How it Started

For several years, dance instructor Carly Cusick was leading dance and dance fitness classes for Seniors. She noted: "The more time that I spend with this demographic, the more I have realized the importance of dance, and movement, and music, and how they relate to memory, and balance, and emotions, and well-being." She decided to create a Dance Fitness program that was specifically designed for Seniors and that showcased all of the different dimensions of Wellness, not just the physical element. Finally in 2019, after several years of research and practice, 2MW was born.

Carly has been teaching dance for over 10 years after graduating with a BS in Dance Education from Bowling Green State University in 2008. In this time she has been a teacher, choreographer, and performer in styles ranging from Jazz to Modern to Ballroom to Salsa.

Carly has been certified through the American Council on Exercise (ACE) as a Group Fitness Instructor, Senior Fitness Specialist, and Functional Aging Group Fitness Specialist.

She is excited to use her extensive background in both dance and fitness to deliver high quality classes to improve the well-being of Seniors.

"My inspiration for this program, and my inspiration for most things that I do, is my mother. In 2013, I lost my Mom to Multiple System Atrophy, which is a degenerative neurological disorder that greatly affects movement and balance, among many other things. After seeing her unable to use her body the way it should be used, I decided that I wanted to keep people dancing and moving for as long as they are able, and to help people experience joy through movement."

-Carly Cusick, founder and director of 2MW Senior Dance Fitness