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WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. - When Total Soul's horns started blaring at the annual Senior Pool Party and Barbecue at the Saxon Woods pool many in the crowd, including Rosie Halloway, couldn't help but bust a move.
"I love it," said Halloway, 71, who teaches aerobics and fitness classes for seniors at the Yonkers YMCA. "I'm having a ball. I'm usually always busy becuase I'm a fitness instructor, but this time I brought the class."
She and about 50 others from the Yonkers YMCA joined 1,200 other seniors at the annual pool party and barbecue. The barbecued chicken, tossed salad, and potato salad was almost as big of a hit as the soul music.
"I was burning calories so I can eat whatever I want," said Halloway who moved from White Plains to Yonkers when she retired from nursing at White Plains Hospital.
Halloway, who recently finished treatment for breast cancer, said dancing and teaching helps her stay energized.
"I was worried all those bad things would happen to me, but God was good to me and I didn't experience much of that," said Halloway, who continued teaching through chemotherapy and radiation. "I did drop weight at one point when I lost my appetite, but it came back."
The rain didn't dampen the fun or attendance, according to Westchester Senior Services and Programs Commissioner Mae Carpenter.
"A lot of people came to get wet anyways," said Carpenter. "The difference is people are getting wet from dancing and not in the pool."
The annual event has been hosted at the Saxon Woods pool for about five or six years, according to Carpenter. However, this year's entertainment had a whole new groove.
"They finally got some real music," said Janice Benjamin, 64, of Mount Vernon. "Usually they give us country. For the first time they gave us soul music that we can dance to."
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