Square Dancing Brings Joy to Wynwood House Seniors
By Community Correspondent
A wave of laughter and fiddle music rolled through Wynwood House in Centre Hall on Thursday morning, where residents traded their chairs for a spot on the dance floor.
With cowboy hats, tambourines, and bright smiles, they joined a Halloween-themed square dance called by Cory Geishauser, proving that fun has no age or mobility limit.
It was Wynwood House’s second event of its kind, following a patriotic-themed dance on Sept. 11.
Residents joined in however they could — from dancing to clapping along to familiar tunes like the “Cupid Shuffle” and a cowboy-style “Macarena.”
“The goal is to get everyone moving and smiling,” Geishauser said. “Even if they can’t stand, they can still laugh and enjoy themselves. These dances are handi-capable — everyone can do it.”
Volunteers from CARES of Central PA and local churches helped residents promenade, do-si-do, and twirl their chairs.
Ninety-nine-year-old Jennie Miller tapped her tambourine to the rhythm. “He plays the music we know and like,” she said. Barbara Held, 87, dressed in her best cowgirl outfit and let out a hearty “yeehaw” after each song.
Geishauser’s love for square dancing goes back three decades, when he danced with his grandparents.
WATCH INTERVIEW WITH CORY HERE:
After his grandfather entered a care home, Geishauser brought square dancing to him — and soon to other facilities across Pennsylvania.
Since then, he has called dances for handi-capable groups from Pittsburgh to State College, and even internationally in Sweden, Germany, and Denmark.
During the pandemic, he connected with leaders starting handi-dance groups inRussia and Japan, helping keep the tradition alive worldwide.
He credits part of his philosophy to a lesson he learned during an internship on “Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood” in the early 1990s.
“Fred once told me, and even said it on the program: ‘It’s not so much what we have that matters, it’s what we do with what we have that matters most,’” Geishauser recalled. “That message has stuck with me ever since — and I try to live it through these dances.”
Wynwood House Executive Director Savannah Graham said the events have brightened the atmosphere.
“After COVID, we didn’t have many group activities. Cory really brought life back into the building,” she said.
Local volunteers Audrey and Jack Oakes also perform weekly sing-alongs, adding to the home’s renewed sense of community.
Geishauser hopes to continue the dances every month or two. “If I can make them smile,” he said, “I’ve done good.”
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