Pompoms rustle and silver shoes flash as Japan Pom Pom practices, moving to a lively cheer dance beat. With members age 60 to 89, they're no ordinary squad.
But don't you dare call them grannies.
"Right at the start, we weren't very happy about being called 'granny cheer dancers,'" says Fumie Takino, the bubbly, energetic 89-year-old who founded Japan Pom Pom — average age, 72 years — more than 25 years ago.