Alright well let me just inform you of my situation. I'm a 14 year old boy in 9th grade, who is very interested in becoming an all-around dancer. I have no skill in dance whatsoever, and I'm not flexible at all. Is it too late for me to train and take classes to become one? Most dancers usually start a young age, so I would be at the very bottom and since I'm 14, does that make me too old to start? I'm ready to put in all the effort and work to achieve this, but is it really possible? I know people say "you're never too old!" but really, is it too late?
Ambrehhh, I don't see you as being to late at all. Like you I too am not "flexible." I started taking dance lessons two years ago at the age of 68. I am now 70, still taking dance lessons and enjoying it. Also, welcome to Dance Forums, and you sure write well to only be 14 years old.
Hi ambreh, welcome to DF. It isn´t too late, by no means. But please start carefully: your body will be your capital. A lot of ballet dancers are worn out and raddled at the age of 28! Break dancers may hang on to 32. Still far off, but if you want to live on dancing you should be carefully. Best start with Pilates. Pilates once was invented for ballet dancers.
You're not too young to start ANY dance style, although world-class dancers in some styles tend to start earlier. For ballroom, though, 14 is still quite young. Plenty of world class dancers started that late, or even later, although many did start earlier as well. (One of my coaches, for example, didn't start until her 20s - IIRC she's top ten in Canada right now!)
not exactly Josef invented the form ( contrology) to exercise mind and body One of his pupils Ron Fletcher was a danseur and modified the teaching to suit dancers. Fletcher pilates is what the mrs and i do she is also a certified instructor in this form
It is never too late. It really depends what type of dancing you want to do but for the most part 14 is actually quite young, especially if you are in america. I wish I had started back then!
Ambrehhh, Are you referring to one of the non partner forms such as ballet or partner dance, or both? Certainly not with partnered dancing. I think most of us here started well past that age so the answer is no.
Welcome, Ambrehhh. It all depends on what dance. It certainly isn't too late for Ballroom. For Salsa and Swing, I know many start as adults. For Ballet, Jazz, and Modern, boys are very much in demand, and a late start is certainly not a barrier to entry.
Ambrehhh, its never too late for anything to start, if you have decided to accomplish it. Go for it and start taking the dance classes for the dancing style you like. Be patient and start with one step at a time. And also before getting into dancing properly, you need to increase your flexibility, slowly and steadily, otherwise you will damage your muscles. Your time is now and just go for it.
The same applies to you Dancingnerd92. Its never too late. Start yourself with full confidence and enthusiasm and I am sure you will learn whatever dancing style you want to learn.
Dancing encompasses a lot. And many varied activities that we engage in for many varied reasons. It is never too late to engage in dancing as a social activity, which is what it is the purpose of dancing for most older people (post 20's; in my father's memoirs, he told a story about how when he was 8 years old going to the store for his mother and some old woman was at the counter, she must have been about 18, so "old" is very relative). And that is most certainly what dancing is for me. But I feel that that is not what you are asking. I feel that you want to enter into dance as a career. To that I cannot speak from personal experience, but obviously the younger you can start the better. And yet, as somebody else said in another thread that I cannot remember, the ones who start too young are working before they have developed their coordination and so do not benefit as much from their earlier experience and training. At 14, you should be able to benefit fully. We all start when we start. Not being a professional, I wouldn't think that 14 is too young. Proper stretching exercises would be in order, I would think. I forget whether it was Schubert or Schumann, a 19th Century German pianist and composer. He devised an exercise machine for his pinky fingers to strengthen them for playing. He ended up damaging them so that he had to seek his fame in composition rather than in performing. Learn the right stretching and strengthening exercises for your body, ones that will do your body good and not damage. A craftsman always needs to take the utmost care of his tools. As a professional dancer, your body is your tool. Take care of it. Learn what it takes to take care of it. The sooner the better. Don't just do what you think you might need to do, but rather learn from a trusted teacher who will keep you from injuring yourself.
