Too Old To Dance? Story Of A Pro-Am Dancer.

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Aren’t you bit old for that? I was asked when I decided to get back into dancing after a break of many years. How long will it last? was the second question.

When I decided to go back to dancing it was originally because I wanted to learn the Tango. I contacted a local dance school and they convinced me to join a Ballroom and Latin class where I would do a bit of everything including Tango.

My first thought before going into that class was:

would I remember anything?

My second was:

would I be the only single one there?

I needn’t have worried! The class was quite busy with a mixture of couples and singles. As soon as we did the first Waltz box step I knew I had made the right decision. It was like I had never been away. I was well and truly hooked. As soon as that class finished I couldn’t wait for the next one.

I continued with the class and loved every minute of it but I had the dancing bug and wanted more than this class could give me. I took a big (and expensive) risk and started private lessons with a professional dancer.

It seemed to be a lot of money for what seemed to be not doing very much, just walking up and down the room and no actual dancing.

I didn’t realise how much I WAS doing. It was called technique! That's how I was introduced to the amazing world of Professional and Pro-Am dancing.

It really is like another world and dancing has almost taken over my life. So far I have taken exams in Ballroom up to Silver level and up to Gold level in Latin. I have performed as part of a group/formation team, performed with a partner and competed in both Student/Teacher and Pro-Am categories at numerous competitions.

The possibilities for a mature dancer like myself are literally endless!

The highlight so far was taking part in the World Dance Championships in Disneyland Paris at the end of 2017. My next goal is to take my Gold Bar Latin exam. That will be followed by more competitions both at home and overseas.

I am fitter than I have ever been. I have an amazing circle of dancing friends who are like an extended family, a wardrobe full of the most beautiful dancing dresses and shelves heaving under the weight of all my medals and trophies.

How long has it lasted? So far, five years! Can I imagine my life without dancing? No! And how old am I? Well, I am definitely not too old to dance!