SEEN: It's a matter of keeping busy

BY JOHN CLANTON
Sunday, January 13, 2013
1/13/13 at 4:03 AM

Editor's note: Seen is a weekly feature showcasing the work of a Tulsa World photojournalist.

I got here too early and had to wait for the tai chi class to end.

As new people start to arrive, the lights flicker on and Mariangel Shadley passes out jingling, shiny hip scarves.

This is the first time any of Mariangel's students have tried belly dancing. They've seen her demonstrate it before, or maybe seen it on television, but they've never tried it. They giggle occasionally as the class begins, but they really get into the spirit of things and follow the instructor's directions.

For 92-year-old Rita Shisler, a resident of the Tulsa Jewish Retirement and Health Care Center in south Tulsa, it's a matter of keeping busy.

"I don't want to sit in the corner and have the cobwebs building over me, so I'm going to keep moving." She takes my hand and starts dancing. She says that if there was music playing right now, she and I would be dancing together.

Associated Images:

Rita Shisler, 91, puts on a hip scarf before her first belly dancing class at the Tulsa Jewish Retirement and Health Care Center in Tulsa. "The more you do, the more you can do," she said. "I don't want to sit in the corner and have the cobwebs building over me, so I'm going to keep moving." JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

With her shoes and cane resting under her chair, resident Barbara Johnson takes a break to watch the instructor during a recent belly dancing class. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

Staff member Mariangel Shadley (foreground) leads her students, Barbara Dinehart, a staff member, and residents Iris Chandler, Rita Shisler and Eleanor Lutsey at the Tulsa Jewish Retirement and Health Care Center. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

Eleanor Lutsey strikes a pose during a class at the retirement center. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World

Staff member Mariangel Shadley (left) teaches the class on a recent weekday. JOHN CLANTON/Tulsa World