Dolores Niskanen
Dolores Melba-May Niskanen (nee Vuori) (16 August 1931 – 5 May 2025 (aged 93)) was a Canadian of Finnish descent from Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario who was a professional dancer and dance instructor. She ran a dance studio in Thunder Bay for about 30 years from about 1972 to 2002. She lived her final 23 years in London, Ontario, at 22 Picton Street, where she "died on her own terms" at home. [22]
Early life
Dolores was born on 16 August 1931 in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario [22] to Toini Irene (likely nee Laasko) and Hannes Antinpoika Vuori (1892 - 1962), a carpenter and general contractor. Her parents were immigrants from Finland; the 1969 Standard article described Dolores as "a second-generation Canadian, born in Northern Ontario" whose "Finnish grandparents" had a strong influence on her. [25] Her grandparents called her "Pikku". [22] She was a dancer from age three, and her mother and grandmother were both involved in volunteer work — something Dolores described as "part of our heritage". [24]
Her father Hannes had previously been married, to Amelia Hermanson, so when she was born she already had a half-brother based in Thunder Bay:
- Raymond Johannes "Ray" Ward (Vuori) (1921 - 1998). Ray had four children, including genealogist Matthew Robert Ward.
Her father Hannes died in 1962 at age 70 in Saint Catharines. After Hannes' death, Dolores' mother Toini Irene remarried to a man named Onni Kuisma. [22]
Career
Dolores grew up in St. Catharines, Ontario, where her family settled after leaving Sault Ste. Marie (her obituary lists her communities in order as "Sault St. Marie, Sudbury, St. Catharines, Toronto, Thunder Bay or London" [22]). Her father Hannes lived in St. Catharines until his death in 1962, and in 1957 Vapaus reported her as being "from St. Catharines". She first learned East Indian dance in St. Catharines before studying and performing professionally in Toronto. [25] She also performed in Thunder Bay and Sudbury through the Finnish community; Rita Peterson recalled being mesmerized by her dancing at the Little Finn Hall in Thunder Bay as early as 1951.
[In about 1951] as a little girl I was mesmerized by her dancing at the "Little Finn Hall" [1] at [316] Bay Street. She was my dance inspiration in person instead of just these 1950s exotic mideastern dances in the movies. Fast forward to the latter 1980s when I was writing for Lakehead Living and Lakehead Seniors: I was delighted to connect with her for a feature story and to let her know of my childhood enchantment.
— Rita Peterson, in Thunder Bay Memories Facebook Group, 9 July 2019 [2]
Professional Dancer
On 8 August 1957 Dolores performed a solo as part of a dance by her dance troupe in Toronto. She was reported as being from St. Catherine's.
On 19 June 1960, CBC's anthology television program General Motors Theatre, which broadcast theatrical works live, broadcast an episode "The Virtuous Island" in which Dolores apparently played a supporting role. The episode starred Canadian actor John Colicos, who later went on to great fame on Star Trek as the first Klingon, Kor, in 1967.
In the early 1960s, Dolores was the instructor for the Yritys athletic club, part of the Toronto Yritys and Finnish Organization. They performed a "mass gym by the girls, a hoop gym by the girls and a folk dance (a Finnish polka)", on Sunday 9 July 1961.
