Florida Soul Line believes a little song and dance can do a lot of good

TAMPA, Fla. (FOX 13) - Feet tapping and hands clapping. There is nothing dull about this senior center in Progress Village, just ask Erma Cherry Ford.

Ford has good reason to feel so great. On Thursdays, their meeting hall turns into a dance floor, giving guests the opportunity to move to the music. 

“I feel wonderful. It's something to look forward to,” said Erma. “It's an inspiration to me. That’s why I come here. I enjoy it to the highest."

It’s all thanks to the Florida Soul Line dancers. Once a week, the ladies in purple practice their moves in front of a very enthusiastic audience.  

“To see the smiles on their faces. You don’t have to be up on the dance floor. It’s all about moving all about having fun,” said Michelle Watkins, founder of the Florida Soul Line.

Music has always been a part of Michele’s life. In 2012, she created the Florida Soul Line with the hope that others would fall in love with dancing too. 

“Everybody wants to learn to dance. Just jump on in. You don't have to know any steps,” said Michele. 

Even though 90-year-old Erma can't get up and dance, it doesn’t stop her from moving to the beat.

“Makes me wanna get up there and bounce with them. But I might fall so I won’t do it,” Erma laughed. 

When they’re not dancing for seniors, the Purple Passion dancers are volunteering their time, pumping up crowds at events across Tampa Bay. 

“We just have a good time. We try to make it fun,” said Michele.

Michele cannot imagine her life without dance. Even after getting diagnosed with a lung disease in 2014, she still found a way to move. 

“Look at me; I have oxygen on my back. I’m out here struggling too. So don't worry about it. Just laugh and keep it going,” said Michele.

She views her illness as just a small obstacle and just like everything in her life, she plans to dance her way through.