Can You Relate? The Woes of an Aging Dance Teacher

There are many of you who can relate to becoming a “seasoned” dance teacher. We all have our aches and pains, but I am noticing other changes more and more. If you aren’t at an age where you can relate, don’t worry, one day you will be.

1. There are moments when I have become the choreographer/teacher I used to hate.  The one that teaches something and within minutes if not seconds, upon executing the step it has magically changed.  I have no idea I have changed the step until I look at my students' faces.  “I just changed the step, didn't I?” I ask.  They wouldn’t dare shout out “no that’s not what you just showed us” because of their loving respect for me. At least that's what I will call it.  Maybe they take bets to see if I figure it out on my own.
2. I like to write all my lesson plans and choreography down in a notebook.  The problem now is by the time I create the step, pick up the pencil to write it down it is gone.  Poof! Just like that it is out of my head.  It takes more and more repetition with my feet and my brain to be able to put pencil to paper.  I still write plans and choreography down, but I warn all my students.  “I created this a day or two ago so I’m not sure the notes will make sense to me today.”  And that’s if I remember the book!  I combine video notes with written notes now. But that requires me to warm up before I record a video to be sure I don’t hurt myself and get to all the tap sounds in.
3. On the subject of the ever-valuable teacher notebook.  I am notorious for having my book in hand, teaching the choreography and then dropping it to the floor at the front or back of the room.  It is out of the way of the dancers but easily accessible for me to take a quick glance down to check counts or steps.  Recently I made the discovery that when I look down at my notebook like I have done for years, I can’t read it!  With my glasses on!  Just like there are large type books for those who don’t see well now I have to write my notes in large type format so I don’t have to keep picking it up every two minutes to be sure I have taught steps correctly and I didn’t change the steps!
4. You may ask “why not just pick up the book when you need it?”  That would be a solution if you have a back that doesn’t squeak and crack every time you bend over causing a good deal of strain and pain.
5. I had a brilliant idea a year ago in which I wrote my notes on those large post-it notes.  A 4x5 not the poster size!  I would stick them to the mirror or the wall.  No bending over, my notes were at my eyeline.  But the sticky post it notes are only tacky for so long.  With repeated removal it just didn’t stay stuck.  So I return to bending over.
6. Don’t even think about turning up the heat when I am teaching.  My students ask if they can turn off the portable fans we have.  Of Course, I allow them but I could easily stand in front of the oscillating fan doing a shimmy side to side to follow the flow of air.
7. I know that among dancers we all relish a good back crack or hip crack.  I used to love the feeling of cracking and releasing my hips.  Ahh that feeling.  My aging right hip is
   

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   getting rough.  I haven’t kicked above knee height in two years and lifting my knee to rotate and crack my hip is a distant memory.  Those were the good old days.
8. The heating pad is my new best friend.  Every Tuesday morning (I teach on Mondays) I have my cup of coffee and my heat.  It moves from my lower back to mid back to upper back and neck.  It’s a process.  OK, it’s two cups of coffee with a side of heat.
9. And how about weight gain.  I know this doesn’t apply to everyone and for a long time it didn’t apply to me.  But now it does.  I dread bending over to change my shoes.  Between the backaches and the belly in the way it is no small feat.

This is just the way it goes I suppose.  At least with my body and my genes.  Over the years I have had different modes of therapy from massage, osteopathy, chiropractor and the large bottle of Advil. I still do visit my osteopath, and she knows how to work this body. I will continue to take care of my body and love my body for all it has and will continue to give me.  My next eye checkup is next month, and I sense I will be getting a new prescription with larger frames because the bifocal area just isn’t cutting it anymore.  I am so grateful to have a profession I love but it does come with some aches and pains.  I started teaching at 16 years old. That’s almost 40 years of doing what we do.  This bag o’ bones has done well with all that I have put it through and years more to come I am sure.  I have done a piece of choreography in the past that I have recycled a couple of times.  It’s a group tap dance where the dancers are all dressed as “old people”.  (I’m careful how I use that term) The dance is centered around the fact that they all had walkers.  We used them as props but also incorporated the sound of the wheels and legs hitting the floor built into the rhythms.  A crowd pleaser.  Hmm, I wonder where those walkers are now.  You never know when they could come in handy!