Am I too old to take a hip-hop dance class?

For the past 10 years I’ve been teaching dance to people of all ages and levels.  In the last couple years I’ve been working with a lot of adults ages 35 to 85.  When I tell them I teach hip-hop dance classes, they laugh and say, “Oh I’m too old for that.  I can’t move my hips that way.”

But I’m here to tell you ANYONE can do hip-hop, it just takes the right teacher and a little patience.  Hip-hop dance is about isolations of the body, rhythm and a little attitude.  In the first class I tell everyone to stand hip width apart with their knees slightly bent and their shoulders slightly forward.  Then we bounce and step touch side to side.  That’s it!  If you can do that with music then you’re dancing already!

Maybe your body can’t move as fast as it used to and maybe it takes a little longer to learn the steps, but movies like GOTTA DANCE show us anything’s possible.  This documentary follows the average person ranging in ages from 59-83 and their journey to becoming the NJ Nets Senior Dance Team.  

One thing that stands out is the smiles on their face.  Dance is the ultimate mind body connection no matter what your age.  It keeps your brain young and your body healthy. More importantly, you can’t help but smile when you do it.