Apr 08, 2019

A tale of two (older) ballet dancers

 

Back when I was a teenager, one of the pop songs that swayed us was Nat King Cole’s rendition of “Dance, Ballerina, Dance”. Both then and now, however, the length of time in which ballerinas can actually do that is – typically – constrained by the vicissitudes on the body by this tough profession. It is, in fact, so punishing that – as pointed out in a 2017 Huffington Post article – “most women peak by their 30th birthday and retire not long after.”

Most, but not all. And two dancers in their fifties are showing innovative ways of prolonging their careers in – rather than on the sidelines or out of – dancing. Wendy Whelan is an American dancer who was 50 years old at the time of the above-mentioned article, which tells the story of her move from ballet in her 40s, to continuing work in contemporary dance.

She performs in collaboration with a “cadre of contemporary choreographers that she assembled….. [And] her new role allows her far more artistic control than she had as a ballerina. She chooses who choreographs on her, she designs programs, she wields far more power than she could as a dancer – something that most ballerinas never get to experience before or after they retire.”

Fifty five-year-old “stellar” Italian ballet dancer Alessandra Ferri, however, has gone one step further, and has been working for change within the challenges of ballet itself. And while she retired at the age of 43 (in 2007), this turned out to be by no means the end of her career as a ballerina. According to a 2019 feature about her in Marie Claire, “the mother of two made a triumphant return to the stage in Italy six years later, eventually being accorded the rare honour of becoming a designated “prima ballerina assoluta.” And what she has done in this role is to “challenge choreographers to create a new generation of older characters and push back against ageist limitations.”

As she put it, “I don’t want to be a Juliet anymore, [or] a girl in love for the first time…. I can’t jump anymore, but I can do something else. I can portray the beauty of a human being in her 50s.”

And at a time when – as noted in the Huffington Post – “most dance companies are [still] run by men, and most chorographers are men,” it is extremely encouraging to find two older female dancers who are expanding and extending the opportunities for their colleagues. And – importantly – they are also bringing an evolving perspective to dance that makes this art form more relatable for older audiences.

Image: Wendy Whelan, image via Wikipedia.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Jet setting from the ground: the Mildura aged care home taking residents on tours of the world

Looking for a fun idea in lockdown? These Mildura residents have been traveling the world during a time where almost all flights are grounded and the rest of us have been suffering from itchy travel feet. Read More

‘Sniff test’: Training the brain through the nose

  A team from Melbourne University is developing a study to train people to improve their smelling abilities, in the hope that the training may also improve their thinking skills. A group from the University’s Academic Unit for the Psychiatry of Old Age are developing an  ‘olfactory cognitive training study’ titled ‘Neuropsychological and Olfactory Skills... Read More

How Bringing Children and Older People Together Benefits The Community

Society often undervalues older people, believing that they no longer have anything to offer in their later years. However, contrary to that, they can in fact be a great resource when it comes to caring and educating young children. One Australian study showed that activities that include children and older adults in a daycare facility... Read More
Advertisement