Pacemakers dance team defies age stereotypes

Don’t tell Susan Avery her dancers are “young at heart.”

“We are not young at heart, we’re old,” said Avery, founder and director of the Pacemakers, a senior dance team that performs all over the tristate area.

“We are also vital, active, energetic, valuable and sexy,” added Avery, 65, a former Rockville Centre resident who now lives in Manhattan. “We are old people who are bringing a message to the world and we shout it from the rooftops. That’s why we wear our birth years on the back of our costumes.”

Avery started the group after a video of her dancing at an event was posted online with devastating results. The clip drew cyberbullies, who suggested Avery was too old for that sort of thing. “I was ridiculed,” she recalled. Instead of going “back to the kitchen where she belongs,” as someone suggested, she took her daughter’s advice and started a dance team “for old people.”

The Pacemakers first performed at a Brooklyn Cyclones minor league baseball game in 2019, with 16 dancers. And as Avery puts it, “our dance card has been full ever since.”

The group now has 50 active dancers, men and women at least 60 years old who perform at minor league baseball and basketball games in New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, and have had appearances ranging from the finish line of the New York City Marathon to “The Drew Barrymore Show.”

While the dancers clearly love strutting their stuff, for many the big draw is the team spirit. “The closeness of the group has been an unexpected highlight,” said Phyllis Bogart, 79, a Long Beach resident who is one of several Long Islanders on the team. The former registered nurse and pharmaceutical rep loves the social interaction and “the feeling of support” from the other dancers. She also appreciates the health benefits. “I’m a firm believer [in] ‘if you can move, move,’ ” said Bogart, who said she has had both hips and one knee replaced and has a rod in her femur. “Sometimes it’s a challenge, but it’s the best thing for you.”

Bringing joy to others keeps Joanne Wolfring, 63, going. The Floral Park resident has been on the team since 2021, joining during the COVID-19 pandemic when everything from auditions to performances happened on Zoom. Whether virtually or in person, performing is such a high, said Wolfring, who was recently appointed dance captain, meaning she helps teach choreography and participates in discussions about bookings and costumes. “We’re embracing our age and bringing that joy,” she said, thinking back to a performance that brought one woman to tears as she watched her mother dance with the Pacemakers. “That’s what we do on the dance floor,” said Wolfring.

They’ve formed bonds off of it as well.

‘COMPLETE POSITIVITY’

“I’ve made some great friendships,” said Sandy Russell, 75, of Melville, adding that she has always loved to dance. “The group gives me a purpose in my life as a senior. It’s like I have a mission to just keep on dancing until I can’t any more.”

Ginnie Mazzello, of Mineola, said she enjoys the community feel. “There’s complete positivity when you walk in that room, the energy is high,” said Mazzello, 74, who joined in 2024. “We all come from different backgrounds, we have different things going on, but still we relate to each other so well,” she added. “We all love the teamwork, there’s a definite camaraderie. That’s what attracted me.”

Supporting one another in good times and bad is a huge part of the appeal. New members are required to sign a kindness contract, which encourages them to be kind, respectful and supportive of their fellow dancers.

When Wolfring had lung surgery a few years back, the Pacemakers rallied with get-well calls, videos and messages. “We’re there for each other,” said Wolfring, who wore her Pacemakers jersey as she was wheeled out of the hospital.

Serena Kindler, of Dix Hills, has felt the love. After a recent recurrence of ovarian cancer, Kindler, 60, was flooded with well wishes. One of her teammates bought symbolic turquoise bracelets — the color symbolizes ovarian cancer awareness — for everyone, and several fellow Pacemakers sat with her during treatments. “I have such great support,” said Kindler. “They really are a wonderful group of kind human beings.”

ONLINE, ON TV AND GOING GLOBAL

A member of the Pacemakers since 2020 (she joined before the current age requirements), Kindler would much rather talk about how the group has become an internet sensation, with some of their videos getting millions of hits. “The group is going crazy, and a lot of it has to do with social media,” she said.

Wolfring agrees.

“The social media has taken off, that’s what’s really making the team,” she said. “There can be a lot of negative things about social media, but this is such a positive.”

Much of the viral success is credited to coach/choreographer Marissa Montanez, who joined the group in 2022. “She’s been pivotal to our growth,” said Avery, noting Montanez helped grow followers on Instagram (@pacemakersdanceteam) from 400 to nearly 25,000.

“She started doing little video clips of us at rehearsal and they just took off,” added Russell, who joined the group in 2021.

The group has learned several TikTok dances as well as choreography from commercials, many of which ended up on the Pacemakers’ Facebook and Instagram feeds. An added bonus, said Mazzello: “Our grandchildren think we’re really cool.”

Montanez, who at 40 is often the youngest person in the rehearsal studio, said social media like TikTok isn’t just for young people. “It’s a really diverse platform, and kids really like to see older people doing cool and fun stuff.” Shortly after she signed on, the Manhattan resident took video of the group dancing freestyle to Madonna’s “Born to Be Alive,” which drew nearly 60 million views on Instagram. “We got tons of people commenting, reaching out to us,” recalled Montanez. “It was a game changer for the team. It led to so much.”

Producers for “The Drew Barrymore Show” took notice and did a short segment on the team. A man who owns dance studios in Austria invited the group to perform in his country, which they’ve done for the past two summers, even appearing on “Good Morning Austria.” Plans are in the works for a trip to Croatia this year. Organizers of the New York City Marathon invited the team to dance near the finish line at last year’s event.

GAGA CONTEST WINNERS

But the Pacemakers’ biggest brush with fame thus far is thanks to Lady Gaga.

When her video for her hit “Abracadabra” came out last year, dance groups from all over the world started performing the choreography. Gaga used canes in one section, perhaps as “a nod to inclusiveness,” said Montanez. What could be more perfect for a dance group of seniors?

She taught the Pacemakers the dance, then entered the video in a contest the “Poker Face” singer was running. They were among about 30 winners. Avery and Montanez were invited to Los Angeles, where the global superstar hosted a dance party with the video playing on giant screens all night. “All of this is so much work,” said Montanez, but she said she loves it as much as the dancers. “It’s given me so many opportunities. They’re such a vibrant group.”

Everyone looks forward to Saturday morning rehearsals. “It kills me when I have to miss,” said Russell, who said she practices to videos almost every day.

Even challenges like the recent cold snap couldn’t keep people away. “I look forward to Saturday morning, no matter what’s going on,” said Mazzello.

And they love performing, though many acknowledge the occasional jitters.

“I get nervous before every performance,” Bogart said. “But I think that’s a healthy thing.” Even though she’s danced most of her life, Mazzello said she still gets a little nervous in front of a big group. “But it’s worth it,” she said. “The reception we get, my eyes just light up.”

Carmelinda Jobson, 66, of Rego Park, joined late last year and performed for the first time at a game for the Westchester Knicks, an NBA G League team. What she said she loves most about the group is the way it honors aging. “It’s all about celebrating the fact that we’re old,” she said. “We’re not running away from it.”

Her teammates echo the sentiment. “I think we set an example not just for senior people, but for young people,” said Bogart. “They realize they’ll still be able to do these things when they’re our age. It feels really good to be setting a positive example.”

Mazzello agrees with that.

“We’re changing people’s thinking,” added Mazzello. “We’re not just sitting in a chair watching TV. We want to show everybody how great life can be at our age.”

For Avery, it’s about fighting the stereotype. “Old is what we are,” she said. “Don’t marginalize us, don’t push us aside, don’t think we’re not valuable. We don’t embrace any of that. We are active members of society.”