South Shields Silver Swans: 'I waited 72 years to be a ballet star'

The South Shields Silver Swans have performed their first showcase

Silver Swans is a nationwide ballet school for people with mobility issues and those aged 55 and over. The BBC joined a group in the north-east of England to meet the women fulfilling their childhood dreams.

Like lots of other little girls, June Gowland wanted to be a ballerina.

But her parents had other ideas and sent the then six-year-old to piano lessons instead.

"I really resented that," June, now 78, says, adding: "So I've been obsessed - obsessed - with ballet ever since."

It took more than seven decades, but June finally got her chance to fulfil her childhood ballet dream and perform in her first ever showcase last week after signing up for an over-55's ballet class in South Shields.

June Gowland (left) and her friend Norma Thompson are both proud Silver Swans

"I was terrified," June, who is very proud to be the oldest in the group, says, adding: "I didn't know what to expect.

"We're not young sylph-like figures any more but we have such a laugh.

"I absolutely love it."

• Listen to Silver Swans on BBC Sounds

Trained by the Royal Academy of Dance, Silver Swans teachers across the UK adapt traditional ballet moves for people with limited mobility.

Rebecca Yates runs Complete Ballet CIC from her home in Newcastle.

She trained to deliver Silver Swan classes in 2021 and now has more than 80 women coming to the classes she offers around Tyneside.

Rebecca Yates runs dance classes around Tyneside

Some dancers have mobility issues or neurological conditions, others have had knee replacements.

Many simply want to feel less isolated.

"I just love watching them dance," Rebecca says. "Watching them master things they've never done before.

"They have all sorts going on, but this is adaptable and inclusive and you can always find a way to make it work.

Dancers can perform seated routines

"Even if you can't stand up you can do ballet on a chair and that's beautiful as well.

"It's just so rewarding to teach older adults and see them feel proud and confident, working as a team."

After two years of running classes, Rebecca floated the idea of the ladies putting on a showcase for family and friends. She got a mixed reception.

"They said no for a while, then they said yes as long as nobody was watching, which kind of misses the point," Rebecca says.

The South Shields Silver Swans overcame their initial reluctance to perform

But slowly they came around to the idea, and last week more than 20 of her dancers agreed to perform on stage at South Shields' The Customs House in what Rebecca thinks is one of the first full ballet recitals by a Silver Swans group in the UK.

"Once they get through the technique and they know they know the steps, you can see them just let go a little bit, the emotion comes out and you see them really dance and just enjoy the moment," Rebecca says.

For Grace Wallace, 40, the showcase enabled her to fulfil a dream she had had since she was a five-year-old girl attending dance classes.

"I really wanted the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy but was given a part as a buttercup," she says, adding: "One of the dances we could do for this was the Sugar Plum Fairy, it's like my little dream, I am actually the Sugar Plum Fairy."

Thirty five years after being disappointedly cast as a buttercup....

... Grace Wallace (centre) finally got her chance to be the Sugar Plum Fairy

After being diagnosed with pulmonary hypertension, the dancing offered by the Silver Swans was one of the few forms of exercise her doctor said she could do.

"After two weeks, I realised my breathing and posture had improved," Grace says.

After performing her dream role in front of a full house, she says: "I want to do it again. I've got the bug, definitely."

More than 80 women have joined Rebecca Yates' Silver Swans classes

Stephanie Ford, 68, started taking classes in lockdown after suffering an ankle injury.

"I was moving house and I came across an old ballet shoe from when I was about 14," she says. "It just brought back so many memories. Then Silver Swans popped up on Facebook."

She bought a clothes rail to practise her moves on in her flat and said her physiotherapist was wowed by the improvements in her ankle.

"I haven't got a big family so you've got this little group of like-minded women," Stephanie says, adding: "We're all in the same boat, just with different oars."

The Silver Swans is open to people with mobility issues and those aged 55 and over

For June, the whole experience has been "very uplifting".

"It doesn't matter if you make a mistake," she says, "We're not Darcey Bussell. We're just ladies who like to move and dance.

"The music is gorgeous. I've been sitting in the car at the traffic lights listening to Sleeping Beauty with my feet going.

"Everybody thinks I'm crackers because I'm always pirouetting around, but I love it."

'Not invisible anymore'

Twin sisters Anne Peterson and Sheila Alexander, 61, performed a duet and say the experience was life changing.

"Rebecca's given us something to live for and it's wonderful because you become invisible when you're our age," Anne says.

"You're not invisible anymore", Sheila replies, prompting a large laugh from her sister.

"Definitely not invisible now," Anne says, adding: "Everyone in South Shields knows who we are now."