A few months ago I shared a 30-second video on my socials of Old Men Dancing. They’re a small ensemble of, you guessed it ‘old men’ who meet on Mondays at the Drill Hall under the choreography and inspiration of dance teacher Kimberley McIntyre. I had invited them to open my Byron Live show with their interpretation of ‘Under Pressure’. It felt right. In a failing patriarchy, men are under pressure. So why not share the gift of interpretative dance?
It was a simple clip. Unedited. Just a snip. It got over 1 million views in under a week. As someone who uses social media all the time, I can tell you, that’s remarkable. It doesn’t happen very much. This short and unadulterated video of old blokes in shorts practising their choreography in a country hall had hit a nerve. People were moved. They were gushing.
The old fellas went viral. I told them at one of their rehearsals, and they just looked nonplussed. I think a few of them thought I was hinting they’d caught the flu. ‘You’ve gone viral’ has a very different meaning after 70. It’s generally not something you get excited about.
I love that they didn’t care. They weren’t about to become Old Men Dancing influencers. Although I’m sure there’s a brand manager out there salivating at the opportunity to get these men treading the boards, on board.
I was intrigued. Why this? Of the hundreds of things I post, why had this particular one found wings?
I looked to the comments section. Usually in social media, this is where you find the trolls. Where the haters and the shamers, the know-it-alls and the blamers pile on. But they weren’t there. Where were they? How could this happen? Social media was facilitating something positive and inclusive. I thought for a moment the algorithm must be broken!
The comments were beautiful. All 693 of them. They said ‘this is the best thing I’ve seen on the internet’. ‘Oh my God I love this.’ ‘Keep dancing’. ‘I love it’ ‘Keep dancing’. ‘Can young men do it?’ Women in particular felt a joyous connection with the Old Men Dancing. In fact nearly 92% of the people engaged in this were women.
I wondered why this simple little clip was so electric. Why it touched people, and women in particular. Because that’s something I’m fascinated by. I think it’s the vulnerability.
Men are conditioned to never show they are vulnerable. And we know that men, particularly men over 70 find it hard to talk about their feelings. Older men are often perceived as stoic, and serious. They’re stereotyped as grumpy. They are often living in a world where they were once a King, and now in retirement they’re struggling to find purpose. Many older men experience isolation and loss of connection.
So seeing older men dance together, is kind of transformative. It shows men in a way we don’t usually see them. In a way that women don’t often get to see them. Not in powerful positions. But barefoot. Learning. Working together in harmony. And frankly, for a lot of us women and men, it’s really healing.
That’s the power of the arts. Of dance. Simple quiet and deeply powerful transformations and connections happening at community halls near you, every day.
And keep dancing like no one is watching. Even when they are.
Mandy Nolan’s column has appeared in The Echo for almost 25 years. She is a writer, comedian and artist, and was the Greens candidate at the past two federal elections.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
