LYNNFIELD — On Wednesday mornings at the Senior Center, the sound of up-beat dance music vibrates throughout the building, as a group of women, all at least 60, joyously move together across the floor.
Pom poms crinkle rhythmically with the tempo. Shoes scuff the floor with every step. And the laughter and camaraderie among dancers is truly contagious.
What might look like a simple dance practice is actually a vibrant display of sisterhood that showcases a powerful determination to stay active.
In 2022, Lynnfield resident and former cheerleading coach Pauline Finberg suggested that the Senior Center create a pom-dance class.
She was inspired by the 2019 film “Poms,” starring Diane Keaton, which follows a group of women at a retirement community who create a cheerleading squad.
“I thought: It doesn’t matter what age you are. It would be so much fun to do something different, not that we don’t have a lot of good programs here, but it was different, and I wanted something that can make you smile and have — this sounds crazy — and have good music. Like, ‘Oh, I can dance to this,’” Finberg said.
From there, the class just needed an instructor, which is how former Patriots cheerleader Joie Edson got involved.
A cheerleader since middle school, Edson has brought six decades of cheer and dance experience to the Senior Center, ultimately creating The POMtastics: a performance team made up of some ladies from Edson’s pom-dance classes.
The first pom-dance class was created at Lynnfield Senior Center, and Edson now also teaches those classes at the Melrose, Reading, Wakefield, and Wilmington senior centers.
One day, Edson dreams of franchising The POMtastics and having instructors teach her classes across the country, like how Beto Perez started and expanded Zumba.
According to Edson, The POMtastics came to be because she was often asked if the women who take her pom-dance classes would perform at community events, and she said, “You know what? Let’s perform.”
Since then, The POMtastics have taken many stages from residential homes for elderly people to local gatherings like the Healthy Living Expo — and even beyond at Harlem Wizards and Celtics games.
The group performed a 4-minute routine during halftime at last week’s Celtics game, which garnered a thunderous ovation from the thousands in attendance who danced in the aisles alongside The POMtastics to their setlist, which included hits like “Party Rock Anthem” by LMFAO and “Gonna Make You Sweat (Everybody Dance Now)” by C&C Music Factory, featuring Freedom Williams.
The April 10 performance most notably featured an 80-year-old baton twirler and a 74-year-old who ended the routine with three cartwheels that led into a split.
This was the third year The POMtastics have been invited to perform at a Celtics game — and Edson made it clear that it won’t be their last.
In fact, she said the crowd referred to them as “The Grannies,” and it’s now Edson’s mission to ensure The POMtastics are cheered for by their name next time around.
“I feel as though it’s been an honor (to be part of The POMtastics) because we’re representing people over 60 who don’t get a chance to perform in front of the Celtics, go to the Garden, and listen to the crowd roaring,” Rosemarie DeBenedetto said.
Joan Kaiser, who goes to the Senior Center five days/week and is an original member of The POMtastics, said the cheerleading class has “enhanced” her life.
“My husband had died right before I started, and the entertainment director here said to me, ‘Joan, why don’t you try the cheerleading? We’re just starting the group.’ And so I did and just look forward to coming to it every day,” Kaiser said. “It really gave me a reason. I’ve started to meet people, so it’s been good. And the people I met, we’ve kind of formed friendships, so we go out to lunch together and meet and text and the whole thing.”
Ann Leskiw added, “It’s not just about cheerleading. It’s about friendship and confidence. When I retired, I was lost until I found the center. And it’s like, I’m involved in so much, but the cheerleading kind of gives me a big boost of confidence and wonderful friends.”
While there are invaluable social benefits that come with this pom-dance class, and that is a primary reason why many decide to join, there are also physical benefits.
“Physically, I can say that it’s helped me lose weight and gain strength and confidence,” Rosemary Obey said. “A lot of us in the class, including myself, have had an injury at some point or a surgical procedure, and our physicians and physical therapists have told us that we heal a lot faster because we’re active with these classes, and it gives you more stability and a little bit more strength, and I like it for that reason.”
On top of the class being good for aging bodies, Edson highlighted that dance is incredibly helpful for aging minds.
“There’s so many issues that dance addresses because you have to memorize patterns, and that helps cognitive health, and also the rhythm and the changes in direction helps with balance and stability — and it’s cardiovascular. We burn an average of 6,000 steps a class. It’s very taxing,” she said.
Edson emphasized what’s important: “The fact that it’s really fun, and it doesn’t matter if you can dance. As long as you have fun, and you’re moving, you’re able to do it.”
For these women, this pom-dance class is more than a weekly commitment. It’s a space to stay sharp, stay sporty, and — most importantly — stay smiling.
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
Photo: Spenser Hasak | Purchase this photo
