I'm 40 now...
I'm around 40 years old with no dance experience. Is it realistic for me to think I will some day be good at this?
Whaat!? I just had to go back and check your new costume thread. Wow. I thought you were twentysomething. :shok: :clap:
I started at 41, don't know if I'll ever be "good" but I'm having a lot of fun trying, and there are plenty of role models.
I think many of us come to BD later due to various other life commitments, (family/work etc) and when the pressures of those ease we find we need something special just for ourselves.
~Mosaic
Let me join the chorus here. I started when i was 40 also, ( in 1993) and while I had studied a little bit of dance before (old time country /western, contra, jazz and modern) I did not consider myself talented in dance.
I started Belly dance as a way to recover from a car accident. The massage therapist I was seeing suggested it. I had a friend who had been taking lessons for years just for fun and i joined her class and the rest is as they say history.
In my not so humble opinion, I am an above average dancer, if average is defined as the majority of dancers that I see at the local events I attend. I will never make a living as a belly dancer, but I do get paid sometimes for teaching or dancing.
Much of what I do now for fun or for health is to support my dance. I have always loved fiber arts and love designing and making my costumes. I walk to stay fit and constantly try to learn more about nutrition so that I can stay healthy. I do all this so that I can keep dancing.
I love learning about other cultures and countries and spend a great deal of time reading books about the Middle East.
I started Balkan Folk dancing to support my Belly dancing and have become an aficionado of this genre as well. BTW Balkan Folk dancing is an excellent way to gain understanding of rhythm and movement.
So overall studying Belly dance has had an enormous positive benefit in my life.
Marya
Dear Gang,
I would like to add that Marya is one of the most dedicated students I have ever met. It is truly important to her to get it right and she is a pleasure to work with because of her caring attitude about what she is doing. She takes her studies very seriously and she is continuously learning and improving!
Regards,
A'isha