Sun 25 Jul 2010
Am I too old to dance?
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Did you always want to learn to dance but you’re thinking that “it’s too late now”? It’s not! Hip hop and ballet may demand youthful body, but there are numerous styles of dance that can be mastered successfully when you’re older. The truth is, I am aware of women who have started dancnig in their forties and had the opportunity to dance on stage!
The most obvious choice is partner dancing, and there is so many out there: ballroom, Latin, Street Latin, salsa, rock’n'roll, Ceroc (modern jive), tango and so on. All are very well suited for older beginners, because you can start “performing” them socially almost straight away.
The big obstacle is the fact that, obviously, you can’t perform these dance styles alone. You don’t need a dance partner to join a class – most dance academies cater for single people – but if you want to show off your abilities on the dance floor, you’ll need someone to go dancing with.
The very first difficulty is locating a partner who’s as good (or as bad!) a dancer as you. Social dancing needs a rapport between the 2 performers, therefore you must be on each other’s wavelength: because of this, finding the right dance partner can often be as hard as choosing the best marriage partner! (Naturally, social dancing is one way of accomplishing just that!). In fact, due to the closeness of the dance relationship, a married woman or man could find that their non-dancing spouse doesn’t approve.
Some women would possibly not find social dancing fits the requirements, anyway. In all kinds of partner dancing, the man is the leader: he decides the choreography (which steps come next). The woman is required to follow. If you are a women who aspires to explore her creativity, you may feel this doesn’t give enough room for self-expression.
If this is you, then there are dance forms that you could consider.
Belly dance i a good choice for mature women, as the steps are so natural. Flamenco doesn’t need flexibility although the rhythm can be difficult to pick up. Folk dancing is also worth consideration and is very sociable, as is courtly dancing.
Finally, if you are having trouble finding dance classes of any sort, don’t overlook exercise classes like Zumba or Jazzercise, or aerobic dancing classes. These aren’t “real dancing”, nevertheless they feature choreographed routines which may be very enjoyable.
The bottom line is if you wish to dance, you can do it!
