Ballet4Life Talks Dance

  Ballet4Lifer of the Month- January 20-Tutu !!! Christine Casimir Happy New Year all!! We welcome Christine to the Ballet4Life stage to share her beautiful story and thoughts with us a s we embark on a new year with renewed hope and vision. We have danced with Christine the last years in both Ballet4life and Move into Wellbeing ®  classes, we have taught her privately at her home, enjoyed many Tea & Coffee Socials with her, visited her wonderful garden, received her gorgeous hand knit gifts, and enjoyed her calm and clever nature. Christine with her mum circa 1953 at the Battersea Fun Fair Hello, my name is Christine Casimir, I am 71 years old, I live in Chiswick with my husband of 50 years, and we have a grown-up son who lives in California with his wife and 4 year old daughter. I also have  Parkinson’s , a neurological condition for which there is no cure, but more of that later. Christine in various B4l and MiW classes In 50+ Ballet Class I have always loved dancing and watched

 Ballet4Lifer of the Month- December!!! Artwork courtesy of Charlotte Fawley We celebrate the joys of Ballet and  Dance this month with hard-working, devoted, and talented dancer Claudine Mann. What a lovely way to start the festive season. Thank you, Claudine. Claudine in Ballet4life's Saturday Int/Adv class with Beatrice. Image courtesy of Ballet4life. BALLET4LIFER OF THE MONTH QUERIES When did you start dancing ?  I started dancing when I was 10 after badgering my parents for classes for over a year.  They eventually gave in!   Claudine as a Baby Ballerina- photo courtesy of her family. What makes dancing so special to you?     Watching a highly skilled dancer offers an experience unlike anything else.    Its not just about great technique.   The combination of music, décor/costumes and lack of speech means that feelings/emotions are conveyed in a completely different way.   When the music comes together with an experienced performer there is nothing quite like it.   

  BALLET4LIFER OF THE MONTH – November- Vivian!!   Aw, so sweet I am so happy to introduce our Ballet4lifer Vivian as our featured dancer this month. Vivian attended our daytime Ballet classes pre-COVID as well as our Contemporary Dance classes. She then returned to our Contemporary Dance classes on Saturday with her lovely daughter. She always brings a positive attitude into the studio, is so open and friendly, and the joy of movement is always evident in any exercise she is executing. They have also both performed beautifully in our  fundraising Showcase pre-COVID.  Take it away Vivian, and thanks for participating!!   When did you start dancing? Like most young children, I loved moving to music from a young age. Just couldn’t keep still when a tune came on, and generally loved flinging myself about the place!   Formal dance training didn’t start until quite late.   Growing up in Malaysia in the 1960's meant ballet or any other dance classes were not freely accessible; pl

Ballet4lifer of the Month- October!! Maureen en pli é in Ballet4life Ballet class Ballet4lifer of the Month is our lovely dancer and Move into Wellbeing helper, Maureen Sweeney. Maureen's smile lights up any room she enters and her positive attitude brings us joy. She is such a lovely, warm, giving person and we are thrilled she said YES to participating this month! Thanks, Maureen. Moving into Wellbeing with Maureen............   When did you start dancing?  I started dancing when I was 11. Instead of P.E I joined a dance class. Miss McQueen was our teacher believed dancing was one of life’s joys     What makes dancing so special to you?  Dancing releases all my happy feelings that even a ‘pensioner’ can participate and enjoy.    When did you start with Ballet4Life?  I started Ballet4Life 3 years ago as a result of a casual remark made by a friend. “Guess where I went on Saturday -  to a Ballet class for ‘Oldies’“ she said  I went along the following Saturday - I

Ballet4Lifer of the Month- September 2021 We welcome long term Ballet4lifer Jo Marshall-Collins to the dance floor today. Jo is not only a dedicated and talented dancer, she is also a mother, wife, post graduate student, human rights advocate, and worker / volunteer for a variety of charities.  Take it  jeté  - away Jo, and thank you for participating! Jo as a child rocking the roller skater look with her sister    When did you start dancing?   At Miss Broach’s from age 4 to 6 (so the late 1960s), where after having done our class, we used to watch the big girls, including my sister, doing barre work with chairs. We wore little tunics rather than leotards and I’m pretty sure I had red ballet pumps. The pinnacle of my early ballet life was playing the role of chief bluebell in a ‘gala’, resplendent in a blue and green tutu made by my mother which remained my favourite party dress until I grew out of it. We all sat in a circle doi

Ballet4Lifer of the Month- August 2021 We welcome Eve Kells as our Ballet4Lifer of this month. Eve has a very curious and open mind and her questions and thought processes in our classes always intrigue and stimulate. It is our joy and privilege that this graceful and gracious person found us. We look forward to many more classes together. Thank you, Eve, and sorry we have only this one present day photos of you in our classes to share!  When did you start dancing?   I started ballet classes when I was 12 years old. I soon realised that this was late by traditional standards, but can recall making up dance routines long before that, to the tune of Atomic Kitten and others! I was a true noughties child who pleaded with Santa for a dance mat (which I still remember fondly). This was part of a craze of dance games which swept amusement arcades at the time, which saw people imitating an avatar by timing the movement of their feet to a series of arrows on a screen. I’m not sure tha