Clockwise from backside left: Binu Harikumar, Usha Mohan, Radhika Mijulal and Lakshmi Vishwanathan, dancers at Dharani Faculty of Performing Arts in Kochi, Kerala
| Picture Credit score: Particular association

“The second of seniors taking to bounce has come,” says Geetha Mathen. In 2006 she based Natya Vyayaama in Kochi to encourage older girls to bounce and train.

“It was forward of its time then,” she says. In 1998 she had informally began instructing dance to seniors however discovered few takers. Publish the pandemic Geetha is relaunching the courses in Might, solely for ladies above 50 and has already acquired invites from two condo complexes to carry classes. She plans to carry courses at flats throughout town, if there’s a group of 10 or extra senior dancers. She teaches at her house, Veranda, in Kottayam as nicely.

Chandrika Menon, 72, is among the senior dancers at KAPZ Dance Periods, a dance platform began by choreographer Kalpana Susheelan, in Thevara , Kochi. Chandrika joined final yr when the college was based. “I even dance to nattu nattu,” she says with amusing, including “Dance improves your reminiscence, coordination, vitality, grace and energy, step-by-step.”

At 78, Geeta Karot, is the senior-most within the group. She loves western dance and learnt how one can dance jazz and salsa, in addition to stomach dance, in several cities in Europe, the place she resided due to her husband’s job. She joined the courses three months in the past. “I occurred to listen to a favorite music of mine whereas strolling previous the dancers and wished to affix. They welcomed me,” says Geeta, including that she loves shifting to music.

Kalpana’s senior college students, a bunch known as, Woman Bugs, are all above the age of 60. Dance has helped alleviate a few of their well being issues, she says. She offers an instance of a lady going through “reminiscence points”, which improved drastically with dance. “It’s a must to keep in mind the dance steps, and that regenerated her reminiscence energy,” she says.

Salsa Shines

Her courses for seniors start with Latin strikes , adopted by Salsa shines, during which companions transfer other than one another to indicate off quite a lot of nimble foot actions.

Senior girls’s group Woman Bugs of KAPZ Dance Periods, Thevara, Kochi
| Picture Credit score:
Particular association

One in every of Kochi’s most senior Indian classical dancers, Shyamala Surendran broke the glass ceiling in 1982 when she started studying dance as a 34-year-old. “That itself is taken into account late,” she says including that it was her ardour that she pursued, and later arrange Dharani college of Performing Arts in the 90s.

Firstly of 2023, three 50-year-olds have enrolled in her college, to be taught classical dance. In response to her dance “is sort of a whirlpool” and attracts one into its world of self discovery and realization. “Its last consequence is pure happiness,” she says.

On the challenges of instructing dance to seniors as in comparison with kids, Shyamala says it is just pure dance —actions — that the youngsters can grasp, however to carry out satwika abhinaya (communication of interior feelings) one must be mature to grasp it.” 

Shyamala says that in lots of cases she finds kids sending their moms to bounce as they discover a change for the higher of their moms’ frame of mind. Vyshnavie Sainath who arrange Vyshnavie Dance Centre in Secundrabad, in 2012 agrees. “Grandmothers are becoming a member of the category, a mother-daughter duo are having fun with the artwork and discovering a new-found closeness of their relationship,” she says.

On-line courses

Vyshnavie notices a particular spike within the variety of girls within the age group 40 to 60 take to bounce. “It’s good to see that ladies are lastly dropping their inhibitions,” she says, including that on-line courses, “gave them the boldness to bounce.”

Sheeba Joseph, 57, who joined Dharani Faculty of Dance this yr after retiring as a trainer from St Augustine Increased Secondary Faculty in Aroor, says that her household is supportive of her determination, although her neighbours might disapprove. She finds dancing a great way to handle weight. “To me my 75-year-old trainer Shyamala is an inspiration,” she provides.

Chennai-based doyen of classical dance VP Dhanajayan and his spouse, Shanta, who proceed to carry out of their 80s say that seniors dance for 2 causes – one to satisfy a childhood ardour and to expertise the bodily, psychological and non secular advantages. Dhanajayan provides that there it’s one other benefit: “these seniors largely comprise the viewers at dance performances and can now know the nuances of dance. That’s what a performer needs for.”