Never Too Old to Dance

You are never too old to dance. When I was in high school, after years of picking me up from dance classes and rehearsals, my mom decided she wanted to take ballet too. She was in her 50’s by then, and she joined her friend who was already enrolled in the adult ballet classes my teacher offered in the early evenings twice a week. I had been at the studio all day by that point, helping to teach the little kids classes right after school, then taking my own class, and then since I had to wait for my mom, my teacher let me take the adult class too. It was great to see my Mom learning moves and she did a great job. My teacher was very encouraging and she worked hard. Even when I went to college, and my teacher closed her studio, my Mom switched to another wonderful ballet teacher in town, and when I came home we took classes together again. It really inspired me that she chose to do that, and she benefited from ballet in many ways– improving her balance, posture, strength and flexibility.

You also aren’t too fat to dance. Many people — men and women — have crazy unrealistic ideas about their shape (that it’s bigger than it really is) probably from being inundated with skinny women in ads. I recently learned about The Big Ballet. (Click the link to read more). This is a troupe of Russian ballet dancers who weigh 220lbs and above. (The weight stipulation was lower but there were so many applicants they had to increase the weight requirement)!

You are also not too uncreative or ungifted or ungraceful to dance. If you want to dance, then dance! Can I guarantee you a spot in the Rockettes or So You Think You Can Dance? I cannot. But if you dance because it makes you feel good, because you like the music, and you enjoy it, and you get a good workout in the process, those are fabulous reasons to dance! You don’t need to have aspirations of being a professional to want to dance well. You don’t go to a spin class to be a professional cyclist or a yoga class to be a professional yogi, right? Try not to beat yourself up for not being the best dancer in the world or even in the room. Enjoy being able to move your body in space in a way you can only do in a dance class! What liberation! I mean, I’m not going to get to do a sauté glissade jeté at work, but what freedom to get to hurl your body across the floor in ballet class.

I know your head tells you that you are too ___ to dance ballet, or it’s been too long or you are old or any of a million things (my head tells me these things too!) but take a deep breath, and take a lesson from my Mom – you are never too old to dance.

~Sarah

Please see the Classes page for my current teaching schedule. I’d love to see you at the barre!