Nancy Edwards: The Dancing Grandma

AGING OUTRAGEOUSLY

Having gone from dancing in my living room to dancing on national television makes it official: I AM OUT OF THE CLOSET!  I'm tired of all the messages about "AGING GRACEFULLY" and fully intend to live out a mission of showing middle-aged women how to experience the JOY of being oneself.  I'm not interested in talking about when to apply for Social Security or my aches & pains or taking my grandkids to the Science Museum for eight hours. 

I'm simply and wholly unwilling to "fade to grey" and behave properly at all times.  Convention has rarely served me well, probably because it went against my nature.  All we have is NOW, and I won't waste whatever amount of time I have left on the past or the future.  I will NOT take my "place" in line with other senior citizens even though AARP has been mailing me for 12 years!  I will NOT allow wrinkles or thinning skin to keep me from dancing my ass off!  I will NOT agree that NOW is not the prime of my lifetime!  It's taken me 62 years to become this work of art and I prefer to display it.

Hello Once Again!

I've not posted in forever and wanted to finally say something.  When I was first pushed into creating

this web blog, I had lots of fun with it.  In this "phase" I also fantasized that a web blog would be

magic and magically produce all sorts of activities leading to SOMETHING.  What, I didn't know or care -

just SOMETHING:)

Well, three years later, I now view my web blog phase as just a fun memory.  A couple of years ago,

I also created half a dozen portfolios with media pieces & had them all ready to distribute to

SOMEONE.  I still have them.  That's OK.  Who knows, maybe when I'm still shaking my booty in

my 80s, the Dancing Grandma will go totally viral and I'll finally have found a way to achieve my

silly goal:  spreading the joy beyond my handful of dance venues.

This summer has just come to an end and it's been TERRIFIC!!!  I've never been happier.  My secret?

I've been in full "manbriety" for two whole years now.  Meaning I not only stopped "dating" (such a

nice word for what I was doing) and went even further by relinquishing all traces of romantic mythology.

I had no idea how contented and present I'd be minus this until I gave it some time.  The "myth" I'm 

referring to is that one can't truly be complete without partnering.  I've looked for a BFF my whole

life and finally found her:  IT'S ME:)

This was my second summer at Lord Fletcher's, which I've renamed "Lord Letcher's".  I made so many

fun acquaintances and danced hours every week end with 90-year olds, little kids, adult women &

men.  I've told a few folks how I feel when I first arrive on the Wharf:  like a thoroughbred horse in

the starting gate at the Preakness - LET ME OUT!!!!  My normal routine is to scope out potential dance

partners.  Often this mean finding drunk people since they're most likely to join me:)

As my tan fades, my weight edges up and the weather no longer supports my cute little summer

outfits, I'm beginning to ponder ways in which to occupy myself over the long winter.  Who knows

what I'll put into place?

Take care, loyal visitors if you're still tuning in:)

New: Entertainment Schedule

I'll try going forward to post my plans for dancing from one week to the next.  My

thought about adding this feature is that maybe - just MAYBE- one of my web site

visitors will decide to come to meet me in person and take in the phenomenal 

experience of the dancing grandma!

Tonight, St. Patrick's Day, I'll be at Dailey' Pub in Mound.  BTW, today is my 65th. birthday!!!!!  Finally

I have access to health insurance:)  Other than that, 65 represents halfway to 70.

This Friday night, I'll again be at Dailey's Pub because one of my favorite bands will be playing:

the Bella Divas.  I usually show up around 9.  See you there?

Dancing with Dr. Keith

I'm Still Very Much Alive!

I haven't posted in forever but wanted to update my viewers.  I'm still dancing at least once

a week and loving it!  Last summer, I established a brand new venue:  Lord Fletcher's on the

Wharf.  Every week end, I'd don my big straw hat, dark glasses & colorful skimpy outfit and

appear - as if on cue - to start the whole crowd rocking.  It was delightful!  I danced with a 

90-year old woman, little kids, and really buff young men.  They were drunk, of course.

I just discovered that my video stream has expired  (I hadn't checked this site for months).

The problem:  the upload source discontinued free uploads a whole year ago.  I'm now

trying to retrieve the video file from my external hard drive back up system:(

I'm also exploring the possibility of enlisting a videographer to capture me dancing in 

several venues with the thought of creating YouTube entertainment.  All just for fun, of

course, as I'm not interested in fame or fortune.  My desire is simply to spread the good

news that "the older you get, the more you can get away with"!!

If this endeavor is successful, I'll get help to import new video on this silly little weblog:)

I'm Back !

