102 Year Old Receives Surprise Message from Dance Star

A 102-year-old member of Age UK York has received a special ballet message from ballet legend Wayne Sleep.

Josie who has just celebrated her 102nd birthday loves to dance and attends one of Age UK York's social clubs. 

After learning that she first began dancing at the age of 60, former Royal Ballet star Wayne Sleep sent her a video message encouraging her to "keep going".

The 102-year-old has admired Sleep for a long time and was delighted to receive his message.

This wasn't her first encounter with the dancer, as Josie recalls meeting him years ago at the York Theatre Royal stage door.

She said: "I met him and gave him a couple of paintings of Nijinsky that I created for him, and he gave me a kiss on the cheek."

As a lifelong fan of dance, when she turned 60, Josie decided she wanted to dance like Fred Astaire.

Soon after, she enrolled in dance classes with Isobel Dunn (renowned  York dance teacher).

She went on to perform on stage, dressed in a top hat and tails, just as she had "always dreamed of".

Speaking on her dance lessons, Josie said: "I contacted Isobel Dunn, who insisted my age was not an issue and I danced at her school for many years."

"I did tap dancing and ballet and got to a pretty decent standard."

Having grown up watching the likes of Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire, dance is hugely important to Josie and is such a special part of her life.

She says that "if you took dancing away from life there would be a lot of pleasure gone from it."

Josie is proof that age is not a barrier to following your passions and staying active.

She believes that her love of dancing has played a huge role in her longevity, saying: "I think all the dancing was beneficial, given my age."

She added: "They say now how important it is to keep fit and active, when I danced, I didn't know I was exercising - to me it was just dancing and having fun."

Age UK's national team continues to highlight the importance of staying active throughout your life and into old age in order to enjoy life to the full.

According to Age UK, one in six deaths in the UK are linked to physical inactivity, thus underlining why movement is so important at every stage of life.

Through their campaign 'Act Now, Age Better', Age UK aims to share simple and effective ways to move that fit into modern life.

The charity says that staying active now will increase your chance of living well later on, so keep moving!

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