New York City’s oldest dance teacher, 96, impresses with new performance: ‘It brings me joy’

She Helps Seniors Discover New Joys

Betty Markowitz, at 96, has been teaching tap dancing to seniors for over 20 years and shows no signs of stopping.

On Wednesday evening, she received recognition from the Tapper troupe as she performed her first show since the pandemic at the Fort Hamilton Senior Center in Brooklyn.

“It’s beautiful, it’s amazing,” Markowitz shared as she prepared for her performance. “This was to show seniors they don’t have to just sit at home. Get up, get dressed, and go outside!”

Markowitz leads the “Rhythm and Style Tappers,” a group of 15 dancers, all over 60. Classes take place every Monday morning, and occasionally, her students—some over 30 years younger—find it hard to keep pace.

“I’m still trying to understand where she finds the energy to do all this at her age,” one student commented at the Center, after enjoying a lively performance of 12 tap numbers to the cheers of a big crowd. “I’m already feeling tired!”

Starting 20 years ago, Markowitz began teaching beginner classes at the center, bringing together retirees eager to learn new things and stay active.

At one point, her group, initially 30 strong, toured the borough, performing at various events including police and military ceremonies and nursing homes.

“We were a family,” Markowitz reminisced, fondly about their close-knit group.

In March 2020, however, the pandemic shuttered the senior center, leaving her isolated and the troupe disbanded.

“I felt miserable, sad, and just lost my spark,” she recalled of her time alone in Brooklyn.

Then one day, a friend who had a studio nearby reached out, having gotten the go-ahead to reopen. Markowitz managed to gather six students again, taking necessary precautions to resume classes.

Once the Fort Hamilton Senior Center reopened, she made efforts to enroll new retirees for her classes.

Markowitz has been dancing since she was a little girl, and despite turning 97 next March, she is determined to continue her dance classes.

Originally from England, she moved to New York in 1947 after falling for an American soldier during World War II. Living in Brooklyn now, she indulges in ballroom dancing and keeps busy with numerous activities.