Beginning bellydance aged 60.

The Crone jewels.

New member
Greetings to all my dancing sisters!!!!!!!!! I teach ladies of "60 and Better".
Having learnt myself from a wonderful joyful woman who stressed the positive attitude to life, I endevour to teach in the same way. The pleasure of seeing an excited 80 yr old lady buying her little shimmy belt and later adding glitter to her arms before performing for the first time........so satisfying. When a pupil starts to learn, the struggle to find how to isolate the rib cage from the waist is a puzzle. After a year, she can do it!
I make the dances simple, and a repeat of 8 for each move, but I am slowly sneaking in extra cute moves to link one set to the next. The audience last Christmas were pensioners and we had so many compliments. What fun to see my lovely ladies all charged up with adrenaline after the concert!
 

Zorba

"The Veiled Male"
I how utterly cool!

We had a gal celebrate her 88th birthday by performing her first Belly Dance solo - she enjoyed it so much that she did it again for her 89th!

There's something special about older people dancing...
 

Ecuabellydancer

New member
This is a great subject! Since I am helping out my new teacher with giving information to ladies who are interested on joining her dance classes, I´ve had the opportunity to talk to women who are in their 50s or 60s, who ask me if they are not too old to learn oriental dance, if they will feel uncomfortable in classes next to the young girls, and I am so glad I can give them such wonderful, motivating answers and comments, thanks to all I have read regarding the age subject on this forum.

Thanks for the inspiration! :dance:
 

janaki

New member
My fellow aussie, welcome to the forum!!! What a positive post. I also have many senior ladies in my class and it is a joy to see them dance. You are doing a great job, good on you. It on of wishes to be able to dance into my 80s!!

Cheers
Janaki
 

janaki

New member
My fellow aussie, welcome to the forum!!! What a positive post. I also have many senior ladies in my class and it is a joy to see them dance. You are doing a great job, good on you. It on of wishes to be able to dance into my 80s!!

Cheers
Janaki
 

lizaj

New member
That's what so wonderful about this dance that it can mean so much and be so accessable to women and men of all ages . I believe that is because we may go to classes and learn it as Raks Sharki :a theatricalized performance version, it is at heart a social dance.
I am nearly 61 and have been dancing for 10 years and never have I felt I shouldn't be belly dancing. I now teach and my oldest student is 70 and another 66. The youngest is 15! Many of the students are NOT young. Now although we may be more limited in performance opportunities, no one is going to tell us we can't dance at my age and older for that matter. But one thing I do deplore is a patronising atttitude you do sometimes encounter about the older woman dancing.
Hey we have been there, done that ,got many many T shirts . Don't expect little of us. There is much we can do better....and we are aware of our frailties and what we can't manage , we neatly avoid !;)
 

Mosaic

Super Moderator
Welcome to the forum, I was just thinking the other night, I will dance until my last breathe - even if I have to use a wheel chair or walking stick -- LOL! I could turn that into a matriarchs cane dance. I am in my autumn years and am totally addicted to the dance.
 

Babylonia

New member
Welcome to the forum! I very recently began teaching and many of the students who have been taking the class are senior citizens and very devoted to it. I've heard that one of the reasons that many older women find themselves drawn to it is because it is a dance that you don't need a partner to do. It's also a gentle form of exercise that they can get a little dressed up for. :)
 

lizaj

New member
Welcome to the forum! I very recently began teaching and many of the students who have been taking the class are senior citizens and very devoted to it. I've heard that one of the reasons that many older women find themselves drawn to it is because it is a dance that you don't need a partner to do. It's also a gentle form of exercise that they can get a little dressed up for. :)

I have analized why I at almost 51 started.
Yes I loved dancing of any kind and realized I did not need a partner for this dance. I also wanted something more interesting than gyms and aerobics. I suppose I was looking for a chance to indulge in creativity.
Dress up?mmmmm. Well the class I attended 10 years ago did and I certainly see no harm in that! BUT my class(like myself) wear tracksuits and jazz pants and T shirts and some top it off with a hip scarf of some description.
Gentle mmm? I don't know after a burst of improv tribal to up beat music this old girl is sweating along with her class.
Top of my reasons was I just loved an evening surrounded by this wonderful music and trying to get my head and body around the movements that went with it!
Beware that we do not forget that whilst it might seem gentler exercise, to belly dance well is a challenge to young and old. I would rather call it more natural than some other ways to keep fit or even dance.
 

adiemus

New member
Way to go ladies (and gents!)!
I think older women inspire me to keep going, I love that you don't need to be any specific shape or size, or have a partner, and how the dance makes me feel so grounded yet alive!
Love your forum name!!! (and a kiwi too!)
 

Suheir

New member
A couple of my favourite UK dancers are over 60, although you'd *never* guess - they've both been dancing for over 30 years, an excellent advertisement for the rejuvenating properties of belly dance!
 

Maria_Aya

New member
Welcome in this wonderfull forum:)
I think you already experienced the warmness among us.
Many kisses from Greece

Maria Aya:)
 

zahra

New member
Welcome to the forum! What an inspiration ! Its wonderful to
hear dancers of all ages enjoy belly dance.

Looking forward to your posts!
 
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