Centre for Policy on Ageing



Growing old gracefully — social dance in the third age
Author(s)	Lesley Cooper, Helen Thomas
Journal title	Ageing and Society, vol 22, part 6, November 2002
Pages	pp 689-708
Keywords	Dancing ; Participation ; Social surveys ; Essex ; London.
Annotation	This paper examines the meaning of social dancing for older people. It is based on a one-year qualitative research project, which seeks to explore the experiences of social dance for people aged 60 years or more who attend various dance events in Essex and South East London. The findings suggest that the social dance experience is not only or simply a beneficial physical experience for older people, it also bestows other significant benefits for those who enter the third age and beyond. It can provide continuity within change. It offers an opportunity to be sociable and have fun in ways that both reflect and avowedly move beyond the dancers' teenage years. It promotes a welcome sense of a community spirit. It is a way of becoming visible and aesthetically pleasing, and it bestows a sense of worth and achievement in skills learnt through dancing. Last but not least, dancers can experience the joy of a fit and able body in both real and mythic senses. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-021209202 A
Classmark	HNA: TMB: 3F: 8ES: 82L
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.