"Dance comes from love and the rest from understanding. It is nurtured through the interest of others. You learn from actual action. This has nothing to do with progressive age but the willingness and ability to learn more. It is a kind of dissatisfaction with the results of the present and a hope for the future". Helen Lewis, 16 November 2003
This quote comes from my own teacher now 85 and still my mentor who gave up practical dance teaching only 10 years ago.
Helen having been taught dance in pre-war Prague by Milca Mayerova (an early pupil of Rudolf Laban) she then was caught up with the horrors of the Holocaust. Coming through one of the most inhumane and evil periods in world history she survived the unsurvivable and went on to develop the creative and cultural lives of many in my own home Belfast. Who better to give a unique perspective on 'dance and the older body'?
"It is always a combination of mental, emotional and physical understanding and it is nothing to do with age. The key is in the enjoyment and the continued needs of the teacher and the pupil".
When invited to write an article about the rejuvenating and renewing aspects of dance I was tempted to just look at projects I have had the good fortune to be involved with. Then I had to be honest with myself and recognise that starting dance classes at 11 and now - 46 years later on and still dancing - I too am that 'older body'. Why I ask myself was I not tempted to take the option years ago to leave the workshops for the next generation? The answer comes in the very nature of dance itself.
I have found it to be a great journey inwards to the secrets of the imagination and outwards to other experiences. It is intrinsically regenerating, joyful and a discipline, which is, centred round people. This never changes!
"If you can think, feel and move you can dance". Dr Patel 1943
Looking closer at how this works at one level there is a memory in our physical being which is awakened in the doing and the doing alters our perception and state of mind. This in itself offers opportunities to communicate thoughts, feelings and memories to others and also ourselves.
So often something becomes clear after seeing it through dance.
For the past 6 years I have run a drop in dance class at Alnwick Playhouse, which is aptly named 'Dance for Fun'. The Theatre is set in the heart of rural Northumberland and our class member's travel for many miles to attend. We are fortunate The Playhouse generously supports this session with studio space and this means we can be flexible with what we do. I was curious why the group, who are of retirement age with our most senior member in her mid 70's, keep coming back for more. This is a selection from their comments:
"The place gives me a feeling of belonging. We are all of similar mind and find the class reassuring."
"We can sparkle here! I am sure we all have a secret dancer inside of us."
"The atmosphere is secure giving us the ability to express ourselves. It is almost like having a safety blanket around you, as we know everyone will be supportive. We want to be stimulated and have the opportunity to develop the ideas ourselves."
"What is so wonderful is everyone is doing something different with the same stimulus. We celebrate the difference! Sadly there are many people who haven't had the opportunity in their lives to gain the confidence in expressing themselves and feel the need only to follow. We don't want to be formalized and spoon fed dance!"
Our session lasts for 1 hour and is a combination of dance, yoga stretches and free creative movement. I work from the principle taught to me that any movement can inspire more difficult movements and this can bring about the next theme. I have found it is necessary to see the sense behind the movement and embrace all aspects. We all need the faith in our own skills and this is nurtured by seeing individual talent for creativity and finding the right stimulus to spark ideas. The only concession to our older bodies is the pace of the class, which can be flexible.
The message coming from this group of dancers is:
"Professionals take heed, there are people out there who want the freedom to dance and be true to their own creativity." Kay, 'Dance for Fun' member.
My own background in dance in Belfast in the early 50's was influenced by the rich community culture, which thrived in Ulster before the 'troubles' had manifested into violence. There existed accessible arts, which crossed religious and social divides. I was involved with The Lyric Players, a Theatre company that specialized in Lyrical drama. There I met many inspiring artists whose influence has sustained me for a lifetime. Right now I live in a small seaside fishing port in Northumberland. As well as a once thriving mining community it is currently watching the demise of its fishing livelihood as well. With the dying of these industries the community experiences a sense of loss. This is a natural process as our world is constantly defined by external cycles of decline and regeneration.
By ignoring the past we impoverish the present! Yet we constantly look to the future and with exaggerated expectation.
"Future potential in the young is more highly valued than a lifetime of past experiences."
Yet it is a truism that growing old is the most surprising part of life's inevitability! I have for some time been interested in finding ways of celebrating wealth of experience through dance. It is after all associated with our happiest memories.
Historically, dance has always been significant within the lives of ordinary people. While the perception of dance by each generation appears to inhabit different worlds there is more in common than we are willing to admit.
A couple of years ago I was involved in a regeneration project here in Amble. It received funding from Northern Arts and the local Town Council to use music and dance for reminiscence and regeneration. I was fortunate to share a kindred spirit with a local musician Sandra Kerr and together we explored memories with local 'seniors' who came along to our song and dance workshop. Over a period of six months we built up a fascinating picture of times gone by as we danced and sang together. Sandra and I wanted to bring these memories into a local celebration. A new Town Square was being blessed with a ceremony later on in the year so we embarked on a reconstruction of a 'Grande March' which was a tradition associated with a Coming of Age Ball. They recalled looking forward to this event for months in advance and a great secret was made of the ball dress (one 84 year old lady brought along her original dress and it still fitted).
To reconstruct the event we invited the local High School and in some very magic moments the pupils learnt the dances from the elders. The dance tunes were 'la la'd ' and Sandra wrote a score. The school band learnt to play the tunes and we were well on the way. The problem now came about how to dress it appropriately, until one of the group members, Charles, invited us to his house where he had a top floor full of old time costumes collected by his wife. With squeals of delight the young people dressed elegantly and learnt to dance with grace the 'Grande March'. Together the two generations presented this little bit of local history at a launch of a new chapter in the life of the town. Music and dance as a life enhancing art form.
I believe dance can offer a way of revealing those things that move us. It maintains feelings of abundance. We all need a place to listen to the voice of our feelings and enjoy the spontaneous creativity of our imaginations. This does not lessen, as we get older. Dance can offer an abundance of feeling and sense of well being. It is a natural and real way to share experiences. It is in its very nature restoring. So what lies at the heart of dance, which is so transforming? In the words of Melissa Hayden:
"Learning to walk sets you free, learning to dance gives you the greatest freedom of all to express with your whole self the person you are."
Maybe dance can provide ways to keep your story alive.
Virginia Kennedy, independent community dance artist, can be contacted on virginia@flindersbar.demon.co.uk