Richmond’s Lansdowne Centre is transformed into a temporary dance arena every morning except Sunday.
If you drop by the Lansdowne Centre at 8 a.m., you might bump into a group of aunties gently waving small fans and doing small Tai Chi movements in unison.
And when the clock strikes 9:30 a.m., the dancing aunties turn down their music, wipe the sweat from their brows, pack up their fans and bags and head to the food court where they’ll have breakfast with their besties.
“You don't need to wait until you retire to dance with us,” Helen Chan, one of the dancers, told a Richmond News reporter. Anyone is welcome to join them anytime they like, she added.
Chan said, “dragging herself out of bed every single morning” and going down to Lansdowne Centre for morning exercise has been her daily routine for quite a long time.
“The exercise keeps me healthy and fit. Sometimes, it’s nice to see your friends and chat with them,” said Chan, who joined public Tai Chi dancing when she was still working part-time in Richmond.
After many years of persistence and practice, Chan said now she has a young heart and a group of friends with whom she not only shares her morning breakfast but also the same sense of humour.
Chan said they used to dance in the Richmond Centre area but recently relocated to Lansdowne due to ongoing construction in the city centre.
It turns out, the current location may be a better spot anyway, said Chan. It’s indoors, air conditioned and quiet in the early morning.
For anyone interested in joining the aunties to do some exercise, drop in for free Monday through Saturday at 8 a.m.
