You’re never too old: Creativity festival gives older generation chance to stay active

IT’S not exactly Strictly, but dance fever has gripped a group of active oldies.

While Ainsley Harriott is the oldest celebrity aiming for this year’s glitterball at 58, that’s the age of the youngest of these movement-mad ladies.

But the dance floor pioneers are set to show off their graceful skills next weekend on a debut tour.

And they are just a small part of a remarkable month-long festival showing that when it comes to your artistic side, age is no barrier.

The Luminate Festival, celebrating creative older lives, is showcasing amazing abilities in every corner of the country.

And such is its success, more than 120,000 people have taken part in or attended the events since Luminate started in 2012.

Most of the dancers involved in the tour are in their 60s and 70s and the combined age of the two groups involved is over 1,800.

PRIME, from Edinburgh’s Dance Base, and Scottish Ballet Elders are the pairing who are taking the dance world by storm.

Moira Berry, 65, is one of the PRIME stars.

“I used to belly dance for fun when I was much younger but I never imagined I’d be doing this,” said Moira, from Edinburgh.

“When I turned 60 I was looking for a new challenge and heard about Dance Base. There were all sorts of styles I’d never considered, from vintage ballet to hip hop, and I got hooked.”

Auditions were held earlier this year and Moira was one of the 12, the oldest being 75, picked for the first tour.

“Some people had never danced until they joined the company but it’s brilliant.

“As well as keeping me fit, it’s good for the brain and the social side keeps me active, too.”

Singing is also part of Luminate

Glaswegian Pat Gillespie, is one of the 14 picked from Scottish Ballet’s successful Regenerate dance programme for the over-50s.

“I couldn’t have imagined I’d be able to do ballet, certainly not at my age,” said Pat, 66.

“I thought it was only for young, fit people. So I can’t believe that I’m on a dance tour in front of audiences at this stage of my life.

“But I move better, have more energy and have better balance, which must be good for my health.”

The tour will be at Citymoves Dance Agency in Aberdeen next Sunday and then at the Tramway in Glasgow on October 25.

Over the course of this month, some 400 different Luminate events of every possible type are being held.

Film is always a major part and highlights this year include The Lunchbox, a simple story about second chances as you get older, and Hip Hop-eration, featuring elderly participants of the Hip Hop Dance Championships in Las Vegas.

Among the spoken word events are the Portskerra International Storytelling Festival, with theatre events including Broth, which explores the experiences of older people in 21st Century Scotland through the tradition of soup making.

But many of the events are really active as well as involving.

“We have one right at the very end of the month in Greenock called Up, Up and Away,” said Festival Director Anne Gallacher.

“We had some taster sessions involving aerial dance work last year which went down so well we’ve now expanded into this bigger performance project.

“The All or Nothing Aerial Dance Theatre have been teaching these older people how to fly across the theatre stage. They use silk harnesses and cocoons and it’s all geared to the person’s fitness and core strength.

“I’ve tried it myself and it’s quite tough but the show will be amazing.”

Art is also part of the programme

It’s far from the only unusual show over the short history of the Festival, which is supported by Creative Scotland, the Baring Foundation and Age Scotland.

Back in 2013 an inter-generational graffiti project saw older people and a youth group work together with a professional graffiti artist to decorate an underpass in Livingston.

Anne has seen the number of events staged during the festival expand by a third.

Those who are more frail and less able to get out and about are catered for, too.

“I was just at an exhibition created by Gretna care home residents alongside an artist for several months,” said Anne. “And in Edinburgh a director who runs a big community choir is working with care home residents to get them singing and expressing themselves.”

And Anne says that whatever the fitness level and previous artistic talents of those involved, Luminate is acting as a shining beacon for what can be achieved.

“Right from the beginning we’ve wanted to challenge the stereotypes around ageing,” she adds.

“People tell us they’d had such a boost in everything from their creative development to physical fitness.

“And we’ve had so many audiences coming away realising older people can contribute massively to our cultural life.”

Luminate runs until the end of the month. www.luminatescotland.org/I love my work so much I’m still clocking on after 80 YEARS – fuelled by two bowls of porridge a day – click here to read more