Japan's seniors take up breakdancing

Clear the stage for Ara Style Senior, the first breakdance group for dancers of an advanced age in Japan. In the capital,Tokyo, members rehearse for their upcoming performance at a local festival under the watchful eyes of their trainer Yusuke Arai and their young dance colleagues.

Reiko Maruyama (center), a 71-year-old councilor for the Tokyo's Edogawa district, came up with the idea of breakdancing for senior citizens to get the older population in her district moving. She approached breakdancer Yusuke Arai and persuaded him to train the team. In addition to the senior group, there are also the Ara Style Kids, seen here waiting to perform.

Saruwaka Kiyoshie is 74 years old and a master of nihon-buyo, a traditional Japanese dance art. She was one of the first members of the Ara Style Senior Breakdance group. "I suspect that I will be breakdancing as long as I live," said Saruwaka. She says the sport strengthens her lower body and keeps her fit so that she can continue to dance and teach nihon-buyo.

The breakdance ladies meet regularly for training. Wearing matching orange and green T-shirts, they practice their poses: the simplest freezes, toprocks and floor moves. "You can't help but laugh when you see yourself in these funny poses," said founder Maruyama.

Some 30% of the Japanese population is 65 years old or older. If Maruyama (here backstage with the Ara Style Kids) has her way, many more older people in Japan will take up breakdancing. "I want to reach senior citizens in the Edogawa district and, from Edogawa, the rest of Japan and perhaps even the whole world," said the city councilor.

The team practices a few stretching exercises and sequences in the stairwell just before going on stage for their performance. The B-ladies' moves are a far cry from the acrobatic feats and poses of the professional dancers who compete. For them, it's all about having fun and staying fit.

The senior citizens earn applause and many smiling faces for their athletic performance. Breakdancing got its start in New York in the 1970s and '80s. The dance sport is now an Olympic discipline, appearing for the first time at the Paris Games this summer, and attracts many dancers and fans.