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Ponte Vedra dance teacher: Dance in your driveway 'like nobody is watching'

Cathy Florian taking advantage of the sunny mornings and fresh air by starting out every morning by dancing outside in her driveway and inviting neighbors to join.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Fla. — Everyone is adapting to a new "normal" amid the coronavirus pandemic. For First Coast resident Cathy Florian, that means dancing in her driveway for all to see, every day, up to six hours a day. 

Florian, 71, lives in Del Webb Ponte Vedra, Florida. Typically you can find her at the local dance studio she runs or at nearby nursing homes where she often dances to uplift the spirits of the residents. 

As much as she would like to get back to those activities, her work, like most of the world right now, has been placed on pause, indefinitely. The coronavirus has prevented her from going to the nursing home and the dance club, but as many people have now noticed it hasn't stopped her from dancing.  

"Dancing can do so many things. It's an important emotional support system," said Florian. "It's also very, very good for your brain."

She's taking advantage of the sunny mornings and fresh air near the beach by starting out every day dancing outside in her driveway and inviting neighbors to join in. Blaring everything from Michael Jackson to Olly Murs, she's been attracting others to join in and follow her instructions to the music. 

"You watch the news over 10 or 15 minutes, you're going to get depressed a bit. So you've got to turn it off and turn on some music that makes you move and it doesn't matter how you move, you've just got to move," she said. 

Florian says dancing is what helps her stay healthy and she can't imagine giving it up. Dancing outside allows her to still be able to teach and do what she loves while maintaining social distancing. 

"Dance like nobody is watching," she said. "That's what I always tell people. And really, nobody is!"

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