Preparing Mentally, Emotionally & Physically for Aging in Dance and Transitioning Stages
What I’ve Learned from 50+ Years of Dance!
Pronunciation: La-Ree Ba-Lees | Pronouns: she/her
By Laurie Balise, DWC Ambassador
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As a young company dancer at Olympic Ballet Theater in the 1980’s, one of my favorite pieces I performed was “Fall” as a part of the Ballet Seasons. Now in my 50’s, I’m in a very different season of my life as a dancer. I’ve always loved fall–the season that teaches us that change can be beautiful.
My life story thus far includes many different seasons, in both dance and otherwise, all of which I’ve tried to embrace. Each season has taught me something different that at now 53 has created wisdom. While there have been many successes and much happiness, I’ve also learned to deal with mistakes and disappointment, handling regrets, and practicing forgiveness. Often the greatest shifts and growth have come from re-addressing previous truths that came after life tragedies. My wisdom has taught me that everything in life, whether positive or negative, or significant or seemingly not, has value. Personal reflection is so important, and implementing new ideas or goals, yet still allowing yourself to dream. I likewise believe in teaching my dancers to be adaptable, disciplined, hard working, resilient and tenacious in all they do. Dance teaches us SO much more on our life path at times than just dance, and I’m grateful for all the lessons along the way.
Something I’ve also considered as I’ve aged is wanting to assure I’ve created a positive impact on the world. Whereas in my youth I was primarily a performer, transitioning to teaching gave me even greater purpose. Before teaching I incorporated the arts and dance into my academics in college with an internship at Pacific NW Ballet in their Public Relations Department and later was the Publicist for the Seattle Symphony. I have more avenues to explore, but I’ve also found peace and felt pride and satisfaction with what I’ve accomplished thus far. I think positive self validation is really important always, but especially as we get older-we don’t have to continually prove ourselves as dancers, or otherwise. What I hope to have passed along as a teacher and be remembered for is that I truly cared; that I challenged myself and others both creatively and in physical abilities and technique; that I showed my students how to have fun even when working hard; and that believing in themselves is always most important. I love connecting with others in our shared humanity which has been a big part of my purpose. I think it’s important to identify the why? as well and once we have, better align ourselves with our purpose. Progress and growth is always important, but sometimes it also includes rest or reinvention. There’s no particular ‘standard’ we have to meet to be dancers either- no right or wrong. Nor do we have to be doing certain things like performing or even teaching to still be viable in our art form and make a contribution. There are so many options for how we can incorporate dance into our lives that are meaningful and joyous. I love just dancing around the world or taking classes whenever I’m traveling. For many years I’ve also helped in volunteer positions judging the dance category in art competitions, assisting with high school dance team tryouts, producing and choreographing school musicals, and representing the arts at student career fairs.
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Sometimes rest or change is something we resist though until life throws us a prominent “stoplight!’ There are always indicators around us if we are present enough to pay attention, and sometimes an opportunity we hadn’t considered becomes a wonderful transition to a new chapter. The Universe sent me a message recently to listen to my gut, literally. It led me to health tests that revealed a gut disorder most likely brought on from years of cumulative stressors and past traumas. As dancers and artists, we of course are quite empathic and feel everything deeply. Additionally, we hold ourselves to high standards and push ourselves in all ways. And after so many years of being in front of people, no matter what level of confidence or mastery we have, we can still get anxiety and butterflies in our stomach. Practicing greater self care and managing stress including both physical and mental health has been a big priority for me especially in this latest season of my life. The gift in awareness was that I was able to bring its importance into my professional life as well by offering mindfulness and meditation classes for my dancers, as well as teaching yoga to both kids and adults.
In more recent years, I’ve really tried to start leaning more into my wisdom and intuition, giving myself more permission to say “no” when necessary to find greater balance in my life. I think this is such a great practice for dancers or anyone. Sometimes things are just too much at times, and when we ease off and take a few steps back we can actually proceed forward with greater care. We don’t always have to be “on'' and available to everyone either. We’re already so exposed as performers and teachers, and it’s okay to not have to always be front and center. Using this skill, I try to step back when I teach for instance so my dancers can let themselves be their own focus.
I may be getting older- everyone is! But I’ve found acceptance in that and all the undeniable things my body has gone through as a mother and otherwise. In this way I practice non-resistance to the things I can’t change. That said, I still don’t need to be limited by or defined by my body or age in my strengths or abilities throughout any of the seasons of my life either. In many ways I know my body has been stronger the older I’ve gotten. When we truly love ourselves, our body responds positively in a homeostasis in our mind, body, and soul. As a dancer and most importantly a human being, I am always viable in what I have to offer and in any capacity that I may find myself in. This is what keeps me going and growing, always, and staying positive and allows the freedom and ease of transformation to occur, in dance or otherwise.
If we think of ourselves as being in constant creation then we are in a revolutionary process of reinventing ourselves throughout life. Growth is a choice we can make over stagnation. The more we move in all ways,, the more we find opportunities to stimulate our brains and bodies in new exploratory ways. This can help us defy the aging process just by the natural occurrence of our choices and actions. You are confined only by the walls you build yourself; the opposite of courage is not cowardice, it’s conformity.
Just like there are several positions in dance that we flow through from first to fifth, we move through different points in our relationship with dance in each new season. Each is beautifully unique for what it offers us in experiences and memories and grows us in different ways. When holding a pose in dance, we still remain alive and breathing before transitioning into the next step, just like through the stages of our lives. So may we all Temps lié, Chassé or Pas de Bourrée into our next position in life and embrace whatever it may be! Ultimately as we know, life itself is truly a dance!
“You can have as much ballet or dance as you want in your life. You can have a lot or a little bit, or somewhere in-between,” said Miko Fogarty, the star of the 2012 dance documentary First Position who herself has found different directions in life beyond dance.
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