On Sunday 4 August 1963, at 20:00, at 300 Bathurst Street, Toronto, at a Finnish dancing event, a dance troupe led by Dolores was set to perform the piece "Finlandia in abstract" as the closing number of the performance. [19]
31 July - 2 August 1970, Vapaus newspaper advertised a "suurjuhla" or "High Feast" event. Dolores performed an "erikoistanssia" - finnish for "special dance" - at the "Anniversary Concert" segment, which was held at St. Lawrence Centre for the Arts, Toronto. [20]
Her achievements also led her to performances in Finland. [22] In about 1966, she visited Finland on a scholarship to study physical education. While in Helsinki, she danced on a variety television show and performed with more than 2,000 students in a physical culture display at Helsinki Stadium. [25]
St. Catharines: Valhalla Health Club
By the late 1960s, Dolores was back in St. Catharines, where she taught health and exercise classes for women at the Valhalla Health Club on St. Paul Street. A 1969 profile in The Standard described her as five-foot-seven, 116 pounds, with "flashing dark eyes", and noted she was a professional dancer specializing in classical East Indian dances, which she had first learned in St. Catharines before studying and performing in Toronto. [25] She blended East Indian dance movements, Scandinavian gymnastics, and modern exercise science — all to the rhythm of bongo drums. She told the reporter: "When I did a lot of East Indian dancing, we did our rehearsals to drum rhythms and I was always crazy about the drum beats. So I always found a drum in my hand when I started teaching." [25] The article confirmed Dolores was "a second-generation Canadian, born in Northern Ontario", with a strong Finnish grandparental influence. [25]
The Valhalla Club was distinctive in providing facilities for children and teenagers. Dolores ran family classes on Sundays, and her 10-year-old son Keven helped out on Sunday afternoons. [25] She took the scientific aspect of exercising seriously, tailoring individual programs based on medical background, and insisted: "But everybody needs exercising, whether they're five or 75." [25]
Move to Thunder Bay and Teaching Career
After moving to Thunder Bay with her teenage son Keven in about 1972, she continued her career as a dancer and teacher.
Sometime on or before 1981 she started calling her classes a "School of Dance", which she taught out of the Big Finn Hall above the Hoito on Bay Street, as well as the St. Joseph's Heritage. She taught yoga, aerobics, ballroom dance, and possibly other styles.
Dolores Niskanen donated a gift certificate for her School of Dance to the first "Wymmyn's [sic] Social", held on 14 November 1981 in Thunder Bay.
Condolence From: Bev Wakefield
Condolence: Remembering all the good coffee times we had years ago in the cafeteria at St Joe's Heritage after our exercise class with Delores [sic] Niskanen. Whenever I met [Danica Brovak] she always had a minute to stop and chat.
Wednesday January 06, 2010
— Bev Wakefield, in memory of Danica Mary Brovak, 6 January 2010 [3]
As of 1999 she had moved to a dedicated facility at 16 Court Street South, in the historic Ruttan Block, (named for the former mayor of Port Arthur, Mayor James Ruttan) in downtown Port Arthur, Thunder Bay. The studio's phone number was (807) 344-1300. It was called the Dolores Niskanen Studio Of Fitness & Dance.
Michael Currie took classes weekly for 8 months with Tanya Elise Watson (nee Oja) in the fall 1999 and winter 2000 semesters.
One of her most dedicated students during this time was Wayne Hill; he was often used as the demonstration partner when she was teaching her class. Later, Wayne was having a meal with another person at the Valhalla Inn when Michael Currie saw him, around 2001.
In a 2002 farewell interview with the Chronicle-Journal, Dolores described her teaching philosophy: [23]
You have to be interested in your students. It takes time and patience, lots of patience. Work slowly and at your students' speed. I start with the beat of a dance drum and tell them you have to follow a rhythm. You have to walk to a beat before you can dance. The men especially look around and wonder what's this about, but then the beat goes slow, slow, fast, fast. You spend time with the basics, because all dance begins with a very basic step. Later on, after weeks, they say, 'Hey, there's that beat you did with the drum.' Just as we all learned one thing and another from our parents.
