At 75, this man passed his Ballet Grade 1 exam!

At 75, Bernard Bibby has passed the Grade one ballet exam! What excuse do you have to not pursue your passions and dreams?

Bernard Bibby, who is from Sittingbourne in Kent, was married to Celia for 55 long years. And it was dance that brought them together because Bernard was the only boy in the neighbourhood who could jive.

Unfortunately, he lost his wife in the January of 2015. But, Bernard did not want to be isolated from the rest of the world after this tragic loss – he wanted to keep moving forward. The first thing he did was sell off his television so that he would move out of home and explore newer things.

Bernard tried his hands on a variety of dance forms – ballroom, Latin, and tap dancing. However, he was recommended by his teacher to go for ballet. And so, he started off with ballet lessons four years ago.

He now attends regular classes at The Bridge Academy of Performing Arts at Rochester, which is run by Clare Wilders.

And it is not surprising that he loves the dance form!

“Ballet is quite restful, and you have to learn French as well. It’s good fun,” he said to BBC. “I just wish more men would get out and do it. It’s a fantastic exercise routine.”

Needless to say, he is loved by the other dancers at his school for his optimism and enthusiasm towards dance.

Bernard took his Grade 1 exam in November and got a bronze, narrowly missing out on the silver. “I got a bronze. I’m still a bit speechless. Three more points and I could have got a silver,” he said.

But, Bernard is not stopping there! He is now practicing for his Grade two exams!!

Isn’t this a wonderful example of how age is just a number and that one is never too old to learn! We wish Bernard the very best for his exams.

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