50 Tips for Dance Longevity From a 50-Year-Old Dancer

Turns out 50 is a pretty great age for a dancer. In September, I turned 50. I still take class, perform, and cry at shows I'm in. To celebrate, I wrote down everything that has kept me dancing this long. Some of it I learned in the studio. Some of it I learned treating dancers as a physical therapist. It turned into a list of 50 tips for dance longevity.

Here's the whole list, counting down to #1. I wrote a little more about a few of them along the way. And I’ll probably write more about the rest of them in the coming months.

50. Learn to pull back

49. Learn to appreciate skill v fitness

48. Learn to appreciate fitness

47. Mix it up

46. Remember why

45. Don't take your talent for granted

44. Don't take your skill for granted

43. Make it happen

42. Say yes

41. Use it or lose it

Strength, power, balance, and range of motion all fade when you stop asking your body for them. That's true at 15 and at 50. The longer you wait, the more work it takes to get them back.

It works the other way too. Your body adapts to what you ask of it, at any age. Keep asking.

40. Learn to say no

39. Learn to be an advocate for yourself

38. Keep learning about your body

37. Question authority 😈

36. Fuel your body like it's your job (because it is)

35. Look back at what you've accomplished and celebrate!🎉

34. Be able to recognize various representations of success

33. Learn that "failing" is part of it

32. Learn that every "fail" is something you can learn from

31. Question "the way it's always been done"

Dance has a lot of tradition, and plenty of it is worth keeping. A lot of our training habits came from tradition, though, not from science. Train all out, all the time. Rehearse for hours. Run the piece over and over and over. Static stretch before everything. Push through.

Very little of that lines up with what dance science and dance medicine have learned about how bodies adapt. Training smarter means planning your load, building in recovery, warming up with dynamic movement that ramps up toward what you're about to do, and building strength outside the studio. You can respect where dance comes from and still update how you train for it.

30. Lift heavy things (on purpose)

29. Get stronger than your choreography requires

28. Train like the athlete you are

27. Warm up like it matters

26. Sleep is training

25. Plan your recovery like you plan your rehearsals

24. Pain is information, not a verdict

23. Find a PT who speaks dancer

22. Progress it, don't just repeat it

21. Don't wait for pain to start strength training

A lot of dancers try strength training for the first time after having been in PT, after something already hurts. It works better as the base you build before an injury, not only the fix after one.

Many dance injuries come from a missing strength and cross-training base combined with too steep a ramp-up, like going from summer break straight into an intensive, or from a light schedule into tech week. Building strength ahead of time is how you get ready for those jumps.

20. Do the boring stuff

19. Cross-train

18. Keep taking class

17. Take a class outside your style

16. Be a beginner again

15. Let your dancing change as you do

14. Pay attention when your hormones change things

13. Take care of your feet

12. Write down what you did (future you will want to know)

11. Stay connected to your people

The people who get why you dance are part of what keeps you in it. Classmates, castmates, teachers, and the friends you met in a studio years ago. It's a lot easier to keep dancing when you're dancing with people who make you want to show up.

10. Hydrate before you're thirsty

9. Be patient with progress

8. Learn from athletes outside of dance

7. Find a mentor

6. Be a mentor

5. Perform every chance you get

4. Dance for you, not just the audience

3. Protect your joy

2. Laugh at yourself

#1: Don't give up

There will be injuries, setbacks, auditions that don't go your way, and seasons when life gets in the way of dance. None of those have to be the end. Take the break you need, adjust, and come back.

Want help dancing for the long haul?

If you're working through pain, coming back from an injury, or want to build the kind of strength that keeps you dancing for decades, book a free 15-minute discovery call.