Did you always want to learn dancing but you believed that “it’s too late now”? It’s not! ballet and break dancing may demand youthful body, but there are numerous types of dancing which can be learned successfully when you’re older. Actually, I know some women who have started dancing in their forties and been able to perform on stage!
The most obvious option 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 very well suited for older beginners, because you can start “performing” them socially almost immediately.
The big stumbling block is the fact that, of course, you can’t perform these dances solo. You don’t need a dance partner to go to class – most dance academies cater for single people – but if you want to display your abilities on the dance floor, you’ll need someone to go dancing with.
The first difficulty is locating a partner who’s going to be as good (or as bad!) a dancer as you are. Social dancing needs a rapport between the 2 performers, so you must be on each other’s wavelength: because of this, discovering the right dance partner can often be as hard as choosing the best marriage partner! (Naturally, social dancing is one method to do just that!). In fact, due to the closeness of the dance relationship, a married male or female could find that their non-dancing wife or husband doesn’t approve.
Some women would possibly not find social dancing fits their demands, anyway. In all varieties of partner dancing, the male 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 could possibly feel this doesn’t give enough room for self-expression.
If this sounds like you, there are dance forms that you can consider.
Belly dance 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 dance is also worth consideration and is very social, as is courtly dancing.
Finally, if you are having trouble finding dance classes of any type, don’t overlook exercise classes like Zumba or Jazzercise, or aerobic dancing classes. These aren’t “real dancing”, nonetheless they do use choreographed routines which can be very enjoyable.
The bottom line is if you want to dance, it can be done!
