The Stayin’ Alive Crew is set to bring its high-energy style to SoFi Stadium Sunday night during the Los Angeles Rams game, capping off a whirlwind week for the Atlanta-based dance group made up of adults ages 50 to 74. The 55-member team will hit the field with a two and a half minute routine built from five upbeat songs, including “Stayin’ Alive” and Bruno Mars’ “24K Magic.”
Co-director Janette Hinton said the group has been preparing for the moment from homes across the country, learning choreography through instructional videos before coming together for their first full rehearsal in Los Angeles. “This team proves that dance has no age limit,” Hinton said. “We’re showing the world that passion, rhythm, and community can keep you stayin’ alive, at any age and from anywhere.”
The crew has grown rapidly since launching in 2018. Hinton and co-directors Josette Perez and Elaine Burgett said a chance encounter led to the Rams invitation. Perez said they were performing at a convention in Los Angeles when someone approached them with the idea. “We were like, okay, how does it work,” she said.
The opportunity led to nationwide auditions. “We audition people from all over the country, and they had to send in a video of the routine, and we selected 55 men and women to travel with us here to Los Angeles,” Perez said.
The group is known for fast-paced hip-hop choreography and crowd-pleasing stunts. “Definitely some very cool stuff happening with stunts and our signature hip hop dance moves, so absolutely,” Burgett said.
The three co-directors said the Stayin’ Alive Crew has become a tight community where members support each other through celebrations and challenges. Burgett described the bond as both physical and emotional. “There is a spiritual and a mental capacity to it that we bring,” Burgett said. “They know they have a family here they can lean on.”
Membership now includes 63 dancers in Atlanta, plus a growing list of out-of-state performers who join travel-team events like the Rams show. For the Los Angeles performance, most incoming dancers had never met the Atlanta core in person until this week. Perez said she expects the group to click quickly. “We only allow building each other up, positivity,” she said.
The directors said the diversity of abilities is one reason for the group’s success. “We have a wide diverse group,” Burgett said. “I do not have any formal dance experience. We have a lot of dancers that do, from ballet to cheer to jazz. You are not limited if you do not have formal dance experience. If you love to dance, that great.”
The crew also promotes what members call active aging, pairing physical movement with social connection. Perez said the benefits reach far beyond the stage. “It helps us physically of course, keeping in shape but mentally as well, learning the choreography helps our brains and we seem to be not aging as much as we thought,” she said.
Fans can follow the group on Instagram and Facebook at @stayinalivecrew. As Perez told viewers, “Just follow us and you will be able to keep up with us.”
