by Lauren Fox on February 15, 2020
Monday night, Amy Berkley flowed naturally from a plié to a dégagé, but not long ago, she was having trouble simply turning around in her car to check her blind spot.
The 55-year-old signed up for an adult ballet class at the Lawrence Arts Center after realizing she was becoming stiff and out of shape.
Berkley knew she would likely be one of the oldest members in the class, but that didn’t bother her. She’s comfortable putting herself out there, and the benefits have been marked.
“I definitely feel that after class I’m standing taller and pulling my core in,” she said.
Berkley is a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Kansas School of Nursing, and specializes in aging. Exercise is vital in aging well and healthily, she said, noting that recently, she recognized that she must apply this knowledge to herself.