Hello to all my devoted fans! It's been a long time since I've posted anything and I apologize for this.
Truth be told, there hasn't been much activity to share with you but I felt obliged to say something!

This summer has provided me with countless wonderful opportunities to spread the joy of dancing and
dis-inhibition. Lord Fletcher's on the Whorf was a most delightful playground, especially when I got the
privilege of dancing with really little kids several times. To their parent's delight, I taught them that it's
a lot of fun to be a grown-up even if no one else was dancing.

It's been almost one year since my infamous trip to NYC and this adventure remains at the top of my list
of favorite experiences still. I recently learned that the Dr. Keith Ablow Show was canceled due to
insufficient ratings. However, the show on which I appeared was rerun no less than FIVE times!! It was
their all-time favorite show and was even repeated on Labor Day, the final day of the show.

I never even knew when it was being rerun, nor would I have known had it not been for any number of
strangers approaching me with, "Hey - I just saw you on TV!!!"

I still don't know "where this is going" or what opportunities the Universe will manifest for me, but even
if it idles or fades, I AM THE DANCING GRANDMA for LIFE and always will be. Thanks for hanging in there:)

Update :)

Hi to all my patient site visitors!  As you can see, I'm still having FUN being the only dancing grandma around the area.  The Dr. Keith Ablow Show reran my episode again two weeks ago.  This was a complete shock to me in that I was just surfing channels one Friday morning, and there I was dancing on national TV!

After waiting around for dozens of offers to gain public exposure and nothing forthcoming, I finally caved into the reality that I would have to
actively cultivate my new career direction.  At this point, I've created a
portfolio of TV, newspaper, magazine articles and dancing photos to show someone who might be interested in having me speak.  The hard part is figuring out WHO that someone (or several someones) might be.

I'm following what's called the "law of attraction" by focusing on my vision and belief that the dancing grandma has something to offer the Universe.  This is simply a model of joyful aging and being oneself.  The law of attraction posits that what we give our attention to we get more of.  I really like this concept.  So, instead of sitting back and focusing on what's NOT happening, I'm finally getting busy throwing my seeds of possibility all over the place and truly expecting that something will materialize.  In other words, and thanks to being very encouraged by the Awesome Women founding mothers, I am now "cooperating with the Universe".

In one effort yesterday to convince a church minister that I might be a fun speaker for a woman's group (bible study), he asked if what I do is "God-oriented".  In an effort to deflect him from knowing that our belief systems are not mutual, I said, "Well, the three surest ways to human joy are dancing, singing and laughing...I'm really good at dancing and laughing!"  This seemed to work, but even I am having a tough time imagining being in front of a bible study group swinging my ___!

A friend recently emailed me a web site address called "crazygeorge.com".  She said it might reflect my own evolving journey so I checked it out.  Low & behold, a man my own age named George did something 25 years ago which made him a millionaire several times over:  he created "The Wave" at a pro football game!  He only works three hours a couple of Sundays a month and continues to rake in big bucks!  Since I'm not really into this for the money AND I'm doing what I love, perhaps the "money will follow" as the book says?  I'll do it anyway, though:)

I'm very open to and eager for any ideas or connections you may offer, by the way.  Just drop an email or phone call if you know of groups, events, etc. that would enjoy having unbridled energy
unleashed on them!

Shine Your Light

Have you ever seen this wonderful quote by Marianne Williamson?  It reminds me of how important it is that we all dance:

“Our deepest fear is not that we are inadequate.  Our deepest fear is that we are powerful beyond measure.  It is our light, not our darkness that most frightens us.  We ask ourselves, “Who am I to be brilliant, gorgeous, talented, and fabulous?”  Actually, who are you not to be?

You are a child of God.  Your playing small does not serve the world.  There is nothing enlightened about shrinking so that other people won’t feel insecure around you.  We were born to manifest the glory that is within us.  And as we let our light shine we unconsciously give other people permission to do the same.  As we are liberated from our own fear, our presence automatically liberates others.”

Speaking of "Aging Outrageously"

When Nancy speaks to your group or organization about "aging outrageously", growing older will never feel the same.  Mostly funny, partly serious, this experience will offer a real-life example of entering the prime of your life at 60 and demonstrate "being yourself" with no apology.  Guaranteed fun as well as thought-provoking, Nancy speaks about our cultural imperative to "age gracefully and fade into gray" with whole-hearted irreverence and openly shares her extraordinary journey toward wholeness.

For more information, contact Nancy via email or call 952-471-9332.