Empire State University Student Leads Dancing Club for Older Adults 

Daniela Del Giorno has been a ballroom and Latin dance instructor for more than two decades. But in recent years, she’s set her sights on educating what she feels is a very special population: adults over 55. That’s the focus of New York City’s Silver Shoes Dance Club, founded by the Bronx-based Empire State University student in 2019.  

“It’s really a health and wellness program that uses social dance classes as a way of improving and encouraging longevity, creativity, community, and connection in older adults,” says Del Giorno, an undergraduate majoring in community and human services. “I really believe that social dancing is a viable form of preventative care socially, emotionally, and physically.” 

Earlier in her career, Del Giorno concentrated on teaching children, working as a dance instructor in elementary schools throughout the city. Within the last eight to 10 years though, the New Yorker shifted her “priorities,” she says, to older students.  

“I just really connected with them in a new and different way,” says Del Giorno, who has also worked with adult learners as an instructor at an Arthur Murray studio. “To see them feel like they had a place to go, to see them build new connections, build new friendships, and to look forward to coming to class every week, I knew that I had to keep doing this work.” 

Recognizing both the benefits of dance and the financial burden imposed by traditional classes, Del Giorno sought a way to offer free instruction for adults in her community. And thus the idea of Silver Shoes Dance Club was born. Supported by grants, the club—which meets in various locations, depending on the availability of funding—is always free of charge to members.  

“For me, it’s important to remove that barrier to participation,” Del Giorno explains. “We need to provide viable, creative preventative care opportunities for older adults, and I don’t think economics should get in the way of that.” 

When she has funding for a class, Del Giorno teaches an average of up to 32 students at a time. The sessions are held in 6- to 12-week increments (“if I’m lucky, it’s longer,” she notes) and are designed to be sequential. 

“They’re meant to grow skills week to week. This is really a learning experience for older adults,” she says. “That’s what I want it to be because we should be challenged as we age. It shouldn’t be that we’re done learning.” 

Learning is important for Del Giorno, too. While she’s used to playing the role of teacher, Del Giorno embraces her studies at SUNY Empire, intentionally choosing classes like Aging and Society that will help her better serve her students.  

“Increasing my knowledge of social services and working with this demographic is supporting the work I do now,” she says.