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 a young body, but there are several types of dancing that can be learned successfully as an adult. In reality, I am aware of women who’ve started dancing in their forties and been able to dance on stage!

The obvious choice is partner dancing, and there’s a lot 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 begin “performing” them at dances almost straight away.

The big stumbling block is that, obviously, you can’t perform these dance styles alone. You don’t need a dance partner in class - most dance schools cater for single women and men - but if you wish to showcase your abilities on the dance floor, you’ll need someone to go dancing with.

The first difficulty is finding a partner that is as good (or as bad!) a dancer as you are. Social dancing needs close cooperation between both performers, therefore you must be on each other’s wavelength: for this reason, finding the right dance partner can sometimes be as hard as discovering the right marriage partner! (Obviously, social dancing is one method of achieving just that!). In fact, thanks to the closeness of the dance relationship, a married person might find that their non-dancing spouse doesn’t approve.

Some women would possibly not find social dancing fits their demands, anyway. In all types of partner dancing, the man is the leader: he decides the choreography (which steps come next). The woman is required to follow. If you’re a women who wants to explore her creativity, you could feel this doesn’t give enough room for self-expression.

If this is you, there are dance forms that you could consider. 

Bellydancing i a good fit for mature women, as the steps are so gentle. Flamenco doesn’t need flexibility although the rhythm can be challenging to master.  Folk dancing is also worth considering and is very social, as is courtly dancing.

Finally, should you be having trouble finding dance classes of any kind, don’t overlook exercise classes like Zumba or Jazzercise, or aerobic dancing classes. These are not “real dancing”, nonetheless they do use choreographed routines which may be very enjoyable.

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