the ballerina grete brunvoll

She is what I'd like to call "the real deal". I'm sitting here pretty amazed at the stories she told me, and I''ve only heard a little! This ballerina is 80 years old and does in fact hold the guinnes record for the worlds oldest dancer!

She started her career at the opera together with her husband who was an opera singer.  Later she toured with "rikskonsertene" for 20 years, and she still works as a freelance dancer to this day. She has not stoped dancing for 66 years and it's what keeps her going in life! I had to ask why she is doing something that nobody else can manage. (Like train every day with the profesional dancers in oslo, doing lots of shows and teach)  She just looked me in the eyes and said it's just because they think they can't. In reality they can do it too.

I hope I''m like her when I'm 80.

Some time after the war she was taking over a dance studio that she eventually ended up running. I was really curious to find out if anyone came to classes or went to see performances during such hard times. What she told me was really  interessting. Apparently they never had as many students as they had during the war. People needed art and dance more than usual. They came by numbers to have something fun to do, something to brighten up their day.

She has also written and published 2 books.

There is so much to say, so many details. I'm not going to make this a detailed portrait of Grete Brunvoll. It's been done by others. All I want is to share how I got to have a coffee with a wonderful dancer who inspires me. She has managed to keep her inspiration and creativity going for 66 years in dance, and it's an example to follow.

And I'd like to think I've made a friend today.

If you want to read more about her:

Danserinnen som aldri gir seg

Vil danse til jeg er minst 100

Buy the book she has written "Et liv på tå"