— Dolores Niskanen, quoted in "Dancer, teacher, citizen Niskanen saying farewell", Chronicle-Journal, 2 April 2002 [23]
Volunteer Work and Fundraising
Beyond dance and fitness, Dolores was deeply committed to community service. Her six Snowflakes of Hope fashion shows raised $38,000 for breast cancer research, a cause she was drawn to when she realized how many of her fitness family had been lost to the disease. [23] She also lent her energy to the Arthritis Society, serving as their fundraising chair for three years, and was a clothing donor for the Faye Peterson House. [23]
In her Thunder Bay farewell, Dolores said: "I want to thank all the people in Thunder Bay for supporting my studio for 30 years and supporting my work. I will miss all my students and fitness family. Thanks to all who made the fashion shows for breast cancer such a success and to the public for making them a sell-out. I will miss Thunder Bay and I just hope everyone will keep dancing, exercising and staying fit for life." [23]
Departure from Thunder Bay
In April 2002, Dolores left Thunder Bay to move to London, Ontario. A formal farewell was held on the evening of 6 April 2002 at the Prince Arthur Hotel, organized by her longtime friend John Walas (phone 345-6363). [23] Her friend Darlene Gregory had been instrumental in organizing her aerobic classes and fashion shows, along with Doris Jorgensen of the "Little Mermaid", who supplied the fashions. [22]
Her studio at 16 Court Street South appears to have closed after her departure, as Google Street View shows it as derelict as of 2009, and occupied by a lingerie store as of 2012.
London, Ontario
In London, she married her second husband Dr. Allan Paivio (see below). In 2007 she organized a fundraiser for breast cancer research at Aroma Restaurant in London.
Snowflakes of Hope. To raise money for breast cancer research, Smart Woman of Cherryhill Village Mall hosted dinner, a fashion show and a silent auction at Aroma restaurant downtown. Kim Ariesen (Fashion Coordinator) and Dolores Niskanen (Event Coordinator) put on an impressive show with the models from Elegance School of Modeling. With all the fashions stating class, and dinner being unparalleled, there is little reason to doubt that next year's show will be anything less than impressive.
— snapd London, 2007 (written possibly by photographer Jason Wells)
She was listed as one of about 70 members of the "volunteer committee" of Orchestra London (Ontario) in their annual report 2011/2012. [4]. In 2018 she donated to the "Bereaved Families of Ontario - Southwest Region" organization.
Dolores had a great appreciation for physical fitness, flexibility, and mindfulness which she practiced daily right to the end. She ran free fitness classes for residents of her Picton Street condo building for more than two decades. [24] In December 2024, at age 93, the London Free Press profiled her under the headline "Fitness instructor still going strong at age 93: 'Don't want it to stop'". By then she was teaching from a chair due to arthritis, but her classes still included a warmup, upper body exercises, core exercises, leg exercises, and a stretch, with choreographed movements for each song. She told the reporter: "I know I'm 93 right now. . . . My philosophy is to keep busy and have many interests. I love being active. I don't want it to stop. I love teaching." [24] She described herself as a dancer since age three — with more than 80 years of experience as a teacher. [24] Her friend Barb O'Sullivan, 72, who had been attending the classes for eight years, said: "I came because I was having back problems, and the exercise, friendship and spirit of the class have meant a lot to me." [24] O'Sullivan attended Dolores while she taught exercise classes twice a week right up to March 2025. [22]
Personal life
First Marriage
Some time between 1953 and 1956, Dolores married her first husband, Wally Niskanen. It is possible that Wally was related to famous Finnish ballet dancer Toivo Niskanen (1887 - 1961). [11] [12] [13]. Wally and Dolores had a son, Keven, in 1958.
Dolores had been separated from Wally since at least Christmas 1970, when she, her mother, and her 12-year-old son listed themselves in a "Merry Christmas and Happy New Year" page of the Vapaus Finnish-language newspaper. [5]. Her ex-husband Wally remained in St Catherines. Wally eventually remarried, to a woman who died in St Catherines in 2003. Wally moved to Red Deer sometime between 2003 and 2014.
Keven Niskanen
With Wally she had a son, Keven Richard Vuori Niskanen (1958 - 2 March 2014), born in St. Catherines.
In the early 1970s, Dolores moved with her son Keven to Thunder Bay.
According to his obituary, Keven spent his teen years in Thunder Bay, attending Westgate High School before moving to Victoria, BC. So it's likely that Dolores had moved to Thunder Bay by about 1972, and then in about 1976 her son moved away from home to Victoria, BC.
