Enter the East Chattanooga Recreation Center on a Tuesday or Thursday evening and you’re likely to hear the faint squeaks of athletic shoes on a gym floor amidst the sounds of “Come Get to This” by recording artist L.J. Reynolds. Walk into the curtained gymnasium and you’ll see youngsters playing pickup basketball on one side; On the other, 10 women and two men aged 50+ silently dancing in unison to the music blasting from a speaker and iPad combination. Welcome to Soul Aerobic line dance practice.
“We need a fan-popping song,” said one of the women. At that point, Soul Aerobic Founder and dance instructor Yolanda Cox picks up the iPad and cues “Good Good” by 21 Savage, Summer Walker, and Usher while many of the ladies retrieve black folding fans to use during their group’s signature routine. On Cupid’s “What’s Your Flava?,” the choreography includes pops on the second and fourth beat while nimble fingers work to reset (close) the fans for the next flick of the wrist. Cox attributes incorporating the fans to a line dancing group visiting from Huntsville, Alabama that performed at the Chattanooga-Hamilton County Minority Health Fair.
Ms. Cox, affectionately nicknamed “LaLa”, has been teaching line dancing since 2012 at various rec centers across the city. When the Covid pandemic closed centers in 2020, regular dancers urged LaLa to continue classes – somewhere, anywhere– to keep their physical and mental capacity lifted. What began as private exercise classes, Soul Aerobic has become the featured entertainment at birthday parties, health fairs, music festivals, and citywide events. The dancers opened for the 2024 BEC Awards and the 2024 Chattanooga New Year’s Eve Party. The organizer says they traveled out of state in 2023 to a ‘showcase’ or competition. “In the line dance community, we’re all friends across the region,” LaLa said. “It’s in the plans to attend other [out of town] events in the future.”
“It’s very good exercise. I’m 63, and I love to move and groove,” said Jerome Brewer, who is often the only male line dancer at their performances. “I’ve tried to get more men to join us ever since 2012 when I started dancing. A lot of them claim they have ‘two left feet’ or wouldn’t be able to keep up. They just need to be motivated.” In addition to dancing, Brewer is a “line coach” who energizes the group and helps others with their steps.
Beginners classes are held Mondays and Wednesdays from 6-7 p.m. at Shepherd Community Center; Intermediate and Advanced practices are held Tuesdays and Thursdays at East Chattanooga Rec from 6-7 p.m.
Soul Aerobic Line Dancing Upcoming Appearances:
April 6 - Rock The Riverfront - Chattanooga Riverfront
April 13 - Line Dance Day Party - Shepherd Community Center - 2124 Shepherd Road
April 27 & 28 - Chattanooga Seafood Bash - Coolidge Park - 150 River St.