It's never too late to start dance!

I was out  with one of my best friends and she was telling me how she wished she could start dancing. She took lessons when she was very young, but really had a desire to take some dance lessons.

I highly encouraged her. It's never too late to start dancing again!

Actually... it's never too late to start anything!

For the most part, many of the talents that we have were developed from a seed planted in us at a very young age. Dance, piano, art, karate... the list goes on and on.

My childhood was no exception. My mother bought a piano when I was five years old and practically glued me to the seat until I was a teenager; however, a talent had blossomed nonetheless.

There are MANY professional and inspiring dancers out there that started rather "late" in life. Some overcame many odds in order to achieve their goals:

(Misty Copeland)

Misty Copeland is soloist 
with the American Ballet Theatre. 
She did not start formal ballet training 
until she was thirteen years old. 
After lots of hard work and 
determination, by the time she was 
fourteen, Misty was winning national 
ballet competitions. 
When she was sixteen, she was 
offered a contract with the ABT.

(Sabra Johnson)

Sabra Johnson is
the winner of So You Think 
You Can Dance season 3.
Prior to the competition,
Sabra had only been dancing
for four years.

 

 

 

(Rudolf Nureyev)

Rudolf Nureyev enrolled
in a ballet program at the age of
seventeen in the Soviet Union.
Although he started dancing
considerably late, he grew to
become one of the most iconic male
dancers in the history of dance.

(Mikhail Baryshnikov)

Mikhail Baryshnikov
tarted ballet at the age of twelve
when he started at the Vaganova School.
Like Nureyev, Baryshnikov is now a
dance icon and legend.













 Like anything we do in life, the outcome depends on how much heart and soul we put into it. In his book Outliers: The Story of Success, author Malcolm Gladwell examines how people are able to reach high levels of success. He introduces the "10,000 hour" rule, where the key to master your goal is spend 10,000 hours practicing it. Whether you really do need to spend exactly 10,000 hours on something is totally debatable, but the point is, reaching goals may takes time and patience, but if it's something that you love, it will seem like no time at all!

If you want to start dancing, then go ahead! There are so many dance programs designed for adults and older students who are just starting out in their dance career. It is a do-able and reachable goal, and dancers all around the world will applaud you for it!

Good luck, and happy dancing!

Miss Tess

tessc@balletpetite.com