AMAZING GREYS

Quite possibly the longest running dance group for seniors in the country, the Grey Panthers are a beloved Top End institution. Their latest show, Amazing Greys – A Grey Panther Cabaret, weaves storytelling and choreography together to share over 2,500 years of collective wisdom and experience.

WORDS RITA HORANYI

SHOWCASING CHOREOGRAPHIC REPERTOIRE from Frank Sinatra to Spice Girls, the Grey Panthers’ entertaining new show demonstrates that seniors not only still have the moves, but plenty of interesting stories to share as well.

Theatre maker and community artist Alyson Evans, a member of the Tracks Dance artistic leadership team, worked with the group to draw stories from the participants about how their lives are connected to the various pieces, and how dancing in general has enriched their lives.

The result is a joyful celebration, complete with sparkly costumes and plenty of pizzazz, of lives well lived.

For Tracks Dance Artistic Director, David McMicken, being able to offer this kind of positive representation of growing older makes working with the Grey Panthers particularly rewarding.

“Every time we dance or perform or put ourselves out in public, we’re showing that we’re not the general image of what a senior is … There is so much joy in the room when they’re performing. You don’t see our seniors and elders out there performing, so it’s quite a unique thing to see.”

Darryl Butler has been dancing with the Grey Panthers for 13 years and has choreographed several dances for the group, two of which are set to premiere as part of the performance.

For Butler, being involved in the Grey Panthers offers him a rich creative outlet.

“I get the joy of being creative. I’ve been a teacher most of my life and I just enjoy enabling other people in my age group to find that they are more than they thought they were. That they don’t have to stop being creative individuals,” he says.

One of the pieces Butler has choreographed is drawn from movements the Coomalie Grey Panthers group regularly practice, and explores what it means to form a group and support others. Although the dance work has been shaped by Butler, the moves the dancers make are their own.

It’s another way to give seniors a creative platform to express what’s meaningful to them.

“I wonder how older people have a voice in dance,” says Butler.

“There’s a lot of things we can’t do, but I think, as older people, there are things that we would do that younger people simply wouldn’t do and that in itself is finding a voice.”

Make tracks to Tracks and enjoy a fun variety show that’s also a beautiful testament to the experience of our elders.

Amazing Greys – A Grey Panther Cabaret
WHEN SUN 23 NOV | 2PM & 4PM
AT TRACKS DANCE STUDIO
COST $20 | $25 ARTS LOVER
INFO tracksdance.com.au

_{Image: Duane Preston}