Keven was "a licensed finishing carpenter and had a great interest in architecture, design, and colour. He loved animals and was a fan of the Rolling Stones." From his obituary it does not appear that Keven married or had issue. This means Dolores had no surviving biological descendants after 2014.
Second Marriage
Her second husband was Dr. Allan Paivio (1925 - 2016), a former bodybuilder and Mr. Canada 1948 who was born in Thunder Bay and was later Professor of psychology at the University of Western Ontario. According to the Chronicle-Journal, when she left Thunder Bay in 2002 she was leaving "to get married to a man whom she has not seen in almost 50 years" [23], suggesting she and Allan Paivio had first known each other around 1952, possibly through the Finnish community in Thunder Bay or Sault Ste. Marie. She married him sometime after his first wife Kathleen Laura Blanche "Kay" Austin died after 50 years of marriage (circa 1945 - 1995). [7]
Coincidentally, in 1928 her second husband's father worked briefly on a paper called Vapaus (Finnish for "freedom"). This same paper reported on Dolores' dance performances and teaching, from 1952 to at least 1970, in at least six articles; this would have been 30 years before she would have met her second husband.
He dedicated his 2007 book, Mind and Its Evolution to her.
I am especially grateful to my wife Dolores Niskanen for her patience during the many years when she thought I was glued to my computer. But then, she understands passion for a calling from her own long career in dance and choreography.
— Dr. Allan Paivio, second husband of Dolores, in the acknowledgements to his book, Mind and Its Evolution, 2007
With Dr. Allan she became stepmother to the five adult children from his previous 50-year marriage to Kay: Sandra, Anna Lee, Heather, Eric, Karina.
Bereavements
In 2013 her son Keven moved to London from Ottawa, likely to be closer to his mother so she could take care of him as he suffered from a terminal illness. At 14:00 on Sunday 2 March 2014, Dolores watched her only child Keven "take his final breath" at the University Hospital, London. A month later, Dolores' husband had to endure a death of one of his children, Heather Kathleen Gérard, age 63.
Two years later, on 19 June 2016, Dolores' second husband Allan died.
In 2018, Dolores appears as one of dozens of donors who donated between $100 and $249 to the charity, Bereaved Families of Ontario - Southwest Region. She would qualify for the charity's grief support category 1 of 4, "Parents who have lost a child of any age", since she lost her son in 2014. [21]
Death
Dolores died on 5 May 2025 at her home at 22 Picton Street in London, Ontario, at the age of 93. Her obituary, written by her longtime friend John Walas, described her as having passed "in the same way she lived in it, independent, steadfast, and on her own terms." [22] Her ashes were to join her son Keven, her mother, and her grandparents in the Laasko family grave site in New Greenwood Cemetery, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. A Celebration of Life was held in London on 12 May 2025 in the Common Room at 22 Picton Street, and another in Thunder Bay at 19:00 on Wednesday 4 June 2025 in the Provincial Room upstairs in the Prince Arthur Hotel. [22]
Dr. Irving Taylor murder
In 1975, in Texas, Eva Spero, mother of Dr. Irving Taylor, Saul Taylor, and Lillian Taylor, died. Irving lived in Thunder Bay while his siblings in Texas were supposed to take care of their mother. But Irving sued his siblings for mismanaging her assets. On 8 October 1982 in a Houston law office, Saul shot and killed Irving while he was on a visit to Texas as part of the case.
