Am I too old?

Kharis

New member
I am 53, soon 54 in January, and I was wondering if I was too old to become a bellydancer? I am a construction worker and I am very agile and flexible, and no one believes that I am 53 years old. I have never sun tanned and my spanish heritage lent alot to staying younger looking than my real age. I have no crows feet, or lines in my forehead and can easily pass for early to mid 40's. So I thought I might be able to get away with a young woman's dance. Belly dancing is an amazing art form and I never get tired of watching you ladies dance. My husband said I should take up the dance.
Any advice would be helpful. I only wish I had taken this dance up in my 30's.
I am happy I found this site.
Who is the oldest professional bellydancer? :dance:

I'm 55 now, and still do the odd gig. In fact, I received a call from a lady who'd hired me a couple of years ago, and wants me to dance at her husbands birthday party next year. I stopped dancing professionally for two reasons, Firstly, I was getting bored and older and realised that younger dancers were coming up and it felt right to 'retire' whilst I was still good, and secondly I got sick and tired of the bitchy backstabbing nonsense that often surrounds the professional scene.
 

Kharis

New member
The oldest professional dancers I can think of are Morocco (must be now in her 70's?) and the mother of Suhaila Salimpour (don't know her age), but does she still dance?

I have often found that the statement of "no (belly)dancer is really good before the age of 40" (I have heard the version of 35 more often) is rather insulting for people who had a lot of life experience before that age (everybody has/had different lives). The same as I find it insulting that western culture is is youth-obsessed now. Age shouldn't matter :)

Age does matter when you're talking being a paid professional, say in restaurants. I know the OP is perhaps not entirely focused on professional dancers, but everyone does seem to get their gussets in a twist over age.
 

Kashmir

New member
The oldest professional dancers I can think of are Morocco (must be now in her 70's?) and the mother of Suhaila Salimpour (don't know her age), but does she still dance?
But Morocco and Jamila started before they were 20. It may not be realistic to start late and assume a professional career is an option.
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
But Morocco and Jamila started before they were 20. It may not be realistic to start late and assume a professional career is an option.

Why not? I've known others who started much later and are making money on gigs. Donna Marie, if you love dancing, go for it. What have you got to lose? Just keep your day job - even young professional dancers need other outside income to break even.
 

Amulya

Moderator
Age does matter when you're talking being a paid professional, say in restaurants. I know the OP is perhaps not entirely focused on professional dancers, but everyone does seem to get their gussets in a twist over age.


I didn't think of restaurants, there is a lot of discrimination when it comes to restaurant work when it comes to age, but not just age wise in a lot of other things too.
I don't know if the OP was thinking of professional dancing, but she did ask who the oldest professional dancer is :)
 

Kashmir

New member
Why not? I've known others who started much later and are making money on gigs.
Because the later you start the harder it is to get to a professional level. As you age you body can become injured or subject to diseases like arthritis both of which limit strength and ROM; you can pick up bad posture habits which can be very hard to break in part because your body adapts to the bad patterns; you may have more money but less time to work on your dance; lives become more complicated; brains and movement patterns get engrained in ways that are nothelpful. Most of this can be overcome with luck and dedication. But it's harder.

So, you start at 50 and you might be 60 by the time you are ready. The gigs open to a 40 year old are limited - 50 is harder - 60? And now, how long is your future professional dance career before a knee goes or a hip joint - or you just look too old for commercial work?
 

Greek Bonfire

Well-known member
I didn't think of restaurants, there is a lot of discrimination when it comes to restaurant work when it comes to age, but not just age wise in a lot of other things too.
I don't know if the OP was thinking of professional dancing, but she did ask who the oldest professional dancer is :)

I agree with this part. There are other opportunities for older dancers in other venues; however, I was a good age when a hookah restaurant owner approached ME about dancing there. He preferred mature dancers because their work ethic was much better than many younger dancers.
 
No you are not too old. As long as you are healthy enough to dance, you should go for it. Do get a doctors permission first, but other then that, go for it.
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
No you are not too old. As long as you are healthy enough to dance, you should go for it. Do get a doctors permission first, but other then that, go for it.
Um - are you saying older folk need a docs permission to dance? Why. I certainly don't need a docs permission to dance & all the other 50 + dancers don't need permission. Donna-Marie states she is healthy, so why does she need permission? Because we have hit the 1/2 century mark and above does not mean we are old and doddery:lol: far from it! I know of much younger people who are not as healthy as many of us older but wiser folk!

Everyone should have regular check-ups even 20 year olds just to make sure one's health is OK but unless you are ill I don't see the need for a doc's permission.
~Mosaic
 

LuLu

New member
Um - are you saying older folk need a docs permission to dance? Why. I certainly don't need a docs permission to dance & all the other 50 + dancers don't need permission. Donna-Marie states she is healthy, so why does she need permission? Because we have hit the 1/2 century mark and above does not mean we are old and doddery:lol: far from it! I know of much younger people who are not as healthy as many of us older but wiser folk!

Everyone should have regular check-ups even 20 year olds just to make sure one's health is OK but unless you are ill I don't see the need for a doc's permission.
~Mosaic

We had o 70+ woman in my class several times and currently we have a 60 year old student in my class and she is good. I agree, you shouldnt have to ask your doctors permission to dance based on your age...if thats the case many people who hit the 50+ mark should ask their doctors permission to have intercourse because that is way more involved and well I hope my little comment doesnt offend anyone.:lol:
 

Amulya

Moderator
And everybody who thinks a belly dancer needs a doctors permission, have a look at this video:



Aunt Rocky rocking the house! And she's way past 50 :) being in her 70's (she looks so young doesn't she?)
 

Habibi L'amour

New member
Donna marie (I like your name!) you are definitely not too old at 53, the two teachers at my school are in their fifties and they are still amazing dancers who look younger than what they really are and they still get professional performance work. Also in my school there have been 80 year old women dancing, so yes you can never be too old.
 

taaj

New member
Not Too Old

About twelve years ago, a 50 year old woman came to my class to learn how to belly dance for the first time. It's been 12 years and she's still going strong. You're definitely not too old to begin.
 

walladah

New member
Wow! 50+ women are hard working in workplaces

and in their houseplaces and no-one ever cared abou their safety or to ask for a medical doctor's permission. And are they going to ask for a permission to dance and have fun?

How can we think even in such a cruel way?

However, if we do ever accept this, then all 50+ housewives, cleaners, nurses, elderly carers, factory workers should be under regular (and free) medical care!! if they prove unfit to dance, they should be probably unfit to work altogether and get a brave pension to be kept "not moving at all".
 

Erik

New member
donna marie, you have received some very good input here. I am curious to know what you have decided. If memory serves I had just sent a PM to Amulya in a botched attempt to identify some photos she posted when your question came in. I shut off the computer and went outside to pick up some nuts, and I thought about all the times I tried to help someone and failed, but they don't bother me nearly as much as the times I could have tried and did not, so I came back inside and replied.

At age 47 I walk faster than anyone else I know. When they pulled me off the operating table in '08 I could not walk at all, but I could still crawl faster than most people can walk. With practice I could probably run a 4-minute mile at age 50, if it burned within me to do so, but it does not. If it burns within you to dance, then you must dance.
 

Marisol

New member
I like Donna Marie was worried about being to old to start. But like Indigo Shimmer I like different things. NO ONE in my area, of Kansas, belly dances. I am trying to learn from "YOU TUBE". I think getting my belly to roll, may be my bigest problem, as I haven't found instructions for that yet.
 
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