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Thanks for an inspiring and timely article (The rave secret: why middle-aged women are larging it – and seeing big health benefits, 20 July). My 37-year-old daughter recently invited me to a festival to celebrate my 80th birthday. There were raves each night for three nights in a row. I learned to dance in the late 50s and 60s, during the era of Elvis Presley and the Beatles. I used to absolutely love dancing and used to party in clubs well into my late 30s. But reading your article, I realised that I hadn’t danced in over 40 years!
When my daughter invited me to a festival, naturally I had all the self-doubts and concerns you mentioned in your article, including “internalised ageism”. But I love and trust my daughter. She said: “Dad, you’ll do great!” So I went, and I did – dancing with total strangers until 4-5am every night for three nights.
It was so incredibly fun. Feeling my body move to the beat was so tangible and felt so right, and it was so energising. I was initially afraid that the dance style I learned 60 years ago in the age of rock would look really out of it. But nope. Things on the dancefloor haven’t changed that much. And once I started dancing and felt the beat of the music, I completely forgot my age of 80 years; I became ageless.
Dancing awakened a sense of physical vibrancy that I had forgotten. I definitely intend to rave on. It feels so good!
Brian F Nattrass
Gibsons, British Columbia, Canada
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