Elaine Burgett first heard about the Stayin’ Alive Crew from a friend. And from the moment she saw the Atlanta-based nonprofit dance team composed of performers 50 and older, she was hooked.
“I wasn’t quite 50 yet, but when I saw them, I thought, ‘I want to do that,’” Burgett said.
She turned 50 in 2020, auditioned and made the team right away. Now she’s a co-director, using the group to live out a lifelong love of movement. She never had much formal dance training — “a jazz class in college,” she said — but she was the little girl dancing in front of the mirror and the adult drawn to fitness classes.
Stayin’ Alive gave all of that a home.
The dance team holds about 60 performances a year, including at nursing homes, senior residences and more. They’ve appeared at Atlanta Hawks games, Georgia Tech, Kennesaw State and other locations around metro Atlanta.
Retired since 2019, Burgett said the group supports each other in ways that go beyond applause. They bring meals, ride along to doctor’s appointments, share time outside the dance studio and help with the behind-the-scenes tasks that keep the nonprofit going.
“It really turned into something so much more than a dance group,” she said. “We are a dance family.”
For member Christi Elliott-Earby, the appeal was as much relational as it was artistic. A friend in the dance world urged her to audition, but the strong bonds she saw drew her in.
“When you get older, it’s really hard to make good, long-lasting friendships,” Elliott-Earby said. “I’m naturally a people person and need people around me and thought this might be a great opportunity.”
What she found was a group that “works hard and plays hard.” Stayin’ Alive has two levels. Squad requires less time; Crew practices every Sunday afternoon, Tuesday evening and sometimes extra sessions to polish routines.
Elliott-Earby, executive director of an independent charter school, has danced before — on a clogging team for eight years and during high school. But Stayin’ Alive allows her to explore dance in new ways while having fun.
“I have learned that it doesn’t really matter what your age is — as long as you keep moving, your body will keep moving,” she said. “Age really is just a number.”
Credit: Stayin' Alive Crew
Credit: Stayin' Alive Crew
The audition process surprised her. She was asked for ID to prove she met the minimum age, given a number and photographed, then sent to warm up before dancing for a panel that included former pro-team cheerleaders.
“They’re serious,” Elliott-Earby said. “This is not (somewhere where you) just come and shake your booty.”
When the acceptance email came, she said, she felt like she’d won the lottery.
Co-director and founder Janette Hinton said auditions stay at or near capacity. Dancers range from 50 to 74 — the oldest owns a jazzercise studio. Some members danced together years ago on a for-profit senior team, but Stayin’ Alive was organized as a nonprofit so they could perform for senior centers, fundraising events, races, parades, ballgames and even 100th birthday parties.
Hinton, who once choreographed dance at Six Flags Over Georgia, said the group says “yes” to as many engagements as they have dancers to respond to. Members commit to half of all events and 66% of rehearsals.
“We take it seriously, and they’ll make jokes about how strict I am,” Hinton said. “I take ownership of what goes out there because I do a lot of the choreography myself.”
Members pay for a discounted gym membership where they rehearse and buy their own costumes. Sometimes the group brings in outside choreographers. But beyond their sparkly red uniforms, there’s another dimension.
“When you have these connections with women with the same passions … you live longer,” she said. “Dance is only one part of (Stayin’ Alive). It’s not the priority. It’s the relationships that you develop.”
As the holidays approach, the crew will slip on Santa hats and take their Christmas routines around metro Atlanta.
“If we can inspire you to keep moving and keep active and take care of yourself in your later years, then our purpose has been done,” Hinton said.
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