BALLERINA AT 56
Anna is the oldest dancer in Italy to have passed the 4thGrade examination at the Royal Academy of Dance
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Anna's passion for dance dates back to when she was just a child, amazed by the twists and jumps of Carla Fracci seen on TV. "At the age of 8 I wanted to do it professionally," says Anna, "but in the 1960s, studying classical dance was not so simple."
Today, at 56, she can proudly say that her dream came true. She has been practicing for three years now at “EssereDanza” school in Venice Mestre where she found a great group of friends and a supporting teacher, Vitalba, that made all her fears and doubts disappear.
"Dancing is made of harmonious movements and delicate music," says Anna, "and the psycho-physical benefits are innumerable: it lowers the pressure, makes you flexible and avoids annoying back pain, teaches you to have an elegant and proud posture. You also empty your head from every negative thought because, in order to follow the exercises, you have to stay very focused. " “In the adult course, there are students from 30 to 60 years of age with different backgrounds and experiences, all united by their passion for dance. Dancing frees body and mind, dancing makes you feel good, "says the teacher Vitalba D'Aguanno “and if you do not believe it, come and have a look, the women in their 50s are in better shape than the girls in their 30s! "
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Since 2015, R.A.D. (Royal Academy of Dance) decided to give adults the opportunity to study, at an amateur level, their technique and to take exams. They call them Silver Swans: because, even if at fifty dancing cannot be transformed into a job, the passion for dance remains ageless. An arabesque can come out well even when you are no longer a teenager and the barre exercises seem very difficult.
Anna has another dream: to see more males at dance classes. "There are kids who start taking classes but then, growing up, under the pressure of the social context, where the machismo still applies, they decide to abandon. And it's really a great shame.” It is also to launch an appeal to these children that Anna has decided to tell: "Come, it's nice, and do not worry about what people say. Follow your dream, your passion ". Word of Anna, who chased her dream of a child, and has now reached it.
© GIULIA CANDUSSI. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
