‘Stretch’ Cognitively and Physically: A Research on Older Adults’ Experiences of Taking Ballet Classes as an Anti-aging Method

Abstract

With an ageing population, more older Australians are experiencing retirement and are spending more time engaging in leisure activities such as recreational dance classes. There are many opportunities in Australia for older adults to undertake structured dance participation through dedicated ‘seniors’ or ‘over fifties’ activities. These include dance classes, workshops, social dance events, and rehearsals that lead to performance outcomes. The dance genres that these activities draw from include ballet,1 tap and jazz dance,2 contemporary dance,3 ballroom dance,4 clogging and square dance,5 and ‘mature dance’.6 In this article, we draw on a larger study that examined recreational ballet dancing through a case study of Queensland Ballet’s weekly Ballet for Seniors class (see Ali-Haapala, Moyle, & Kerr, 2018). This research had three points of focus: active older adults’ motivations to participate in recreational ballet classes, their perceived wellbeing as a result of ballet class participation, and pedagogical strategies for teachers leading ballet classes for active older adults.