On 8 October 1982, "Delores [sic] Niskanen" was the named life insurance and pension beneficiary and received about CAD 175,000 when 57-year-old Lakehead University professor Dr. Irving Abraham Taylor (1925 - 1982) was shot dead in Houston, Texas by Irving's brother Houston Police Officer Saul Taylor (1918 - 1999) in a dispute over a family inheritance. It is not clear what Dolores' connection was to Irving, especially since the Irving Taylor estate's executrix was a woman named "C. Dianne Taylor", of Thunder Bay, which would appear to make Diane likely to be Irving's wife. However, Irving was married five times and fits the type of man who would have interested Dolores, as he was a professor of psychology, so it is possible she was previously married to him. He lived in Thunder Bay from 1975 to 1982. The case became subject to a lawsuit in American Court since Irving was an American citizen and so his estate was subject to American taxes. [14] [15] [16] [17]
Sources
1. Mind and Its Evolution: A Dual Coding Theoretical Approach By Allan Paivio. Google Books
2. https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/chroniclejournal/obituary.aspx?n=keven-niskanen&pid=174241737
3. http://yourlifemoments.ca/sitepages/obituary.asp?oid=792072
4. http://ca.soopage.com/company/Niskanen_Dolores_Studio_Of_Fitness_Dance_5Yw8.html
5. http://yourlifemoments.ca/sitepages/obituary.asp?oId=961211
6. 13 July 1961. Vapaus (Sudbury). https://newspapers.lib.sfu.ca/vapaus2500-42082/page-3
7. Northern Women Journal, 1981. http://northernwomansbookstore.ca/resources/NWJ/1981%20Vol%207%20No.%201.CV01.pdf
8. UWO remembers Dr. Al Paivio http://www.psychology.uwo.ca/people/faculty/remembrance/paivio-psynopsiswinter2017.pdf
9. Tanya Oja, Considering Childlessness. 2008. https://philpapers.org/rec/OJACCA
10. Dolores' Geni entry https://www.geni.com/people/private/6000000045712447821?through=6000000045689225101
11. https://www.danceinfo.fi/en/factsfigures/history-of-finnish-dance-in-a-nutshell/
12. https://commons.m.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Toivo_Niskanen
13. https://asiakas.kotisivukone.com/files/wwwmakkonen.kotisivukone.com/i_existing.pdf
14. http://news.ourontario.ca/3171000/data?n=4
15. https://www.leagle.com/decision/1989155456khtcm149811261
16. http://news.ourontario.ca/3170981/data?n=377
17. http://tx.findacase.com/research/wfrmDocViewer.aspx/xq/fac.19820729_0041499.TX.htm/qx
18. http://yourlifemoments.ca/sitepages/obituary.asp?oid=792072
GERRARD, Heather Kathleen (nee Paivio) - Peacefully at Victoria Hospital on Tuesday April 15, 2014 in her 63rd year. Beloved wife of Zorin Gerrard of London. Loving mother of Aaron Gerrard of London. Cherished daughter of Allan Paivio (Dolores Niskanen) of London. Sister of Sandra Paivio of Windsor, Anna Lee Dietsche (Robert) of London, Eric Paivio (Laura) of St. Thomas, Karina Macfarlane (John) of St. Thomas. Fondly remembered by several nieces and nephews and great nieces and nephew. Predeceased by her mother Kathleen Paivio. Cremation has taken place.
19. Vapaus, 23 July 1963. Page 9. https://newspapers.lib.sfu.ca/vapaus2500-40370/page-9
20. Vapaus, 21 July 1970. Page 9. https://newspapers.lib.sfu.ca/vapaus2500-35022/page-9
21. BFO Annual Report 2018, May 2018 [6]
22. Obituary of Dolores Niskanen, written by her longtime friend John Walas, Legacy.com / Chronicle-Journal, 2025. [7]
DOLORES NISKANEN 1931- 2025
Dolores Melba-May Vuori-Niskanen, born in Sault St. Marie, Ontario on August 16, 1931 passed from this physical world in the same way she lived in it, independent, steadfast, and on her own terms on May 5th, 2025 in her home in London, Ontario.
A warm, spirited, loving mother, spouse, and friend who was proud of her Finnish heritage and actively engaged in that community wherever she lived, including Sault St. Marie, Sudbury, St. Catharines, Toronto, Thunder Bay or London.
At and early age Dolores (called PIKKU by her loving grand parents) discovered dance. This led her to a lifetime of appreciation for this, and all forms of art. Her achievements led her to performances in Finland, Toronto, Sudbury and Thunder Bay.
