The Aging Immigrants Bringing a World of Dance to New Jersey

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, Kathy Kircher, a country line dancer, sashayed between her dance troupe-mates to “All That Jazz,” from the 1975 musical Chicago. Kircher is an agile dancer, and she twirls her prop cane and tips her glittery hat with the skill of a veteran performer. Here, at Bridgewater Township Senior Center, a facility that serves this 50,000-strong New Jersey township in Somerset County, Kircher and more than a dozen other women dance together as the Bridgewater Roxies, a dance troupe made up of members ages 59 to 86.

The Roxies are led by Donna Langel, the senior services coordinator and choreographer. Langel, a tap and jazz dancer and fitness instructor, launched the Roxies in 2002 as an aerobics component of the Mayors Wellness Campaign, a state-wide community health initiative. The group participates in classes and rehearsals three days a week and performs at schools, hospitals, and senior centers throughout the area; today, they are preparing for a show in March at Green Knoll Center, a local rehabilitation and long-term care facility.