NYC’s Sassiest Dance Troupe Proves Age Is Just a Number

On the dance floor, Phyllis Bogart moves like she’s made of electricity, not metal.

At 78, her pink-and-purple-streaked curls bounce as she shimmies and shakes with the energy of someone half her age, each twirl punctuated by a wide, wild grin.

It’s clear that four hip replacements, a mechanical knee and a string of other surgeries haven’t slowed her down — though they did earn her a nickname.

“With all the titanium in my body, I’ve become known as the bionic babe,” Bogart told The Post.

Phyllis Bogart smiling while wearing a black t-shirt that reads "WILD LIKE MY" in front of a dance class.
Phyllis Bogart discovered the Pacemakers after her beautician recommended she join the group. She’s been a member for four seasons.Stefano Giovannini

The retired nurse and pharmaceutical rep is a member of the Pacemakers — a precision dance troupe that’s redefining what it means to be a senior, helping people in their 60s, 70s and even 80s stay active both mentally and physically.

“I’m older,” Bogart said. “But I’m also vital. I’m exciting. I’m active. I’m alive — and I’m not invisible.”

From cyberbullying to center stage

Founded in 2019, the NYC-based Pacemakers sprang to life after founder Susan Avery faced ageist backlash as the oldest dancer for the Brooklyn Cyclones from strangers online.

“Look at this old bag dancing, who does she think she is?” one person commented on a video of her performance. “Go home,” and “stay in the kitchen where you belong,” others added.

Audition for new members of the Pacemakers Dance Team of age 60+, at Salsa Sabrosa Studio.
Susan Avery is the founder and fearless leader of the Pacemakers.Stefano Giovannini

“That is how I learned what it was like to be cyberbullied,” said Avery, 65, recalling the 2017 incident. “I was devastated.”

But instead of letting it defeat her, Avery says her daughter urged her to channel the hurt into action.

So Avery placed an ad in Playbill inviting seniors to audition for a new senior dance team. Sixteen performers answered the call.

“Our first performance was July 6, 2019,” she said. “I was so nervous, but we ended up getting a standing ovation — and our dance card has been full ever since.”

The Pacemakers Dance Team of age 60+ at Salsa Sabrosa Studio.
The Pacemakers prepare for their “Rocky Horror Picture Show” “Time Warp” performance at the New York Public Library.Stefano Giovannini

Senior moves, global grooves

Now seven seasons in, the Pacemakers boast 47 members and have won fans around the globe with viral performances that have racked up millions of views online.

The team performs for hundreds of thousands of fans each year, appearing frequently at sporting events, community centers, festivals and conferences across the Northeast. They’ve even been on The Drew Barrymore Show and traveled to Austria twice to teach their European admirers.

While you have to be 60 to join, the group hosts workshops and “day discos” open to all ages.

Notably, only two members have professional dance training; the rest come from healthcare, education, law enforcement, journalism and a variety of other fields — including a lawyer-turned-library worker who writes erotica in his spare time.

Marguerite Tomasino, born in 1953, smiling while dancing in a "Pacemakers" dance team shirt.

But there’s one thing they all share: a fearless approach to aging.

“Growing up, people would say, ‘Oh, when you hit 40, it’s over,’” Pacemaker Sparkle Lee, 65, said. “Now when you look at us, you realize it’s not.”

During performances, each member wears their birth year on the back of their jersey, loud and proud.

“There’s none of this ‘young at heart’ stuff,” Avery said. “We are old, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that we’re fun, we’re powerful, we’re sexy. We’re all these other things too.”

Stronger, sharper and still dancing

As the Pacemakers embrace their senior status, members say the group helps them stay well as they get older.

Twin sisters Star Lee and Sparkle Lee wearing "PACEMAKERS" sequined jerseys.
Twin sisters Star and Sparkle Lee also lead praise dancing at their local church.Stefano Giovannini

“I never thought at this age that I would be involved in something so exciting, so energizing, so fun and so challenging to my body and my brain,” Bogart said. “It’s been the best part of my senior years.”

Studies show that learning choreography is excellent for the brain, engaging memory, focus, coordination, timing, rhythm and movement simultaneously. Research suggests it helps slow cognitive decline and may even reduce the risk of developing dementia.

The Pacemakers are also getting a full-body workou. Their complex routines require strength, flexibility and balance, helping members stay physically fit — a crucial factor for seniors who want to stay healthy, active and independent.

“This isn’t a gym, it’s the next level,” Star Lee, Sparkle’s twin sister, said. “You just have to keep it moving.”

The group also creates a community, preventing social isolation and loneliness common among older Americans.

Joanna Wolfring, age 63, wearing a sparkly top hat, sparkly sunglasses, a purple bow tie, and white gloves.

“Being a senior, socialization is vital for our health,” Bogart said. “I know that because I see people that just sit in their house and wither away.”

Pacemaker Nicole Ash, 61, said she gets more hugs at Saturday rehearsals than she does all week.

“When you’re in your 60s, 70s, 80s and you’re growing in mind, body and spirit, it can’t help but transform you,” she said.

Twirling through trials and treatments

Even with all the benefits of being a Pacemaker, aging brings hurdles.

“There’s not a week that goes by that somebody doesn’t have an ache or a pain,” Avery said.

Serena Kindler, 60, smiling and posing in a red and white sequined Pacemakers Dance Team jersey.
Serena Kindler is a member of the Pacemaker’s “Sunshine Club.”Stefano Giovannini

Dance captain Joanne Wolfring knows this firsthand. In 2023, doctors removed a nodule from her lung, temporarily sidelining her from practice.

Slowly, she returned to the dance floor. Then, one evening while tapdancing at a Brooklyn Cyclones game, she felt fluid in her chest and shortness of breath. Still, the show went on.

“Later, I went to the doctor and sure enough, I had what they call an abnormal thorax, which was a collapsed lung, and I needed another surgery,” Wolfring, 63, said. “Meanwhile, here I was dancing away.”

Still, she attended rehearsals to learn choreography during recovery.

The Pacemakers Dance Team, all aged 60+, are dancing in a studio.