Dedicated to dance lovers everywhere especially those of us who were "late starters" or "adult beginners" in ballet and dance classes (both men and women) but who still have a passion for the dance.

As the poet, Keats, said,"A thing of beauty is a joy forever."

Perhaps one might not think so when watching a port de bras being executed repeatedly but I understand that, I think, whenever I watch a favourite ballet such as Swan Lake, especially the one that I remember so well which was danced by Anthony Dowell of Britain's Royal Ballet and the Russian ballerina, Natalia Makarova. I watched it on television in 1980 and since then, I have yet to watch another version of Swan Lake that I prefer over that performance.

I love the classical technique of Britain's Royal Ballet in ballets such as Swan Lake, The Sleeping Beauty; in Frederick Ashton's La Fille Mal Gardee; the then Sadler's Wells Royal Ballet (now Birmingham Royal Ballet) in Giselle; the excellent production of American Ballet Theatre's Don Quixote; the Stuttgart Ballet in John Cranko's romantic Romeo and Juliet; the lyrical, swooping movements of Canada's Toronto Dance Theatre; the television production of Canadian Jeff Hyslop's Dancin' Man (with the multi-talented Mr. Hyslop singing and dancing ballet, tap, jazz, modern dance); among others.

Certain dance performances have been known to take one's breath away, performances that leave you astounded as to what the human body is capable of - not only in its athleticism but in it's lyrical beauty and underlying depth that manages to touch something deep within. That has been my experience anyway.

Dance can stir the heart and mind. No matter what your age.