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So you think you can dance? By Kate Nolan Putting women on their feet is Harriett Carroll’s thing.
 In her packed daily “Dance to Fitness” classes at the Plumb Performing Arts Center in north Scottsdale, Carroll delivers something besides fitness. The women who attend—some have been coming for more than 10 years—speak of the choreography, the technical dance language, the discipline, the camaraderie and fun. And at a recent class, 40 women, ages 28 to 60 and beyond, wore butt-hugging dance pants without fear. Or cellulite.
The health impact of dancing is no secret. It can burn as many calories as other aerobic exercises, 200-400 in an hour. It can aid weight loss, blood pressure and cholesterol management; increase energy and ease depression. It improves balance, coordination and muscle strength, according to WomenHeart, a nationwide patient advocacy group. Research shows dances with steps and patterns can improve memory and cognitive skills, like an aerobic version of a crossword puzzle.
No wonder Harriet Carroll’s classes are full.
Each session starts with Carroll up front, speaking through a headset mike, her tiny, wiry hardbody stepping to a jazzy soundtrack. Her taut musculature and unlined face speak well for a life at the barre. Carroll, who holds a fine arts degree in dance, has boogied in musicals and choreographed pageants, television programs and routines for NFL cheerleaders. She’s consulted on fitness programs for Fortune 500 companies and created Dance Passion, an all-day fundraiser that supports Fresh Start Women’s Foundation. Hundreds of women donate money to participate in her high-energy dance classes to benefit the organization, whose mission is to put women back on their feet.
In class, her dancers arrange themselves in a series of five lines, making like a production number from A Chorus Line times five. They rotate, so each line gets a star shot at the front row. 
“You all look darling. You’re great today, smile!” the dance diva tells the chorines, who quickly fall into their well-learned steps. (A newer dancer later explains, “I just learn by watching and going along.”) They jump in place, turn, point, throw their jazz hands up, kick really high—and smile! Sometimes they whoop or shout “Woo-hoo!” The second tune is a hip-hop number (“Handwork, ladies! Now shimmy, turn it. Woo-hooooo!”). After that comes a tune from the Broadway show Chicago. By the end of class, the play list has included Broadway, jazz, Latin, rock, pop, hip hop and country. The ensemble looks like a fantasy pajama party where everybody does the cool dances, but with Hollywood choreography and abs of steel.
The sometimes intricate steps require so much focus, the women have to stop thinking about everything else, which turns out to be a great escape from stress, they say.
“I’ve danced all my life and it really enhances the body. It loosens up my joints. And I’ve discovered the muscles do have memory,” says Barbara Fredrickson, a Carroll acolyte of four years.
Nearly all the dancers are “legacy” students. Carroll prefers them to have a background in dance: women who have been in dance lines, with a studio, in musical theater or who at least have taken some serious lessons. (Her fitness-oriented Dance, Sculpt and Flex class is open to everyone.)
“My dance students are committed to keep dancing and learning. They have
a passion for dance and fitness, and that keeps them motivated,” Carroll says. The students pick up on her commitment,
as well.
“Harriet incorporates every dance genre, and she’s always coming up with fresh choreography,” insists Fredrickson, 38, who danced with the Houston Ballet, Joffrey Ballet and the Edge studio in Los Angeles and went on to be an NFL cheerleader for the Oakland Raiders. After she married Arizona Cardinal Rob Fredrickson and started a family, Barbara dropped her dancing, but missed it.
The archetype appears repeatedly: the woman who throws her heart into dance until life intrudes. The largely suburban stay-at-home moms aren’t bored housewives passing time. They’re bent on reigniting a familiar flame. Most have tried virtually every kind of fitness activity known to woman, but always missed the sisterhood, music and art of dance. They speak of getting lost in it.
“A lot of dance teachers teach to the lowest common denominator, which can be frustrating,” says 44-year-old Lisa Benvenuto, who danced throughout her schooling, but wound up in a business career. “The luxury of Harriet’s class is that experienced people stay for years and years.”
“Harriet’s motivated,” says Benvenuto, who got into hip hop first and seven years ago joined Carroll, whom she calls the Jack Lalanne of cardio dance. “I’ve never seen her miss a class.”
During a class break one day, a group of dancers is trying to say what keeps them coming back. They utter words like inspiring, up-to-date, energetic, challenging, crazy, and fun. Then Lorraine Sanders, a disarmingly youthful 63-year-old who has danced with Carroll for 12 years, nails it. “Just look at her,” Sanders says, pointing to Carroll. “She shows the true benefits.”
And here’s pretty much the punch line of this story: The sexy, sinewy impish redhead at the head of the class is 61 years old. She hasn’t a serious a health issue in sight, and she smiles and smiles. She doesn’t seem to know that at her age, divas are mostly supposed to be airlifted upon the shoulders of the chorus boys, exit stage left. But why tell her? Better to join her.
For details on classes, call the Plumb Performing Arts Center at 480-661-7461 or visit www.plumbpac.com.
Improve your moves
Dancing requires core strength and flexibility. These exercises strengthen back and abdominal muscles and increase flexibility. For each, start by lying on your back.
Crunch-ups: With knees bent, legs pressed together, and feet flat on floor, stretch arms at sides, palms down, towards your toes. Don’t flatten your lower back. Breathe deeply. On the exhale, engage your upper abs and slowly elevate your arms and neck a few inches, maintaining lower body position. Rolling up your neck, finally lift the shoulders a few inches; don’t touch chin to chest. When your shoulders are lifted, inhale. On the exhale, roll down, using abs to keep your lower spine from pressing into the floor. Slowly do 20 crunches.
Crisscross: Place hands behind your lifted head with knees bent into chest. Extend right leg out and up, inhale, twist and lift upper body so right elbow touches the bent left knee. Hold position with both shoulders off the floor; exhale. Inhale, lower and switch leg positions. Do same exercise with the left elbow to the bent right knee. Do five to ten sets.
Butt-ups: Place arms at your sides, palms down. Flatten the spine and raise legs perpendicular to floor, crossing at the ankles and turning out slightly at the hips. Inhale, lengthening your spine. Exhale, contract lower abs from bottom to navel. Your spine will curve, lifting your hips up slightly. Try to keep legs perpendicular. Inhale and lower hips. Exhale and rest. Repeat for a total of ten slow lifts.
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