Starting ballet or any new practice as an adult

Good for you! I started taking boxing lessons last year. I am 64 years old. Having an absolute blast. Love it!! Never too late to begin ANYTHING!!

I started martial arts in my 30s, practiced regularly for 8 years. I started on-water rowing and machine rowing at 46, after breast cancer and treatment (surgery, chemo, radiation), and competed at both. I took adult learn-to-swim classes then lap swimming classes starting at about age 47.

All of these enhanced my life, and rowing transformed it - revolutionized it, even. I'm not sure I'd be alive today without it. I certainly wouldn't be as healthy or happy. (I'm 63 now, BTW.)

I've known several people who learned to row (on-water) when over age 70. One was 81.

Disability of various sorts can sadly be a limitation. Some disabilities become more common with age. But age per se is not synonymous with disability, or inherently a limitation.

To think of age, in itself, as a limitation is to succumb to low expectations that are all too common in our culture, IMO.

Enjoy your ballet class! :flowerforyou:

I started doing literally everything I do just last year.

That's hiking, yoga, aerobics, strength training, and jazz dance - and I'm looking at trying tap.

I'm 42.

In all cases I was confused and a bit flaily to start with, then got better. In the case of some of those things, not much better (I can't remember dance steps to save my life!) but I think you can be bad at something at any age

I started belly dancing in my late 40's. 😗

I also started martial arts at 32. There was a big part of me that thought I was "too old", but I learned quickly that wasn't the case. There are a lot of people in my class older then me. One of the toughest, most in shape guys is 56 years old.

While we may be too old to become NBA players, we can still become super athletic by normal human standards.

Started a martial art at 30. My teacher and I were the same age with the same birthday, it was weird .

I had a blast with it. Did some public demonstrations and seminars and everyone was super welcoming to all skill levels and ages. Made friends, learned lots about body mechanics, and put to use my balance skills I learned in marching band at 15. Killed some pumpkins. Good times.

Seminars were hard at first though. I wasn't ready for three 8 hour days of running around barefoot on concrete floors. Was a good lesson in not pushing too hard.

I started bellydance at 42. Started pole dancing at 38. I'm now 45 and I participated in two pole dance competitions this year. Got a 2nd and a 3rd.

I started open water swimming, triathlon and practicing yoga while in my mid 50's. Very glad that I did.

I would imagine your ballet class is a blast! One of my yoga teachers comes from a ballet background, and she is awesome. Even as a 61 year old guy, I would love to learn some of the balance and strength routines that come from ballet. (and I'm long past worrying about how ridiculous I look when trying things like yoga or ballet)

I started adult ballet classes two years ago at 45. It has been a lot of fun and very physically demanding as ballet is hard due to the technical and precise nature of the moves. My ballet classes have a diverse age range of particpants going from people in their twenties up to people in their seventies so it it is definitely not just for younger people. Obviously none of us going to be professional ballet dancers but that just adds to the fun element.

My progress is not as fast as some of the younger people but that is probably because my passion at the moment is hand balancing and gymnastic rings so the ballet stuff is just accessory work.

I'm 65 now and taking up tap dancing. What a blast! I wanted to do this since I was a kid. One of my goals of staying fit and healthy is to have a sharp mind too. Learning new skills outside of your wheelhouse has shown to help with improved brain function, no matter what age.

Yeah, I get grumpy when I can't move around. I did adult ballet at uni, but gave up after a semester because ballet and dyspraxia, or being in a room with people less clumsy than me is not a good combination. Started barbel training thereafter. In the last years I got more into mountain hiking, parkour, running, picked up inline skating again after not using my skates for probably close to 15 years, longer distance cycling... and I just bought an ultralight tent, mattress and sleeping bag and will hopefully test it next week in the Belgian Ardennes. I'm 45.