It is reassuring to see how many articles and perspectives I have had the pleasure to read about ageing and dance, over the past forty years! Most recently is this one, How dancers navigate changes that come with Age published in Dance Magazine.
My perspective evolved as I aged, dealt with injuries, dealt with emotional maturity, dealt with identity, dealt with professional life versus personal choice... and so on. At the root of the questions for me was the evergreen "why?" Why was I pursuing dance, rather than some other activity, or profession, or means of expression, and more...
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| Me aged 46 in Paul Taylor's De Sueños Que Se Repiten. |
So here is how my perspective changed over the course of some sixty years.
As a child I learned that I could grow up to be a dentist, policeman, fireman, architect, and so many more, but not dancer! Dancing was something people did socially, and athletics were not professions even though I grew up watching Olympic track and field stars from Jamaica. Fortunately, I grew up thinking that age only had to do with being at the top of your game, not to do with participating in dance or sports. 
Yup! This is me...
As a teenager with the opportunity to start a ballet career, I thought that by 29 I would need to have a new profession lined up. Then overwork and injuries taught me to critically assess how I used my body as a dancer and a recreational athlete. This period also found me reflecting on defining myself as a person first and my occupation (dancer) afterwards.
Coppelia with Lizanne McAdams...
In my twenties, my world of movement had expanded to dancing and sporting with both able-bodied and physically challenged friends. Injuries, degenerative diseases, age, all demand and deserve our considered attention; our physical abilities are to be enjoyed in the moment, and less in the memories of what we once did.
With Matthew Soyster in performance...
My thirties deepened my focus on dancing and outdoor sports as befit my condition. Injuries and setbacks were managed with the knowledge that I had recovered with new found knowledge about myself before, and re-training was part of ageing and staying physically active.
Kayaking is like being partnered by water with a boat for legs...
I retired from performing as a dancer in my late forties, and acknowledged all the benefits I had gained from spending my life, to that point, focused on both how my body moved, as well as how to help others assess their physical abilities from the most basic actions to the most elite demands. For myself, minor injuries from once normal activities became more commonplace, and recovery took days or weeks longer than in the past.
During my fifties, I tried to balance movement instruction by modeling details and physical skills with actively addressing how rapidly my body changed without the demands of daily workouts, rehearsals and performances. It actually felt good to have the greater proportion of my weeks spent in more sedentary pursuits, and a less structured regimen of physical activity. I was also happy to no longer be pursuing a singular career, but exploring how to use my lifelong experience with movement and independence as building blocks for new projects and life choices about work.
2018 in India fulfilling a Fulbright Senior Teaching fellowship...
Now in my sixties, I am happy knowing that being physically active is both a choice and a privilege. I have learned to be efficient, and to notice changes in my physiology both dramatic and gradual. Adjunct to this self-awareness is how it heightens an empathetic approach to teaching and coaching dance, or other physical activities at all levels and stages in life. I may not be the perfect teacher for everyone, but I am confident that I am a good teacher for a large proportion of people who might want to join in one of my classes. 
2024 - teaching modern class. Photo: John Lyons
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