By Gina Mazza
He’s been affectionately called an inspiring poster child for older adults—and for good reason. Roland Ford, 74, of Wilkinsburg not only epitomizes healthy, active aging, he literally steps up to do his part to help other seniors do the same.
Roland can be found leading line dancing classes in every corner of Allegheny County and beyond through his business—appropriately named Dance and Be Fit. A lifelong marathon runner and fitness buff, Roland discovered line dancing when he was invited to a class in 2006. Just a few months later, in March 2007, he began teaching his first exercise class at the Homewood YMCA. By the time Roland retired from his position as a social caseworker with the Department of Public Assistance in 2013, he had already connected with others around the United States who were doing various forms of urban dance, and was teaching classes for others who were seeking fun ways to stay fit.
Then in 2017, Roland shifted his focus to creating exercise routines for people who don’t normally dance or exercise, or who have physical or other limitations that prevent them from doing so.
“What motivated me was a desire to help more individuals and groups, especially the underserved, enjoy the benefits of developing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle,” Roland shares. “We make it fun and easy, and nobody gets left out. For instance, I just did a program at Reformed Presbyterian Senior Home on the North Side that was all wheelchair participants. Soon I’ll be doing a program for people who have mental challenges. I find some basic stuff that works for everyone—including those who are blind, hard of hearing, or have physical disabilities. The routines engage everybody equally, and you don’t need any particular experience or skill. The whole idea is about helping people and making a difference in their lives.”
Dance and Be Fit classes are primarily geared towards the older adult population, and Roland regularly teaches at senior centers, senior high rises, wellness expos, festivals, community centers and many other places around town. He is a regular at places Lemington Senior High Rise in Lemington, Forward Shady Apartments in Squirrel Hill, Midtown Towers downtown and William Moorhead Towers in Oakland. He also has ongoing classes at the Thelma Lovette YMCA in the Hill District and Homewood-Brushton YMCA. The accompanying music is typically from the Sixties and Seventies, or earlier eras that appeal to seniors.
“Our members absolutely love Roland’s Dance and Be Fit classes,” comments Courtney Lotz, program manager at the Prime Time Activities Center in Bellevue, part of Lutheran Service Society/Lutheran SeniorLife. “His class routines are always creative and constantly evolving and changing. Sometimes they use weights or fun props, like drum sticks. For Halloween, he taught them the ‘Thriller’ dance and on Mister Rogers Day, the routine was to the song ‘Won’t You be my Neighbor.’ His twice-weekly classes continue to grow and participants range in age from 60 to 96.”
“Roland has taught at three of our senior communities for more than eight years, and he is truly inspirational and motivational to everyone that he comes in contact with,” comments Tara (Hay) Wauthier, senior resident service coordinator for Lemington Senior Housing. “He demonstrates that regardless of age or disability, a healthy lifestyle is possible. His classes are uplifting and he is able to accommodate people of all ages and disabilities.”
The easy accessibility and fun nature of Dance and Be Fit classes has led to an explosion in their popularity—not just with the older adult community but with basically every demographic. “We’ve made it teachable, learnable and doable for so many people that now we are creating programs for all ages,” Roland explains. “Another one of our upcoming programs, for example, is at a day care with toddlers. I’m as amazed as everybody else how effectively these classes engage such a diverse population.”
Roland has been hired to lead classes by the Allegheny County Department of Human Services Area Agency on Aging, the Center for Hearing and Deaf Services, the Pennsylvania Alzheimer’s Association, the University of Pittsburgh Community Engagement Centers, On the Move (a company that helps individuals regain mobility and walking skills, the Brite Wellness Program (which helps individuals with cognitive mental decline), the Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, Hartwood Acres, and has even helped Pittsburghers ring in the new year in a healthy way from the main stages at First Night, downtown.
Due to high demand and a desire to reach as many people as possible, Roland has added programming to include online offerings through the University of Pittsburgh Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, the Jewish Community Center’s Virtual Senior Academy and other venues.
Naturally, Dance and Be Fit has had to bring on more instructors to accommodate its growth. “We’ve had a hard time keeping up with the demand so I’ve have cloned myself,” Roland says, adding that he has trained two people to help out with the regular schedule of 15 to 30 classes per week. “We’re also currently talking to the Department of Human Services Area Agency on Aging to train more people at the Allegheny County senior centers so they are more accessible to more members.”
Another aspect of the company’s growth is the integration of original music. “I collaborate with numerous independent artists, performers, bands, singer-songwriters and music producers who continuously provide new original music that I create dance and exercise routines to. Some are local, and others are from Los Angeles, Philadelphia and other places. And we only use music with positive messages.”
Roland is also an advocate for maintaining good nutrition along with exercise. “Everything that makes our bodies strong and healthy also makes our brains stronger and healthier,” he says, “And since we cannot outwork a bad diet, it is essential that we make healthy food choices. When we combine eating smarter with moving better, we take important steps towards developing a healthy lifestyle.
“Research shows the importance of remaining physically active as we get older,” he comments. “A healthy lifestyle can do so much. It can improve mental and emotional wellbeing, and help to prevent and reduce chronic illness and injuries. It adds more years to our lives and more life to our years.
“And of course, music is universal, so when you bring in the added benefits of dance, it crosses boundaries of age and culture, and helps in so many ways to unite us. I see this everywhere I go, as interest in Dance and Be Fit programming just keeps growing beyond Pittsburgh into other cities. I never imagined that my hobby would become an enterprise, but it has. The bottom line is this programming works for everyone, including people who are generally out of shape or have health problems and limitations. It’s accessible to everybody, and I think that’s the key to its success.”
Roland Ford can be reached at (412) 225-9190 or by email at rolandford1966@gmail.com. To learn more, visit Danceandbefit.com.