Dance waited for me

Anyone who knows me knows that, for several years now, my life has revolved mainly around painting. Paintings, brushes, canvases and paints are part of my everyday world. But few people know that long before that, I had a big dream.

Dance.

When I was younger, I loved the atmosphere of ballroom dancing classes: the music, the beautiful dresses, the energy of the people around me and that feeling of switching off for a moment and letting the rhythm guide me. I completed both the introductory and follow-on courses and looked forward to continuing my journey in dance.

When health changes your plans

Then came a chapter of my life that I had not chosen.

Operations on my legs made it impossible to continue doing what I loved. Instead of learning more dance steps, I had entirely different things to deal with. So I set my dream of dancing aside and gradually accepted that I might never return to it.

At the time, I had no idea how long my break would last.

Life went on

The years passed.

Work, family, children, and the worries and joys of everyday life followed. Like many women, I devoted most of my time to the people around me. Dance had not disappeared; it had simply moved into the background.

Yet every so often, it reminded me it was still there. All it took was a song on the radio, a dance performance on television or a memory of the days when I spent my evenings on the dance floor.

Somewhere inside me, it had never left.

A return I had not expected

Years later, an opportunity came to return to dancing.

Uncertainty mingled with excitement. I wondered whether I would still remember the steps, whether I would fit in with everyone else and whether I would enjoy dancing as much as I once had.

The answer came very quickly.

All it took was a few practice sessions.

The music played, my body moved and I realised just how much I had missed dancing.

Suddenly, neither my age nor the years that had passed mattered. What mattered was the joy I had found again.

More than just dance

Today, dance means more to me than choreography or performances.

It gives me energy, new experiences and moments when my mind switches off completely. I love the atmosphere at practice, the laughter we share and the support of women who share the same passion.

Every performance reminds me that some dreams are worth dusting off, even when we have set them aside for a long time.

It is never too late

Today, I stand on the dance floor in costume, smiling.

Not because everything is perfect.

I smile because I have fulfilled a wish I spent years believing would no longer be part of my life.

I did not return to dancing at twenty.

Health complications and operations on my legs took several years from me.

I made it back onto the dance floor much later than I had imagined when I was young.

But I no longer dwell on what might have been.

I find joy in what I have now.

If you too carry a dream you have had to put aside, do not give up on it just because time has passed.

Life sometimes takes us in a different direction from the one we planned.

Yet sometimes, years later, it leads us to exactly where we always wanted to be. 🤎