Age is not a barrier to artistry. Sustainability is.
Photo: Antonia Grove
On April 1st I shared on facebook an article in The Stage entitled “Age is no barrier to artistry in dance. Is the industry finally catching up?”
It didn’t land well for me within the present arts climate, and I wanted to comment on it- not to dispute its positive intention, but because I felt it didn’t reflect what I, and my peers, are currently seeing and experiencing across the contemporary dance and interdisciplinary arts sector.
I felt there was a gap between what was being presented publicly as a narrative of longevity within the dance profession, and the lived realities of sustaining a career over time.
My response was simply:
“This is just not what I am seeing and experiencing in UK, in contemporary dance and cross art form world. Most of my peers, extraordinary dancers and creatives, have transitioned to new professions. It’s like a game of ‘last artist standing’, with a few stragglers managing to keep going post 40. All the conversations of mid career (whatever they are) or established artists in private centre around how we survive, when to get out and the sadness around that decision—and I’m talking about creatives who perform, make, teach and already have extremely diverse practices. Age is not the barrier to artistry, it’s just not a sustainable profession as you get older.”
This prompted responses, private messages, emails, and in-person conversations, with artists reaching out to say that it resonated with them too. These exchanges have led me to want to widen the focus, to invite dialogue about what others are actually feeling and experiencing, and the ways in which we might speak more publicly about this.
Whilst age may not be a barrier to artistry, we know there are other forces at play- economic, structural, cultural- that make sustaining a long-term practice increasingly complex and, for many artists, no longer viable.
What seems less visible are the quieter realities:
the gradual transition out of the sector by highly experienced artists
the reliance on multiple freelance roles and a huge diversity of practice that still does not equate to stability
constant negotiations around how long to ‘hold your nerve’ or ‘hang in there’, and when to step away
the emotional weight of leaving a once viable profession; something that has defined a lifetime of work and commitment
And with this comes the question of value.
What happens to the knowledge, depth, and embodied experience built over decades, if the conditions no longer allow artists to remain?
What does it mean for the sector if long-term practice is not something that can be sustained?
These are not new questions. But there is a real sense that artists no longer have the energy to address them. We are all just surviving.
This is not an attempt to problem-solve, but to create a space for honest reflection, shared experience, and deeper understanding. This conversation feels nuanced and important. Alongside narratives of longevity, we need to make space for a more complex picture that includes uncertainty, adaptation, and departure.
If you are an established artist:
What are you having to do right now to keep going, and at what cost?
What conversations are you having privately that aren’t happening publicly (and why)?
What does “sustainability” actually mean to you now, and how has that changed over time?
What feels at risk (personally, professionally, or culturally) if this trajectory continues?
What, if anything, is still holding you in the work?
I am holding space for an intimate conversation for established practitioners in Brighton next week, and I look forward to sharing what comes out of that conversation.
