An elderly couple from Germany has brought joy to the world through their decades-long adventures in dance.
They say dance has not only kept them physically fit but has also strengthened their marriage.
The couple has “experienced many beautiful moments” during their journey over five decades of dance and says that dancing, in this day and age, can bring life and joy to people who really need it.
“If people danced more, there would definitely be less trouble,” Mrs. Ehrentraut said. “Dancing expands your horizons. There are no national borders, no prejudices when you dance—everyone is part of the big dance family.”
A Journey in Dance
The Ehrentraut’s love story began in 1968 when Mrs. Ehrentraut was just 15 and her future husband, Dietmar, was 21. Any guesses where they met?
“Of course, while dancing,” Mrs. Ehrentraut said.
The couple got married in 1970 and took a break from dancing until 1979 when their children were 10 and 11 years old.
“We were looking for a common hobby, and a rock ‘n’ roll course offered at the dance school was just right,” said Mrs. Ehrentraut, who is based in Durmersheim, Germany.
Later, they switched to boogie-woogie dancing due to rock’n’roll becoming too “acrobatic,” she recalls. The couple still admires the boogie-woogie style of dance to this day.
“Unlike classic standard dances, boogie woogie allows you to improvise and interpret the music,” she said.
The couple has had many successes at dance tournaments across the world: four Austrian championships, one German championship, second place at the World Cup in 1999, and several more.
Dance has taken them on a journey around the globe.
“We discovered the ‘40s/’50s music scene and found like-minded people at concerts and festivals all over the world,” Mrs. Ehrentraut said, reminiscing about her special meetings with luminaries of swing dance such as the legendary Frank Manning and the charismatic Jean Veloz.
In 2017, a video of the elderly couple dancing in Bavaria went viral, receiving over 65 million views. It was even noticed by the British singer-songwriter Ed Sheeran, Mrs. Ehrentraut says.
“[He] quickly hired us for a dance part in his music video ‘Put It All On Me,’” she said.
Dancing Together
Mrs. Ehrentraut was born in the Austrian town of Schruns, not too far from her future husband—Mr. Ehrentraut was born just 8 miles away in Bludenz.Dance was and is the love of their lives.
Mrs. Ehrentraut says even today, when they dance together, they focus on “being together” in the moment.
“Dancing has always brought us together as a couple. This has been very good for our 54-year marriage,” she said.
However, their journey of dancing together hasn’t been without its difficulties. When asked about the challenges the couple has had to work through when dancing, Mrs. Ehrentraut was frank.
“It’s completely normal to have moments of annoyance, but you should make sure not to give them too much space,” she said. “We tackle the challenges of everyday life with dancing, at least most of the time because it helps us keep stress and moodiness, but also the little niggles of old age, to a minimum.”
Staying physically active is their master key to enjoying fast dances like boogie-woogie.
“We do fitness training twice a week, dance training twice, and enjoy cycling and hiking,” said Mrs. Ehrentraut,
‘It’s Never Too Late’
The couple have enjoyed spreading the joy of dance using different mediums, including Mrs. Ehrentraut’s YouTube channel, @SwingNellia.“It’s always nice for us to hear that we’ve been able to encourage many people to dance through our dance videos,” Mrs. Ehrentraut said. “We always receive lovely messages and letters from all over the world.”
To other older adults who wish to take up dancing, Mrs. Ehrentraut has some simple advice.
“It’s never too late,” she said. “You should give yourself the chance, in the here and now, because that is life!
“It’s a great journey we are all on. Don’t let anyone stop you from reaching out to others and bringing something positive into this world, even if it’s just a dance. We need it more than ever.”
