Rediscovering the Joy of Dance

We all know how important it is to keep active in our later years. It’s the catch-all remedy for any ailment you can think of, along with quitting smoking and eating healthily. And, of course, it is true: the older you get the more the muscles are prone to seize up if not exercised regularly.

But What Kind of Exercise?

Walking is excellent, yes, as are keep fit classes, yoga, Pilates, tennis or swimming. It doesn’t really matter so long as it gets you moving.

But what about enjoyment?

We all know we won’t keep up the classes or the walking or the sports if we don’t get pleasure out of them.

There is one activity that includes not just general movement but a host of other joys and life-affirming blessings, and that is dance.

How Does Dance Fit the Bill?

I don’t mean classical ballet – though that has obvious benefits. Several years ago, I came upon a brand new organisation here in London called DanceWest, which runs classes for older people aimed at the over-60s.

I hadn’t been to dance classes since I went to nursery school. (Where, incidentally, my dance partner went on to become a leading dancer at the Royal Ballet and ended up running it.) I think I showed a certain promise at the age of four, but then I went on to boarding school, where dance was not part of the curriculum, and thus ended my dance aspirations.

Many people are put off by the idea of prancing around a dance studio at our age, but the whole mantra behind DanceWest is that dance is for everybody. Absolutely everybody. Whether you have two left feet or you cannot count is irrelevant. Knowing your left from your right is useful but not mandatory.

The point of the classes is not just to keep your body moving, it’s to work on your balance, your ability to follow a routine and to execute it in your own particular way.

Don’t Try and Copy the Teacher

I learned early on that I shouldn’t try to copy the teacher. She’s a trained professional and trying to emulate her will be deeply disappointing. One of the joys of our classes is watching how each of us – and we are all, needless to say, female (though that was not always the case) – interprets the routines in quite different ways.

Not all of us are getting it right, but we are all expressing ourselves in our own unique ways. Some of us are sexy, some are introspective, others flamboyant or exuberant – whoever we choose to be we can be through the medium of dance. And, in the right surroundings, it helps to know that since no one is judging us we can be completely unself-conscious.

Should Dance Be Mandatory?

I have often said I think dance should be compulsory. Certainly, in schools – and especially for students who aren’t necessarily good at sports – and indeed throughout our adult lives. In an ideal world, dance classes would be available free on the National Health Service.

By concentrating on movement, balance, rhythm, grace and memory, dance stimulates all the faculties that are known to, shall we say, take a back seat in our mature years. Especially, in my case, balance.

It is not competitive, or aspirational, it is simply what it is: challenging – both physically and mentally – and, above all, fun.

Let’s Have a Conversation:

Do you find joy in some type of physical activity? What do you think about dance classes? Have you taken any? Does any studio around you offer dance classes for seniors? Would you sign up if so?