We interviewed Tia, who has received elaLessons and insights from the contemporary dance courses at Helsinki Adult Education Centre since 2018.

MWhat is your own hobby history?
As a child, I did gymnastics, but the sport was competitive and required muscle strength that I didn't have. Gymnastics remained, but later I noticed that it gave me a foundation for all movement. I discovered dancing as a teenager. Since then, I have been dancing in different forms, once a week, alternating different sports and trying jazz, African dance, show dance, modern dance, dance improvisation. There have also been years in between.

I have realized that I am a group exerciser and a lover of variety. For good reason, I have also done self-directed exercise, yoga, swimming and going to the gym as an adult, but self-directed, performing and repetitive exercise feels boring and is easier to skip. Last year I tried karate and the best thing about it was doing it in a group and the versatility of the training. However, dance is the sport that I have always returned to. In my thirties, I discovered contemporary dance and had an aha moment – ​​this feels like the most personal! I have been practicing contemporary dance continuously for about 15 years, the last six of which were at the Helsinki Adult Education Institute.

Why did you choose contemporary dance?
Contemporary dance is a bit like a conversation with your own and other dancers' bodies, movements and music. The language of movement is diverse and surprising, because it is often a little "crooked". Contemporary dance has opposites and clutter. More important than making an aesthetically pleasing performance is finding a suitable path for movement and expression for your own body and utilizing your own weight. Contemporary dance classes allow you to do fun, interesting and challenging movement and dance exercises: bodily listening, spatial perception, diverse expression and movement, interaction with others, movement exploration and problem solving. I like that the classes include both choreography and freer movement exploration and improvisation.

How did you end up at Helsinki Adult Education Institute and what kind of experiences do you have with the teachers at the institute?
I ended up taking courses at the Helsinki Adult Education Centre through a friend's recommendation. I didn't know that there were art dance classes here. At the centre I found an absolutely brilliant teacher, Saara, whose classes I took for many years, and now I have a new teacher, the excellent Matin. Finding a good teacher who suits you always feels like a stroke of luck. A lot depends on the teacher, whether you enjoy the hobby and whether you continue it.

The dance classes at the Helsinki Adult Education Center have a fun and equal group spirit and a shared atmosphere, where everyone is allowed to be who they are and learn in their own way and at their own pace, but together. You can always ask the teacher if you want to show me how this went and learn how to show. And the friends help. There is no frowning performance, even though everyone is serious. The classes often create shared insights and experiences and there is always laughter.

What is the best thing about being an adult?
Definitely when different people from different backgrounds gather around a common interest and are passionate about the same thing. You can focus on that together and not have to think about anything else. In a dance class, you only do and think about dancing, which makes your mind forget about work and other everyday worries for at least an hour. After a dance class, you always feel a little lighter and happier.

I will be 50 next year and I am happy that I have such a long-term relationship with dance in my life. You know your age when learning new things and remembering movement sequences feels more difficult than before, or when your body is more susceptible to fatigue and warms up more slowly. However, with practice, you will find that you are learning and capable of many new things. This autumn I also tried a new dance genre, street dance, which challenges me in a new way. And when you hear about active enthusiasts in their 70s and 80s, you can just shut up about the age crisis and keep dancing!