Colatecs, the Dance Discos for Senior Citizens in South Korea are Cure to Anxiety Issues and Loneliness, Watch Video
Colatecs first emerged in the 1990s as an idea for a club without alcohol. The word dissects into Cola and discotheque.
Imagine entering a nightclub and finding all grey-haired couples dancing to the music. Strange sight, right? Especially in India where most parents just dismiss the idea of a nightclub, forget dancing at one. But in South Korea dance discotheques are serving cures to anxiety issues! Senior citizens in South Korea head to a dance hall and swing to songs from the 1960s. It may be the cold winter outside but inside there is definite warmth of the dancing couples. Such a club is termed as Colatec- a disco for seniors.
Kim Sa-gyu, an 85-year old has found his playground in this club. “What else would I do all day? My family is busy with work. I hate going to senior centers cause all they do there is smoking,” said Kim to news agency Reuters. He gets up as early as 5 am, does his daily chores and then hops to visit the dance club. The trend of this elderly dance clubs is so popular that there are 1,000 facilities around the country! There are 2,000 people visiting it on a weekend! Elders engage in knee-bobbing dance and some slow motion twirls as a part of new steps. One of the news reports had quoted Mr Jun Il Taek, "Nothing keeps me healthier than dancing... I can't live without this place." He is an army veteran and loves hitting the dance floor.
Watch video of elderly dancing in the South Korea's Colatec:
A bit into the history, Colatecs first emerged in the 1990s as an idea for a club without alcohol. The word dissects into Cola and discotheque. The only drinks in here would be soda and Coca Cola. But the youth soon migrated from these. Then it was a total re-branding which targeted a different age-group altogether. Now dancing serves as a good exercise and also a great way of bonding for the retired elderly. As the elderly population in the country is rising, there are issues of ailments and loneliness. These Colatecs serve the perfect refreshing way of entertainment to these tired elderly people. Taking care of the health, they no more serve Cola but have yoghurt servings instead. Great idea right? Can you imagine your grandparents enjoying themselves to the music of their era?
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 17, 2018 12:23 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).