A chance encounter at a summer barbecue led me to a Silver Swans ballet class run by Barrow’s Vanessa Burzynski: Silver Swans… or as I call it Ballet for Old  People. And I’m loving it.

The Royal Academy of Dance, along with Angela Rippon supporting as ambassador, launched Silver Swans ballet classes for the over-55s inviting complete beginners to try something new… and those returning to ballet after many years. Yes, we’re slower to move. Yes, we’re slower to learn but Vanessa knows that and the class is built around what we can do rather than what we can’t. It’s for all shapes, backgrounds and abilities - both men and women. Regular ballet training is great for improving balance, coordination, posture and… I quickly discovered… making new friends. Everyone is so friendly as we chat and bond over tea or coffee after the class.

Vanessa started dancing at the age of three and became a fully-qualified ballet teacher in 2009; she then trained to become a Silver Swans Licensee and held her ifrst class in Loughborough in 2017. Interest quickly grew and she added more classes, now teaching over 80 ‘Swans’ a week at Brightlights Theatre School in Loughborough and Evington Village Hall in Evington. Her oldest ‘swan’ is 88, the youngest, 53 and everything in between. Exercises are adaptable and classes are designed with all participants in mind.

After a warm up appropriate for our age, we do barre work (that’s when you daintily rest your fingers on a bar – or cling onto it for dear life!) and do, mainly leg and foot exercises; then move to the centre for ‘dancey stuff’. The music is lovely, uplifting and varied - from Swan Lake to jazzy ‘fun’ tunes. There are no exams or pressure but everyone is celebrated on what they, as an individual, can achieve. A ‘swan’ who had danced as a child recently described it as “coming home”, while another who came to the class as a newcomer said, “I never danced as a child because I was so uncoordinated - I still am, but it doesn’t matter!” One of the men who comes along said that he’s “more aware of my posture in addition to acquiring greater muscle suppleness despite the increasing limitations of my arthritis”. It’s never too late to start or return.

On the social side, apart from after-class-coffee, Vanessa arranges a summer tea party and awards, boat trips, theatre/ cinema outings, and a Christmas party as well as opportunities for fund raising.

If you want to know more, contact Vanessa at: nelliebeeswans@gmail.com or visit her website at: www.nelliebeeballet.co.uk

Karisa Krcmar