Spirit Of Our Seventies!

Age is no barrier for Ilona, Sheila and Nora who are loving life and fulfilling their dreams.

Ilona returned to ballet at the age of 72

As a child, I performed pirouettes whenever I heard music and fell asleep dreaming of arabesque moves. I longed to become a professional ballet dancer but in my late teens, I hung up my ballet shoes after my father announced he didn’t approve of dance as a stable career choice.

I went into the art world instead. I missed ballet terribly but life took over. I married Peter and together we had two sons. My career as an art dealer took off, and Peter and I travelled the world before settling in the Cots wolds where I opened my own art gallery.

For years, I did no exercise, I was entrenched in my career, telling myself I had no time or inclination to dance again.

In September 2013, I was carrying a painting when I lost my balance and fell down the stairs. I suffered a concussion and was covered in bruises.

But the biggest knock was to my confidence. The accident made me realise I was losing my balance and my core muscles needed strengthening. There was only one thing I could do to truly feel strong once more. So, three months after my accident and 52 years after I’d last danced, I found myself at the ballet barre.