Grandparents in Motion

Dancing across generations
Lee Juo-chi, executive director of the Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation, says that after many years of the foundation’s work with older people, she has observed the arrival of a new era in which seniors are increasingly active. Once seen primarily as recipients of care, they now have opportunities to shine at the heart of society. The foundation hopes to showcase the strengths of families and older people through new kinds of activities.

Past efforts to promote “filial piety” tended to focus on material support and everyday care. But for a new generation, this term means “companionship and spending time together.” By practicing the popular dances familiar to younger people, family members were able to bridge the generation gap and turn unspoken love into treasured family memories.

Hondao Executive Director Lee Juo-chi hoped to showcase the strengths of families through the new format of a dance contest.

“When we were little, our parents and grandparents picked out our clothes. Today, the roles are reversed: The children are dressing up their parents and grandparents and doing their hair!” The emcee’s heartfelt introduction captured one of the competition’s most touching sights. Many children and grandchildren served not only as stylists and makeup artists but even as dance coaches, showing the closeness of family relationships today.

Although it was a competition, there was no tense rivalry. Love and laughter filled the venue as teams cheered one another on, creating a warm and friendly atmosphere. The oldest contestant, 92-year-old Pan Liangtao, joined her daughter and granddaughter in a team named “Three Generations of Ageless Beauties—Transform!” Dressed in trendy outfits and striking wigs, they took on “Fantastic Baby,” the classic uptempo number by Korean supergroup BIGBANG, with cool swagger.

Pan’s granddaughter Feng Peixuan laughingly says that her grandmother is normally the lovable, charming star of the family’s Instagram account, “A-Xiu Entertainment.” Though the music they selected for the contest has an exceptionally fast beat and there was little time available to practice, the whole family pitched in, dividing up the styling and choreography. They had worried that Grandma might be shy and reluctant to join in. Instead, she came alive the moment she stepped onstage, flashing heart signs with her hands and making playfully flirtatious faces with complete confidence.

Pan Liangtao (second from right), the oldest contestant at 92, starred in the team “Three Generations of Ageless Beauties—Transform!” Wearing a colorful wig, she danced with endearing charm.

Another standout team was “Family on the Move.” Dance teacher Ye Lici took the stage with her 71-year-old father, Jason Yeh, a former director of Taipei Zoo, and her daughter, who is in elementary school. Ye says that when teaching older students in the past, she had used gentle, repetitive movements. This time, she tried a fast song to bring out her father’s lively personality, and was touched by how seriously he took his role as her student.

Taking on K-pop for the first time, Yeh showed plenty of stage charisma, even deftly hoisting his granddaughter onto his back. “I’d never danced before, but when my daughter said we could create wonderful memories for all three generations, I agreed straightaway!” he says with a hearty laugh. With cheers from the audience and accompanied by his daughter and granddaughter, both skilled dancers, he reveled in the joy of being a “superstar.”

Dance teacher Ye Lici (right) and her daughter Xu Xinrou (left), who is learning dance, performed alongside Ye’s father, Jason Yeh (center), in the “Family on the Move” team, letting the septuagenarian enjoy playing the role of a superstar.

Left: Li Jiaqi (right) brought together her father, Li Wenzhang (center), and her daughter, Lin Xinni (left), to form “Shiny Team.” In retro outfits, they performed the classic Korean song “Nobody,” creating sparkling memories together.

Right: Wanting to dance with his grandfather, Zheng Tianying (center) invited Grandpa Zheng Maosong (right) and his father, Zheng Weiqian (left), to form a boy band. Their performance of the current hit “Soda Pop” got the whole place buzzing.

Building strength for daily life
The confidence with which older people dance onstage depends on maintaining muscle strength in everyday life. In addition to its impressive K-pop dance contest, the Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation recently held the Bulao Qiji (“Ageless Vitality”) sports day for seniors (part of a larger Bulao Qiji movement) at Chiayi County Gymnasium, drawing more than 300 older participants.

Unlike conventional sporting events, the annual Bulao Qiji sports day turns everyday activities such as carrying things, walking a bicycle, and remembering a shopping list into playful challenges. These contests incorporate the abilities needed for independent living, from memory and cognition to muscle strength, balance, endurance, and physical coordination. The event is the result of a joint effort by Hondao (the organizer) and the DBS Foundation (the sponsor).

At 92, He Laofu took on the balance-testing beanbag-toss challenge at the Bulao Qiji sports day for seniors. (courtesy of the Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation)

The event was preceded by a 12-week community strength training course. One competitor, 92-year-old He Laofu, attended every class. The course introduced him to many forms of exercise he had never tried, and made him more eager to be physically active. A pre-course assessment gave him a clearer understanding of his body through measurements of strength, balance, and endurance, so that he no longer has found it necessary to rely solely on “feeling” to judge his physical condition.

Zhang Yue’e took on the flower-watering task in the endurance challenge at Bulao Qiji sports day. She said with a smile that she usually cycles to community activities and often waters flowers in the neighborhood, so the contest felt particularly familiar. (courtesy of the Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation)

Meanwhile, the Silver Motion program is a more all-encompassing initiative focused on community exercise support for seniors. Launched by several partners including the DBS Foundation and Hondao, it uses physical assessments and strength training to help older people develop regular exercise habits. Participants can not only lower the risk of sarcopenia—the loss of muscle mass and strength—but also restore their confidence to get out of the house and reconnect with their communities.

Whether one is talking about everyday activities like carrying flowerpots and walking bicycles, strength training, or the enthusiasm of moving to music onstage, the Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation and its partners are offering a new vision of later life in Taiwan. Older people are no longer simply passive recipients of care, but “super seniors” who actively seek out enjoyment and share fun experiences with younger generations.

The annual Bulao Qiji sports day turns everyday activities for the elderly such as carrying things and walking a bicycle into fun contests. These seemingly ordinary tasks depend on cognitive and physical abilities; the organizers hope they will help older people feel the difference exercise makes. (courtesy of the Hondao Senior Citizen’s Welfare Foundation)