'Try anything': Japan's silverhaired cheer-dancing squad
Cochin Herald|May - June 2021
Pompoms rustle and silver shoes flash as Japan Pom Pom practices, moving to a lively cheer dance beat. With members ages 60 to 89, they're no ordinary squad.
'Try anything': Japan's silverhaired cheer-dancing squad

But don't you dare call them grannies.

Right at the start, we weren't very happy about being called 'granny cheer dancers,' says Fumie Takino, the bubbly, energetic 89-year-old who founded Japan Pom Pom - average age, 72 years - more than 25 years ago.

At a recent weekly practice, resumed after a year off, mask-wearing members checked temperatures before stretching, then moved into their dance routines - socially distanced, of course.

Though most wore sweatpants and t-shirts with a glittery Japan Pom Pom, for performances they don sequined, mini-skirted cheer costumes. For one routine, Takino wears a leather biker jacket and shades; in another, all sport silver wigs.

It's dancing; moving your body is nice, she said. And the costumes are unbelievably showy. Some people join just so they can wear them.

This story is from the May - June 2021 edition of Cochin Herald.

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This story is from the May - June 2021 edition of Cochin Herald.

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