group. “As word spread, the numbers grew until we had to move to the church auditorium. Soon, women from parishes in Andheri, Chembur, and Dadar joined us.” The group is currently led by Marita Duarte.Line dancing stepped up and out when Bishop Penha bade the Mahim group—the Evergreen Line Dancers, as they called themselves—to demonstrate their new skills to seniors across parishes in Mumbai. That’s how Sandra McMahon, 64, landed up at St. Anne’s, teaching its sprightly seniors moves like the grapevine and the jazz box.“Line dancing isn’t simply about dancing; it’s also about bonding. We talk, celebrate birthdays, go on picnics and lunches,” says McMahon, whose class also includes a couple of young participants, because “the former parish priest, Fr. Vincent Vaz, wanted young people and seniors to dance together.” It was a welcome reversal of the usual dynamic where youth teach older adults to use modern technology, McMahon laughs.At St. Anne’s, the dancers kick and swirl but with measured movement. Their instructor Sangeeta Fernandes, 44, selects songs that move at a pace between a canter and a sprint. “The tempo has to be even. The dance sequence can’t have too many turns, fancy footwork, or complicated steps,” she explains. “I also pick numbers the group is likely to know, adding a couple of contemporary songs like Jerusalema, so they can dance at parties.“Widowed seniors often sit out partner dances at parties and weddings, such as the jive, tango, or waltz. “Or they wait for someone to ask them to dance. But with line dancing, there’s no need for a partner. Just form lines and dance,” chuckles Noreen Vincent, 87, of the Legacy Line Dancers, a group affiliated with the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Chembur. She lists other benefits of the dance: “As we age, our brain cells start to deteriorate, and so it’s important to keep learning after 60. Line dancing helps us stay alert, active, and keep trim.”Scientific studies support these claims, confirming that line dancing improves balance, coordination, strength, mobility, and flexibility in elderly people, including those diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease and dementia.“I had a fall and couldn’t walk well for a year, but line dancing completely cured me,” says 68-year-old Lucy Gouveia, earnestly. “It has kept me healthy and active.”“I’ve even participated in the Mumbai Marathon,” chimes 74-year-old Thelma D’Souza. Sangeeta teaches the group the technical names of steps—such as the grapevine, jazz box, rocking chair, and coaster—and calls these out as they practice, so people have to recall the steps when they hear them. If someone forgets a step, they only need to look around. The goal is to have fun together.However, despite their social and health benefits—and church endorsements—line dancing groups struggle to recruit men. A parish priest joined a group himself to set an example, but men refused to toe the line. A few of them joined but soon quit. Aroon Fernandes did not. “My wife, Elaine, and I have been attending the class at St. Anne’s since it started. What keeps me going is that she enjoys it too,” says the 76-year-old, calling it an unconventional way to exercise. “And the social interactions are a bonus.”Each group contributes a small monthly sum to a kitty, a small part of which is handed to the church to cover the use of the hall, while the remaining funds outings. The money also pays for pen drives given the reluctance of older instructors to use music streaming apps.