Dolores was an accomplished choreographer, dance teacher, business women, fundraiser, volunteer, fitness instructor, writer, performer and friend.
Her innate talent and masterful teaching technique grounded in patience and complete understanding of dance as an art form, benefited hundreds of students over her life time. Dolores also had a great appreciation for physical fitness, flexibility, and mindfulness which she practiced daily right to the end.
Though Dolores endured much in her life's journey, giving back to her community was important and not just going through the motions, it was a responsibility to Dolores, whether it was putting on fashion shows fundraising for Breast Cancer, Orchestra London, it did not matter, it deserved 100% of her focus, time, and effort.
Dolores was predeceased by her Father Hannes Vuori, her Mother Toini Irene Vuori-Kuisma, and Step-Father Onni Kuisma. From her first Marriage to Wally Niskanen, her only child Keven In March 2014, and her beloved husband Dr. Allan Paivio June, 2016.
Dolores ashes will join her son Keven, her Mother and her Grandparents…… in the Laasko family grave site, in New Greenwood Cemetery, Sault St. Marie, Ontario.
Dolores leaves behind and will be sadly missed by her dear friends John and Pam Walas who have been by her side in friendship for over 38 years of Dolores' life journey, the countless friends and students that were inspired by her SISU and her zest for living a full life, especially those who shared her last 23 years at 22 Picton St., London, Ontario. Close friends Betty Casey who cared for and comforted her through the difficult days and hours of her final journey, Barbera O'Sullivan, who attended Dolores while she taught her exercise classes twice a week right up to March of this year. Her life long friends Anita Priddle (Sault St.Marie), Henry Huhtanen (Toronto), Jatta Heinonkari (B.C.) her special friends in Thunder Bay, Darlene Gregory who as instrumental in organizing her aerobic classes and fashion shows along with Doris Jorgensen of the "Little Mermaid", who suppled those fashions. To Jackie Adduono, close personal friend Maija Sarkka, and to her many students, and friends, know that Dolores always kept you in her heart.
Dolores will forever live in many hearts! Rest in Peace….. PIKKU TANSI….. "Life is like a dance" ( ELAMA ON KUIN TANSI )
A Celebration of Life will be held the evening of Wednesday, June 4th at 7:00 pm in the Provincial Room upstairs in the Prince Arthur Hotel.
EVEREST FUNERAL CHAPEL, 299 Waverley Street at Algoma, assisting with the arrangements.
23. Hubert O'Hearn, "Dancer, teacher, citizen Niskanen saying farewell", The Chronicle-Journal, Living section, page B2, 2 April 2002.
Dancer, teacher, citizen Niskanen saying farewell
BY HUBERT O'HEARN SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE-JOURNAL
A THEORY: If everyone in the world did something — not necessarily a great or grand thing — just some dedicated action with the purpose of making their community and the people who live in it a little better and a little happier, wouldn't life be grand?
Thunder Bay next month loses someone who has done many such actions on our behalf over 30 years of service and the loss, sad to say, will be profound. Dolores Niskanen, dance and fitness instructor by trade but volunteer by heart is leaving town in April.
We met in her small studio on Court Street where she had just concluded a women's fitness class, despite being racked by a lingering case of bronchitis. But that's a professional for you — service above self interest. Then again, teaching has been an act of love for her. Her very first words at the start of our interview were, "I feel very sad about leaving my students. We have an incredible fitness and dance family here."
A family? At first the term seemed strange to my ears, certainly not one that I had heard associated with a class. Then again, what is a family but a close-knit group of people bound together by a common purpose, forging ahead with a spirit of mutual respect and caring. When she explained her philosophy of teaching, Family seemed the perfect word after all:
"You have to be interested in your students. It takes time and patience, lots of patience. Work slowly and at your students' speed. I start with the beat of a dance drum and tell them you have to follow a rhythm. You have to walk to a beat before you can dance. The men especially look around and wonder what's this about, but then the beat goes slow, slow, fast, fast. You spend time with the basics, because all dance begins with a very basic step. Later on, after weeks, they say, 'Hey, there's that beat you did with the drum.' Just as we all learned one thing and another from our parents."
