Why Seniors Should Take Ballet Class

Posted by Donna Mae Scheib on December 14, 2016

Barre Therapy

Why Seniors Should Take Ballet Class

Dancers mill about the airy room as the teacher makes last-minute adjustments to the music for class. Soon steady, majestic piano notes stream from the speakers, and the dancers reach for the barre to begin plies, like they have hundreds of times before.

This could be a glimpse of any ballet class at a studio or company, but in fact it’s one of the many senior adult ballet classes held all across the world. The heads at the barre may be crowned with grey and silver, the chasses a little slower, but the grace that emanates from the upturned ballerina chins is the same as from any professional company.

Carla Steenkamp with MyBallet in the United Kingdom, is one of the many teachers using ballet to enhance the lives of those in their sunset years. Steenkamp, who has been professionally trained in dance since the age of six, has also studied different types of dance and creative movement therapy, working with individuals with a range of physical and mental capabilities.

“After going through breast cancer and thinking that I could never dance again, I managed to work slowly bringing my body back to good condition and health over a period of six years. The gift I received from this illness was to see that our bodies may be flawed, but we can still be dancers if we work in a skillful and compassionate way. 

I decided to specialise in working with older adults, and the perceptions and realities of the aging body and mind. Ballet is about precision. I honour that precision as much as is possible for the aging body without compromising the health of the dancer because, after all, this is about our health and well-being.”

Steenkamp is currently running 150 students a week at her two locations in Dorset and Somerset.

“Some dancers are in good health but others suffer from a range of illnesses including cancer, heart problems, Parkinson’s, mental health, etc. My oldest student is 84 and very committed. She is in class every week, no matter what she is dealing with.  She has steel plates in her feet, but nothing stops her from wanting to learn more. I feel very moved by her enthusiasm and also very proud of her. She keeps up with dancers in their 30s. There are several dancers in their late 70s.”

And that’s where ballet class can offer some of its more surprising benefits to seniors.

Exercise has long been lauded as a way to slow or reduce the negative effects of Parkinson’s and dementia, but the unique emphasis on muscle memory in ballet class helps participants regain a sense of muscle awareness and control.

“Students benefit by learning self-awareness of how each part of them moves and how they can best adapt to expressing themselves through ballet.  Self-awareness helps with weight distribution and awareness of how the feet feel and move, which is vital to help prevent falls.

The classes definitely have an effect on participants’ core strength, strength in legs particularly, ankles and feet, and the muscles around the knees. Posture definitely improves within weeks and people report better balance which shows in class.

“For some their movement range increases and awareness of themselves and others. I support dancers to make friends and really dance together which can cause a lot of fun and laughter. The laughter is very beneficial for shifting low mood or low energy. My 84-year-old student says she has discovered muscles she never knew she had (muscle tone) and that she negotiates spaces (spatial awareness) and particularly her staircase with much more confidence,” Steenkamp said.

While offering the more obvious benefits of coordination, flexibility, and strength, ballet can be a balm to the soul, offering a creative outlet as well as opportunities to fellowship with other like-minded individuals. Ballet is an art, after all, and art affects more than just the body, but the spirit and mind as well.

Steenkamp reflected on her students.

“There are people who arrive with low confidence, poor posture, tension/stress and poor balance with low communication skills and few friends often through bereavement. I am always delighted when I see all of the above change. Balance often becomes better within weeks, posture can take longer, but people do take on a better posture in time.

I love seeing a new group arrive without moving much at all initially in the first few months and then seeing how they become confident enough to start warming up with each other just like ballet dancers. Some end up practicing at home together. I also love seeing a group of strangers arrive who then bond and become supportive friends.”

For those looking to try out a senior adult ballet class, Steenkamp offers these words of advice and encouragement.

“Never never give up through feeling you cannot dance, be mobile and healthy. We can all dance, it is natural. Give yourself permission to learn and get things wrong. Change your attitude to moving your body. Ballet can be for you and not only for the elite. Our bodies amazing and can heal and change.

Also, top priority is to get a good teacher. Never be forceful in movement and listen to your body. Work with self–compassion as well as towards others. Go gently and dance, dance, dance.”