Dance studio encourages mums to take up ballet, breaking stereotypes

Newcastle woman Kate Levick is not your average ballerina. 

Unlike most dancers, who start training from a young age, the 36-year-old only started ballet three years ago, as a way to connect with her daughter. 

"She kept asking me, 'Mum, why don't you know what a plié is? And why don't you know what a jeté is?' And I was like, 'I don't know, I've never done ballet,'" Ms Levick said. 

"I kind of just figured for her, I might try it."

But she quickly found not all studios catered for adult beginners. 

"I looked around online and could only find the big ballet studios," she said. 

"And I wasn't really comfortable being a 30-something, non stick-person that had no idea what to do, to turn up to one of the big ballet studios."

Through word of mouth, she heard about a ballet studio specifically designed for adults and older learners based in Newcastle.

Inclusivity in ballet

The studio is run by Newcastle woman Alice McKechnie who, as a trained ballerina herself, knows just how intimidating the sport can be. 

"Ballet has a bit of a stereotype to it, that you have to be thin, you have to be athletic, you have to have danced before," she said. 

"That's not what we're about at all."

When she opened the studio in 2020, it was known as the Silver Swans and catered for over 55s wanting to dance. 

"I started to get more and more enquiries of, 'I'm not 55, can I come?' and I couldn't really say no," she said.

"So our classes became a much wider age range."

The studio now welcomes anyone from their late teens right up to their 80s. 

Reaping the benefits

Ms Levick, who has attended the studio for the past three years, said she was surprised by how much she had enjoyed it. 

"My perceptions of ballet had been very wrong," she said. 

"[It's not] just prancing around looking pretty … the athleticism and the balance and the mindfulness and everything that comes with it is just amazing."

She has also enjoyed the connection it has brought with her daughter. 

"It has been a really lovely bonding point for us," she said. 

"She'll come home and will want to show me her technique she's just learned, and I can actually understand what that is."

Getting back into it

Now dozens of mums attend the studio, but not all of them are just starting out. 

Denise Duffield-Thomas, 45, danced for much of her childhood and, after watching her daughters doing lessons, missed it. 

"As I've been taking my girls to dancing … every time I dropped them off, I just honestly felt really sad," she said.

She discovered the studio about 18 months ago and decided to try a class.

Now she attends six classes a week. 

"It's honestly been the best thing for me," she said. 

"I get so excited to put my hair in a bun and to put on my leotard … and I'm so happy when I leave [class], it goes in to my whole day."

No age limit

Ms Duffield-Thomas said older women at the studio had also inspired her to continue dancing.

Margaret Knight is in her 60s and attends all types of classes, including ballet exams.

"It's fabulous exercise, and I love challenging myself in this studio," Ms Knight said. 

"The community here is so amazing, and it's just a wonderful place to be. 

Ms Duffield-Thomas said it had also been beneficial for her children to see.

"And that you can still do your passions for your whole life … I want them to see that it's important that everyone has things that are just for them."