Milwaukee Dancing Grannies celebrate 40 years of entertaining
Milwaukee Dancing Grannies celebrate 40 years
The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies are celebrating 40 years of entertaining through dance.
MILWAUKEE - What started as an exercise group for older women, now features pom poms, sparkles and crisp white shoes. Even after 40 years, the Milwaukee group is connecting with people worldwide through dance.
Iconic, glitzy, legendary
The backstory:
The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies have stepped through the decades. In their wake, a legacy 40 years strong.
Milwaukee Dancing Grannies
The organization’s executive director, Jan Kwiatkowski, said the Dancing Grannies became a staple of Milwaukee parades. The organization started in 1984 with a handful of ladies who would get together for aerobics and took their class to the street. They soon proved the power of dance is ageless.
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It’s an organization that has broken stereotypes; proving age is just a number.
What they're saying:
"I don’t think they ever knew what they started," said Maria Hollingsworth, a performer for the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies. "They established a family that has just grown and grown and changed like most families do."
Milwaukee Dancing Grannies
"Life doesn’t stop when you get to a certain age," said co-leader of the organization Jean Knutson.
Tragedy in the ranks
Local perspective:
Behind the smiles and the laughs, and underneath the sparkles and pom poms, the group has shouldered grief and pain.
In 2021, they were dancing in the Waukesha Christmas parade, when an SUV barreled through the crowd. Six people died, four of which were part of the Dancing Grannies family.
"After the tragedy, it’s like, okay, we’re not quitting. Ginny said keep on dancing no matter what," Kwiatkowski said. "Figure it out and keep on dancing. That’s our saying."
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Their resilience, affecting people around the world. Support came as far as Australia.
Milwaukee Dancing Grannies
"Taking in the impact of doing something as simple as a bunch of old ladies and pom poms dancing in the street, how much of an impact you can have on people without even knowing," Kwiatkowski said.
Join the team
What you can do:
So what does it take to be a member of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies? You have to be at least 55 years old, in good physical health, and most importantly, be a team player.
Milwaukee Dancing Grannies
The Source: The information in this post was produced using previous FOX6 News coverage and included extended interviews with the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies.