What’s keeping older Brisbane women fit and active these days? In West End, it’s attending a senior ballet class at the Queensland Ballet studio!
Since the Queensland Ballet opened the program for older women in 2017, the senior ballet classes have been receiving more students who have been reaping the rewards of dancing. They are physically improving their posture, control of bodily functions and agility.
The senior ballet classes are conducted for eight weeks at the Beesley Street studio, whilst there is also a two-day training course for the teachers, who are then sent to the Gold Coast, Cairns, Mackay and Hervey Bay to train more senior women.
According to Genevieve Dunn, the organisation’s head of community engagement, ageing women are taught ballet techniques to enjoy and to connect with their peers.
The focus isn’t on executing a perfect routine but on physical fitness and enjoyment. The sessions are purposely repetitive so that the women could re-invigorate muscles they have stopped using, which makes them more active and energetic.
A study from the Queensland University of Technology (QUT) underscored the many benefits of attending a senior ballet class.
“Some of the participants reported that they found the classes positively euphoric and transformational in the pleasure they felt at being part of such weekly social engagement,” Professor Gene Moyle of the QUT’s Creative Industries Faculty said. “The physical benefits of movement and dance on ageing bodies is well documented and our project really re-enforces these findings, however additionally highlights the joy and benefits social connections in dance can bring to people’s lives.”
To learn more about Ballet for Seniors, as well as Jazz for Seniors and Dance for Parkinson’s contact community@queenslandballet.com.au or sign up for the classes online.
