Doreen Pechey has just became the oldest person on record to pass the Royal Academy of Dance’s ballet grade six exam.
Mrs Pechey always wanted to study ballet, but her parents didn’t have the money for classes or costumes when she was growing up in the 50’s.
Instead she studied to be an electrical engineer and mathematician. So what inspired her to take up dancing?
Following a dream
Her niece, a ballet teacher, encouraged her to enrol in classes when she retired, so at the age of 61, she had her first lesson.
Now she has just passed the exam after studying for two years with her teacher Monica Cleaver, who is just three months younger than her student.
“I wanted to be able to become an affiliate member of the Royal Academy of Dance, but you have to get grade six or higher. And now I’m an affiliate member,” she told the BBC.
Around 230,000 people undertake exams at the Royal Academy every year and Doreen had to show examiners she could perform a number of difficult moves to their exacting standards.
She practised every day using a barre installed in her kitchen and at classes three times a week.
“It takes me longer than younger people to learn the routines, but I’ll always get there in the end,” she said.
Practice makes perfect
Her hard work has certainly paid off. As well as passing the exam, the pensioner has dropped five dress sizes and says she is more flexible than ever despite undergoing knee replacement surgery two years ago.
She even performed on stage in Coppelia at Reading’s Hexagon Theatre and danced with the prince in Swan Lake in 2010.
And she’s already planning for her next challenge – tackling the Grade 7 exam, which she hopes to pass in the next two years.
“I’m just en pointe but only on the barre and strictly supervised,” she adds. “All little girls want to go en pointe – just because I’m 71 doesn’t mean I’m not a little girl.”
It goes to show you’re never too old to be a beginner.
You can watch a video about Doreen here.
https://www.facebook.com/BBCSouthToday/videos/1100103180080271/
