*Ballet and dance in general is a youth orientated art form and as a professional dancer/artist, the career has a time limit.
*The fine balance when the body is at its ultimate physical peak and the artistic element has matured and the two connect, has a limited time. The physical decline slowly appears and if one should wish to continue to work as a dancer/artist, one needs to be very connected and "listen to" how the body reacts. I personally worked as a professional dancer until I was 43 so I have a very good understanding of this process.
*Dance and any type of movement to music is therapeutic and as one matures the involvement with body movement is vitally important to keep the body mobile.
*At 61 I entered the stage again in the "Encore" season at Queensland Ballets Talbot Theatre. Interestingly the experience was like going home, almost 20 years after I ceased my professional dance career.
I would like to talk about the process of preparing for this season and what it gave me.
*Queensland Ballet has a huge focus on wellbeing through movement, focusing on Ballet for Seniors, Ballet for Brain Injury and Dance for Parkinsons. In 2022 over 200 participants attended the Ballet for Seniors program, visiting the studios 3,471 times.
*A new program, Dance Moves, in partnership with Arthritis Q’land, offers online adapted ballet classes for people living with arthritis.