Milwaukee Dancing Grannies have long brought joy to parades. Now they grieve after Wisconsin incident

The late grandmas “were extremely passionate,” the post said. “Her eyes were shining … the joy of being a grandma. They were the glue … holding us together.”

For one thing, they likely aren’t your grandma’s grandmas.

The Milwaukee Dancing Grannies have delighted parades in Wisconsin from Memorial Day through Christmas for decades, bustling with their pompoms in costumes appropriate for the occasion.

“They have won many trophies, but it is the enthusiasm and smiles of children and adults of all ages that warm the hearts of the Milwaukee Dancing Grannies,” the group said on its website.

The only requirement to become a member is to be a grandmother, they say in the group.

The Dancing Grannies were formed in 1984 out of an originally Jazzercise group, one of the members told CNN subsidiary WDJT earlier this year.

The group trains once a week and it is clear that they enjoy it almost as much as the parades.

“Who doesn’t like to hear wolf whistles at this age?” One member told WDYT.

When the group passes the veteran’s booth, they kick and “do some sexy hip thing,” said another.

Spending time together builds camaraderie and even family.

They go out for dinner once a year and carpool to a parade in Minnesota, a member told WDYT. “It’s a good time,” she said.

“We all really love each other, I think,” said one. “We’re like sisters,” she said in the WDYD interview, which included a clip of the group dancing to Sister Sledge’s “We Are Family”.

And they are committed. They practice at home to make sure they have their routine, a member told WDYT.

It’s all “wonderful aerobic exercise,” a member said in a 2016 interview with CNN subsidiary WTMJ.

“The crowd loves us, it’s amazing,” one member told WTMJ. “And the amazing thing is what that does to us. The adrenaline is starting to rise and you just want to do your best.”

The group said on Facebook that the group was devastated by the tragedy on Sunday.

“Our group did what they loved, performing in front of the crowds in a parade that put smiles on faces of all ages and filled them with joy and happiness.”