Am I too old to dance?

Did you always want to learn to dance but you’re thinking that “it’s too late now”? It’s not! ballet and break dancing may demand youthful body, but there are several styles of dance that may be mastered successfully when you’re older. In fact, I know many women that have taken up dancnig in their forties and had the opportunity to perform on stage!

The most obvious option is social dancing, and there’s a lot out there: ballroom, Latin, Street Latin, salsa, rock’n'roll, Ceroc (modern jive), tango and so on. All of them are very well suited for adult beginners, because you can start “performing” them at dances almost straight away.

The big stumbling block is that, needless to say, you can’t perform these dance styles alone. You don’t need a dance partner in class – most dance academies cater for single women and men – but if you wish to show off your abilities on the dance floor, you’ll need someone to dance with.

The first difficulty is locating a partner who is as good (or as bad!) a dancer as you are. Social dancing needs close cooperation between the 2 main performers, which means you must be on each other’s wavelength: for that reason, discovering the right dance partner can be as hard as discovering the right marriage partner! (Needless to say, social dancing is one way of achieving just that!). In fact, due to the closeness of the dance relationship, a married person might find that their non-dancing spouse doesn’t approve.

Some women may well not find social dancing fits their needs, anyway. In all varieties of partner dancing, the male is dominant: he decides the choreography (which steps come next). The woman must follow. If you are a women who wants to explore her creativity, you could feel this doesn’t give enough room for self-expression.

If it is you, you can also find dance forms that one could consider. 

Belly dance i a good fit for older women, as the moves are so gentle. Flamenco doesn’t require flexibility although the rhythm can be difficult to master.  folk dance is also worth a look and is very social, as is courtly dancing.

Finally, should you be having difficulty finding dance classes of any sort, don’t overlook exercise classes like Zumba or Jazzercise, or aerobic dancing classes. These are not “real dancing”, nevertheless they feature choreographed routines and this can be very enjoyable.

The bottom line is if you wish to dance, it is possible!