If Dolores Niskanen was just about dance, that would be a replaceable loss, but she is much, much more. She seemed even more interested in discussing her volunteer work. Her six Snowflakes of Hope fashion shows raised $38,000 for breast cancer research, a cause she was drawn to when she realized how many of her fitness family had been lost to the disease. Besides cancer, she also lent her energy to the Arthritis Society, serving as their fundraising chair for three years. Additionally, she has been a clothing donor for the Faye Peterson House.
But, she is leaving our town for London, to get married to a man whom she has not seen in almost 50 years. Imagine that. There will be a formal farewell to Dolores Niskanen on the evening of April 6 at the Prince Arthur Hotel (for information, phone John Walas at 345-6363). She will undoubtedly have more to say at that time. For now, here is her farewell:
"I want to thank all the people in Thunder Bay for supporting my studio for 30 years and supporting my work. I will miss all my students and fitness family. Thanks to all who made the fashion shows for breast cancer such a success and to the public for making them a sell-out. I will miss Thunder Bay and I just hope everyone will keep dancing, exercising and staying fit for life."
24. Beatriz Baleeiro, "Fitness instructor still going strong at age 93: 'Don't want it to stop'", London Free Press, 3 December 2024 (updated 16 December 2024). Photos by Derek Ruttan and Beatriz Baleeiro. [8]
Fitness instructor still going strong at age 93: 'Don't want it to stop'
By Beatriz Baleeiro. Published Dec 03, 2024. Last updated Dec 16, 2024.
It's a snowy Monday morning, and a group of London seniors arrive early for a weekly fitness class.
Next to a stereo and a pile of CDs with tracks to make everyone "get physical," a dance teacher awaits her students – a 93-year-old dance teacher, no less.
Dolores Niskanen is a "demanding" fitness instructor but tries to make it fun for everybody, she says, while the group brings out chairs used for the exercises during the free classes offered to residents in her downtown London condo building.
"I believe in volunteer work. I believe in giving to people as much as you possibly can. My mother did volunteer work. My grandmother was in volunteer work. It's part of our heritage," she said.
From her chair, Niskanen, who's been struggling with arthritis for a few years, gives attendees directions in each segment of the class. "I can't teach the way I used to teach, but I'm still teaching. And people still enjoy my classes, and it creates something different in their lifestyle."
The class starts with a warmup, followed by upper body exercises, core exercises, leg exercises and a stretch to wrap up the class. For each song, there's a different choreographed movement.
Catherine Charlton, who is "over 70 years old," welcomes the opportunity to start the week with exercise, but that's not the only positive.
"It's a meeting point for people," Charlton said. "It's a wonderful asset, and we're very much in debt to Dolores."
There are no breaks, but Niskanen says she doesn't expect perfection.
"But I expect everyone to put their whole energy into it; otherwise, there wouldn't be any results," she said.
A dancer since she was three years old, Niskanen spent most of her life in Thunder Bay and has more than 80 years of experience as a teacher.
She advocates for an active lifestyle and has run classes for residents in her Picton Street building for more than two decades.
"I just believe in people being active, and I strongly suggest to any of my friends reaching retirement age to get some kind of hobby because that's so important," she said. "Many people who retire have nothing to do, and they're just absolutely bored."
Barb O'Sullivan, 72, has been attending the classes for eight years. She said staying active has made a "huge" difference in her life.
"I came because I was having back problems, and the exercise, friendship and spirit of the class have meant a lot to me," she said. "I've really enjoyed it, and I'd be very lost without it."
Niskanen is aware of her own age, she says.
"I know I'm 93 right now. . . . My philosophy is to keep busy and have many interests," she said. "I love being active. I don't want it to stop. I love teaching."
25. Paul Mitchell, "East Indian Dances Make Exercising Fun For Families At Spa", The Standard (St. Catharines), 6 May 1969, page 9.
