Too old?

[Ankhet]

Thanks for these posts! I am 40 myself and sometimes wondered if I was too old. Now I know I'am not!

[Shanazel]

Glad you came to such a sensible conclusion, Anhket, and hope you come to the same conclusion, Fadua. I am fifty two and got called out of retirement several years ago to start teaching again. So much for thinking, "Well, it's just for a semester..."

[adiemus]

I'm 43, in our class there are two other 43 year olds, one of the others is the mother of one of the 43 year olds, and my daughter who is 14!! My teacher is in her 50's. So Go Girl!!

[Maria_Aya]

I have 3 students over 60 and one over 70 ! they are the most dedicated students, trying more than the others, and the results show !!!
I just love them all, and we have great conversations and they encourage the youngers never to stop following their dreams !!!
I guess this is the answer !!!

Maria Aya

[fadua21]

This is great! Thanks for your posts! I feel encouraged and ready to roll my belly and shimmy for the rest of my life!!!!

[fadua21]

Dear Fadua,
First, I love your name and its meaning. It is one of my favorites and I named one of my students Fadua ( alternative spelling Fedwa) years ago.
Secondly, I am 54 years old and I am still learning, though I have been dancing for 33 years. We never stop and it is never to late to start learning something new. It is part of what keeps us young, as I have really discovered this year by taking up pottery and knitting. I may never have a chance to be great at either one of them, but I am going to enjoy them for what they are!!
Regards,
A'isha

Thank you, A'isha. It is true, dancing should be what keeps me feeling young. About my name... I also love it, but to be honest, I do not know what it means. I know "Dua", in arabic, means "pray". So, if you could tell me, that will be great. I have read most of your posts in this forum and I have also visited your website. You seem to know quite a lot about this art form. By the way, is there a way I can purchase your DVD here in Brussels?

[Aisha Azar]

Thank you, A'isha. It is true, dancing should be what keeps me feeling young. About my name... I also love it, but to be honest, I do not know what it means. I know "Dua", in arabic, means "pray". So, if you could tell me, that will be great. I have read most of your posts in this forum and I have also visited your website. You seem to know quite a lot about this art form. By the way, is there a way I can purchase your DVD here in
Brussels?

Dear Fadua,
The name comes from the word Fida, which means devotion or self sacrifice. I have seen it spelled Fedwa, Fedua and Fadua.
Thank you for the compliment. I have been dancing a long time and we tend to pick up stuff over the years.
I THINK you have to get an international money order to get the DVD from overseas. I once bought a CD from Jalilah Zamora and had to get one. You might ask your local post office about that, which is what I did.
Regards,
A'isha

[lizaj]

I started at 51 and now at 60 ,teach beginners and improvers, am part of a regularly performing Tribal Fusion group and in these years have been asked to dance by 6 different restaurants. Now in that case I do consider myself too old but I see no reason why another shouldn't if she wishes!

So is that so...... I truly am a dragon-lady?..yeah!

[Kharmine]

I am now 50 and started a little over a year ago. When I began, my teacher was the only one older than me -- we live in a university town that sometimes seems overrun with the young and svelte.

It was very heartening to discover that I could more than keep up with the young 'uns. Having done years of hatha yoga and having previous dance experience helped, of course, but I think a lot of it was attitude. And my spine has never been so flexible!

Now that I'm in an intermediate class, more of my classmates are over 30 and 40, and at least a couple are in their 60s. A lot of the younger beginners fell by the wayside for various reasons.

Fedua, I don't have children but I've witnessed many times the inclination of kids to feel embarassed when mom or pop takes up something that is rather unusual and often associated with "young" people only in the popular media -- don't fall for it!

[teela]

I started learning to bellydance in my mid 40's. I'm now 51 and love every minute of it. The days I cannot practice dancing due to scheduling things, I really miss it. I don't think one is ever too old to learn or to dance. Know you are in some really awesome company.