Author: lifelongdancersteam

  • A fresh look, the same heart

    When I started Lifelong Dancers, I wanted a place where dancers of every age could feel at home. That has not changed. What has changed is how clearly we can say it.

    Lifelong Dancers has a new look and a few clearer words. Here is what they mean.

    Moving from within. This is our new tagline, and it sits at the centre of everything. We dance for the feeling, not the applause. Our drive comes from inside: from joy, curiosity and the wish to keep moving. Our earlier call, “Keep Dancing!”, has not gone anywhere. It lives on as our invitation: Move forward, keep dancing!

    Five values, written plainly. They were always here. Now we can name them:

    • Internal Motivation: we dance for the feeling, not the applause.
    • Inclusion: every body, age, level, style and background deserves the floor.
    • Resilience: there is always a way to dance. Adapt, rest, begin again.
    • Kindness: we listen to our bodies and are kind to ourselves and others.
    • Curiosity: we explore technique and learn across generations, not to compare or win.

    A warmer, simpler look. Warm tones, one typeface and a logo made of two simple strokes. We would rather show real dancers moving in natural light than polished perfection, because that is who this community is.

    What comes next. You will find more dancers’ stories here, and the podcast and events are on their way back. If you would like to share your own journey, we would love to hear it.

    Your movement belongs to you. Move forward, keep dancing!

  • Too old for the dance shop?

    Have you ever felt uncomfortable shopping for dance shoes in a store?

    Adult dancers face many challenges, and one of them is quietly accepting other people’s prejudice. Part of us is proud to dance. The other part has absorbed the idea that we are too old for it.

    I was having lunch with dance friends from different corners of the world when the conversation turned to dance shops. Their stories surprised me.

    One friend told us she kept buying pointe shoes online and sending them back. Someone asked her, “Why wouldn’t you just go to the shop?” She answered, “I’m too embarrassed. It would be awkward, because I am too old.”

    Another friend described asking for help in a well-known shop. The assistant replied, “How old is your daughter?”, assuming the dancer must be a child. My friend has avoided dance shops ever since.

    My friend’s husband had a simple suggestion: complain to the store manager, the owner or the brand’s headquarters. Nobody at the table ever had.

    That stayed with me. Maybe, by staying silent, we help keep alive the very prejudices we are trying to leave behind.

    More adult dancers are taking up dance, and more studios are opening classes for adults of every age. Yet many of us still avoid the shops, or swallow the funny looks and say nothing.

    How much have you put up with without saying a word? Is it right for people serving dancers to make anyone feel uncomfortable with assumptions, loaded questions or stares?

    Please share your story. And if you have met kind, encouraging sellers, tell us about them too. They deserve a mention.

  • Hi, I’m Elena: the story behind Lifelong Dancers

    Lifelong Dancers began a few years after I arrived in Melbourne. It started with a moment I could hardly believe: after eight years without a proper dance class, I was rehearsing a fast-paced jazz routine for a performance in an Australian theatre.

    To understand why that felt so unlikely, I have to go back to the early 2000s. A couple of months before my wedding in Mexico, I was in a terrible car accident. My colleagues and I were on our way to a meeting in another city. The driver was speeding in the rain, and he did not listen when we asked him to slow down. I was not driving, and that is the main reason I am here. My mum said, “You were fortunate. It is like being born again.”

    The recovery took years. A doctor gave me a discouraging verdict: “I don’t think you should jump for the rest of your life. Your backbone is not straight. I just found you have one more vertebra than most people. It is not a big deal, but you probably shouldn’t have children.” At first it all made sense, because I could barely walk without pain. Then came years of chiropractic care, yoga and swimming, and gradually the pain faded.

    I felt better and tried some aerobic exercise. To my surprise, it involved jumping, and it did not hurt. About a year before I moved to Australia, an osteopath told me, “I don’t know why that doctor gave you such a discouraging speech. Live your life. Try going back to dance and experiment. As long as it doesn’t hurt, feel free to keep going.”

    So when I heard about adult classes in Melbourne, I could not wait to try them. After the first rehearsal I called my husband, bursting with happiness: “You won’t believe how much I danced! I felt ten years younger, like going back to uni days. And the best news is that there was no pain.”

    I have not looked back. I have tried new styles and begun exploring choreography. Getting older has not dimmed my love of dance. It grows every day.

    There is so much to share, and so many inspiring stories still to be told. Would you like to share yours? Let’s inspire each other.