In a lively shopping mall in Caracas, music pulses through the air as laughter and dancing fill the space. It’s a typical Thursday for members of Club Tobias, a social group that has become a vital refuge for Venezuelans over the age of 60. Many of these seniors live alone, their families scattered across the globe in the wake of Venezuela’s ongoing migration crisis.
Angela Graterol, 93, is among the club’s most devoted participants. Of her six children, three have left the country. It was one of them who suggested she join the club to combat her growing loneliness. Since then, dancing has become her lifeline. “Music fills me up,” she says with a radiant smile. “My feet just start moving on their own.” Every week, the club offers her a dose of vitality that she once feared was lost.
Joining her regularly is Juan Fuentes, a 90-year-old former soldier. His daughter now lives in Europe, and he makes the long walk from his home to the club’s events with determination. Between sessions, he practices his favorite songs, jotting down lyrics he worries he might forget. For him, music is memory—and movement is a kind of resistance to aging.
Venezuela has an estimated 3.5 million senior citizens, many of whom are now isolated after nearly 8 million people, including much of the younger generation, emigrated in recent years. The consequences of this demographic shift have left the elderly especially vulnerable to loneliness, depression, and declining physical health.
That’s where Club Tobias comes in. Founded three years ago by Zandra Pedraza, 77, and Jose Rafael Quintana, the club was born from a desire to create something joyful and restorative. It has since grown to include 15 branches across the country, each offering a space where seniors can dance, socialize, and feel seen.
Quintana’s guiding motto, “If you don’t move, you seize up,” underscores the club’s mission to keep bodies and spirits active. For members like Graterol and Fuentes, Club Tobias is more than a pastime—it’s a reminder that life’s pleasures don’t have an expiration date. In a country marked by loss and separation, these gatherings are acts of joyful defiance.
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