Author Clare Swatman talks about rediscovering her love for dance
WORDS: CLARE SWATMAN IMAGES: CLARE SWATMAN
It is a pastime that has been around for centuries. For some cultures, the practice was spiritual. For others, performances were always for leisure. Today, millions sit and watch Strictly on their screens. In whatever form, dancing has long been – and continues to remain – a strong pillar in our lives.
For me, rediscovering my love for dancing helped me find peace again.
Like so many others, I used to love my weekly tap and ballet dancing classes.
Then, at the age of 14, I gave them both up. During my twenties there was a short resurgence, as I lived in London and went to the Pineapple Dance studios once a week.
But then I fell pregnant and moved out of London, and didn’t really give dance much more thought. Busy with bringing up two small boys, it simply wasn’t part of my life, apart from occasionally dancing around my kitchen.
That lasted until two years ago, when I saw an advert on my local Facebook group for a dance class run by former professional dancer Jackie Travers. Intrigued, I decided to give it a go.
Jackie has been dancing professionally for most of her life. She began at the age of six and, after years of training,
was a member of the dance group New Generation on the BBC. Decades later she still teaches more than a dozen dance classes a week and hopes to share the benefits dancing can have with the world.
For one, there are the physical benefits it can have for your body.
“Physically, dancing keeps you fit,” says Jackie, who is nearly 70 years old.
“It helps with balance and co-ordination, which are both things that get worse as you age.”
“It’s so good for keeping your brain sharp, too. I teach a different routine every week in all my classes, which means people have to remember each step. No slacking and repeating the same old thing in my classes.”
However, Jackie says, dance also gives in less physical ways by fostering community and connection with others.
“There’s no bond like the bond between people who learn, train and perform together,” she adds.
“Even now, forty years on, I still meet up to dance with my former colleagues on a regular basis.”
It is this intersection of benefits that makes dancing unique when compared to some other sports and physical activities.
