Shelley Senter        Photo: Tony Edlestein

Looking back over the past three years, and re-reading about artists in their 50s, here are several inspiring and stimulating quotes pulled from five artist profiles. Click on any name to read further about an artist. Through their own words, you feel their passion, care, and curiosity. 

Shelley Senter (Brooklyn, NY)

50s: 

moving back to new york city and igniting my love of dancing again (with a lovely welcome home – a commission by danspace project on a platform called "back to new york city", curated by juliette mapp); joining LOWER LEFT, the performance collective that i am a member of (with nina martin, margaret paek, andrew wass, kelly dalrymple-wass and leslie scates); teaching in academia here and there (juilliard, the new school, hunter college); finding a new artist/parent balance; establishing a thriving alexander technique private practice and continuing to teach and perform (most recently at MoMA in "20 dancers for the 20th century").

Mike Barber (Portland, OR)

Non-dance movement practices:

I run every day, at least 20 minutes. The daily practice of shorter runs works better for my body. My goal is to run 365 days, every day. I just passed day 75.

Eddie Martinez (Wuppertal, Germany)

50s:

The fifties present different challenges. I am still doing it every day! But I must prepare differently. I no longer take my body for granted! I must be kind to it. But I am very happy. Perhaps contented is a better word. I am settling into my maturity both as a dancer and as a man. I like myself more!!

Valerie Gutwirth        Photo courtesy of Paufve Dance; photo by Pak Han

Valerie Gutwirth (Oakland, CA)

50s (and your wishes for your dance life in your 50s):  

To still be in love with dancing. To continue to rehearse and perform as long as I can. To get back to the ideas in Shomer and make more of it.  To keep refining my teaching.  To mentor younger dancers and newer teachers. To continue mining the music/dance connection inherent in body music. To keep bringing all the threads together.

Tina Fehlandt (Brooklyn, NY)

50s: 

I had come to Princeton initially as a guest artist for one semester.  It’s a bit of a schlep from my home in Brooklyn but the trip was worth it!  Beautiful campus and intelligent and engaged students.  I was asked to stay and fill in for a departing faculty member and I’ve been there ever since, doing more and more each year until my position became full time. (Just to clarify, I do not have a tenure track position.  My appointment with the University is on a year-to-year basis.)  I love teaching here and plan to stay well into my next decade!

Do you still perform?

I haven’t performed in quite a while  – partly for financial reasons but mostly because I’m so busy teaching and being a parent.  But if the right opportunity presented itself I might just leap back into the fray! 

Current training and care for the body:

I try to do a private Pilates session every week.  I don’t have time to take class but I do warm up before I teach whenever possible.  I take walks.  I worked so hard for so long and now I’m happy to take it easy!

What/who keeps you excited about modern dance as an art form?

I’m excited, that against all odds, it still exists.  That’s it’s almost impossible to describe. That it can be anything, really, and that it constantly re-defines itself.  That people still feel the need to express themselves through movement.

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