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Encinitas resident urges reinstating senior ballroom dances, says price hike cut attendance
Summary
Resident Joan Wapner told the Senior Citizens Commission the city-sponsored senior ballroom dance helped reduce isolation and cognitive decline and that attendance dropped sharply after entry fees rose from $5 to $13 (residents) and $17 (nonresidents); she recommended reinstating the program at a lower price point.
Joan Wapner, an Encinitas resident, used the public‑comment period on Feb. 17 to urge the Senior Citizens Commission to reinstate the monthly senior ballroom dance at the Encinitas Senior Center.
Wapner said the city‑sponsored Friday dance had provided accessible social participation and cited benefits including reduced isolation, improved balance and cognitive benefits. She told commissioners that the entry price changed "from $5 entry fee to 13 for Encinitas residents and nonresidents to 17," and asserted that attendance fell "from 72 people showing up to 7 people" after the price change.
Wapner also referenced research she said shows dancing lowers dementia risk and helps prevent falls; she described the ballroom as a venue for "life‑changing connection," noting she had been encouraged to raise the issue with the city council and the senior commission.
A point of order interrupted toward the end of her time; Wapner's statement ran up against the meeting's three‑minute public‑comment limit and staff ended her time. No commission motion followed the comment; commissioners noted the cost change as a barrier and included senior social programming in their ongoing Age‑Friendly work plan.
The commission did not vote or direct staff to change pricing at the meeting; Wapner said she would leave the commission with the suggestion to try reinstating the lower‑cost program and to "try it out."
