Every fall, a familiar scene plays out at my studio. A woman walks in, stands near the back, and mutters something about two left feet. It happens every single season, without fail.
Sharon was one of them. She joined my Learn to Tap workshop last spring having never taken a dance class in her life. “I’ve always wanted to,” she told me, the way so many people do, like she’d been waiting for permission.
Maureen came at it differently. A friend suggested she try it. She wasn’t sure she’d like it. “I don’t know if I’ll like it,” she said, “but I have a feeling I should try this!”
Two different doorways into the same room. That’s usually how it goes. Some people arrive because a poster caught their eye and they thought, why not. Others have carried the idea for years. Everyone arrives with the same nervous smile, and very few regret giving it a try.
Once people get past that first class, something shifts. They come back.
Sharon and Maureen, both over 60, are proof of that. Neither expected tap dancing, of all things, to become part of their week. Now it is.
I’ve been teaching adults how to tap dance since 1977. If there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that reinvention isn’t just for the young. Some of my most determined, joyful students started in their sixties and seventies. Nobody is trying to prove anything. Mostly, it’s that they finally got around to doing something they’ve been thinking of trying for years.
Kemptville has a lot of doors like mine! The Singing Seniors and The Kemptville Male Choir always welcome new voices. Tempo Drive Music Studio has guitar and singing lessons if that’s more your speed. Luce End’s Fine Art & Graphic Design has a watercolour class coming up, or if you’d rather learn to save a life, take a CPR course with Helping Hands First Aid Training.
Walk into any one of these for the first time and you’ll likely feel the same wobble Sharon and Maureen felt on their first day, and the same relief once you realize everyone else in the room started out a little wobbly too.
Whatever it is you’ve been putting off, chances are someone nearby is teaching it.
This October, again, I’m running two beginner dance workshops for anyone ready to find out what Sharon and Maureen figured out. Again, I’ll hear “I’ve always wanted to try this!”. And again, I’ll see the excitement on their faces as they try something new.
Age isn’t a barrier. Two left feet aren’t a barrier. All you need is a willingness to walk through the door. So this fall, whichever door you choose, go ahead and open it.
Learn to Tap Dance or Line Dance at www.theworkshopdancestudio.com.
—
This article was also published in the North Grenville Times August 20, 2026, Vol. 14, No. 32