East Indian Dances Make Exercising Fun For Families At Spa
By PAUL MITCHELL Standard Reporter
The art and grace of East Indian dancing, the gymnastics of sports-conscious Scandinavia and the techniques of modern science — all to the rhythm of bongo drums — combine in the slender form of Dolores Niskanen.
And Dolores puts them all to good use in her health and exercise classes designed to make our St. Catharines women more graceful and attractive. Certainly, her own five-foot-seven, 116-pound frame, highlighted by flashing dark eyes, is the best testimonial to the success of her methods.
But how did this exotic combination come about?
Before entering the health field, Dolores was a professional dancer, specializing in classical East Indian dances. She first learned them here in St. Catharines, then studied and performed in Toronto.
Indian Culture
"I've always been interested in Indian culture," she said during a break from her classes for women at the Valhalla Health Club on St. Paul St.
"I find it fun to move to the drums and the flutes. I love the clothes you wear, the saris and veils.
"It's a fascinating type of dance to study. And it's a good form of exercising. It's also good for co-ordination, because your whole body is doing something different."
Classical East Indian dancing is an ancient art form that acts out mythology through mime. Every part of the body comes into play.
Eyes Important
"The eyes are very important. Years ago, an Indian woman never turned to look at a man, so she learned to move her eyes very subtly."
And she glanced sideways with those flashing dark eyes with a graceful turn of the head.
"The upper part of the body is very soft and supple while the feet play the rhythm. You have bells on your ankles that beat off a counter-rhythm against the rhythm of the orchestra.
"When you perform East Indian dancing, you feel like you're hypnotizing the audience. They can become completely involved. In most commercial dancing, you feel like you're pushing yourself out to them."
Dolores now uses many of these movements in her exercise classes for women.
Laugh A Lot
"They enjoy it and I get them laughing a lot. I also throw in the odd jazz step and some free movement to make them think about what they're doing."
All this is enhanced by the constant beat of the bongos Dolores brings to her classes. In this way, she said, she can control both the vigorous and the soft movement her students get into.
"When I did a lot of East Indian dancing, we did our rehearsals to drum rhythms and I was always crazy about the drum beats. So I always found a drum in my hand when I started teaching."
This Indian influence has blended well with her Scandinavian background. Dolores is herself a second-generation Canadian, born in Northern Ontario. But the influence of her Finnish grandparents has always been strong.
She visited Finland three years ago where she studied physical education on a scholarship. She also danced on a variety television show while in Helsinki and performed with more than 2,000 students in a physical culture display at Helsinki Stadium.
"Most of the Scandinavian people are very exercise conscious. They start them from two years old upwards. When the girls get older, they get them into more creative things like free movement. And the fellows would get on to the high bar and things like that."
Dolores obviously feels this is vastly superior to North American habits where grace is virtually non-existent, especially among teen-aged girls.
"You see them on the streets with their hunched shoulders, their hair all over their faces with completely blank expressions," she said with dismay.
"Almost every other person who comes in here has back trouble. It starts in childhood with the students hunched over their desks all day and then going home and watching television and slouching over some more.
Happy Time
"The other Sunday, I had the mothers, fathers and children all exercising on the floor together. It was a very happy time. On Sundays, the fathers usually like to watch hockey or football on TV, and then the children will make a lot of noise. They can come here and get rid of a lot of frustration."
In order to encourage more children and teen-agers into the exercise habit, Dolores' 10-year-old son, Keven, helps out Sunday afternoons.
The Valhalla Club differs from other health clubs in the area by providing facilities for children and teen-agers. But of course, it's not all fun and games. Dolores takes the scientific aspect of exercising very seriously.
"We go deeply into the medical background. If a person has recently had major surgery, we start him off very slowly and put him on an individual program. A fat woman will be put on a straight reducing program. If a girl wants to improve her measurements, we put her on a weight distribution program or, in some cases, a development program.
"But everybody needs exercising, whether they're five or 75."