Dance has NO Time Limits - My Dance Journey, 33yrs and Counting - Erin
There is no time limit on your talents and passions - you are your only limitation.
Dance has no standard age limit or any specific time where you “should” start thinking about “hanging up the poms.” Especially in the professional dance and cheerleading industry. It is about taking care of yourself and being the best version of YOU in all aspects when you walk into a dance audition.
Erin walks us through her accomplished dance career that has her living out her biggest dreams and life goals at age 38! And may we add that she is THRIVING.
Hi everyone. My name is Erin Donovan and I am a 38-year old residing in Denver, Colorado.
My dance journey is one that spans 33 years and is still continuing today.
Every year that I get older, I tell myself that this is the year that I am going to hang up my poms.
However, when you have a passion that has been pretty much all-consuming your entire life, it is really hard to give that up.
-Scarlets Dance Team - University of Nebraska Dance Team
-Indiana Pacemates - Pacers Dancers
-TopCats Cheerleaders - Caroline Panthers Cheerleaders
-Colorado Mammoth Wild Bunch Dancers
-Denver Nuggets Dancers
-Rosebuds Dance Team - Portland Winterhawks
I wanted to share some of my dance journey with you all and hopefully provide some reassurance to those “older” dancers out there that are dealing with similar insecurities of being on the top end of the age spectrum in the professional dance world.
Where did your love for dance begin?
Like most ladies, I was enrolled in competitive studio dance from a very young age. I knew I wanted to continue dancing in college so I started researching collegiate dance teams. This was before the age of the internet so I relied on my “Dance Spirit Magazine” (does anyone remember this??) to give me insights into dance teams that ranked well in the UDA Collegiate Competition. That is how I ended up dancing for the Scarlets Dance Team at the University of Nebraska for 3 years and got my first taste of being on a real dance team. I was hooked!
What got you interested in the professional dance world?
Being from St. Louis and not having any NBA dance teams/NFL cheerleading teams in the city, I really did not know anything about dancing in the professional sports world. Not until the captain of the Scarlets, University of Nebraska Dance Team (thanks Rachel Johnson!) told us about her goal of dancing in the NBA, did I even realize this was a “thing.”
I jumped on her goal to be an NBA dancer and also made it mine. I moved to Indianapolis after college (in 2005) with the singular goal of being an Indiana Pacers Dancer.
Experience dancing in your 20s?
Pacemates - Indiana Pacers Dancers
1 season, 25-26 years old
Like many girls just entering the professional dance world, I was very under-prepared for dance auditions.
I showed up at auditions for the Pacers Dancers with straight shoulder-length hair, minimal makeup, and a solid razorback sports bra thinking my dancing alone could get me on the team. Obviously, I got cut the first round. I was completely shocked. My first taste of rejection was brutal and it made me consider being done with dance forever.
I took two years off of dancing to allow my self-confidence to re-grow. I tried out for the Pacers Dancers again in 2007 with the same result. Finally, in 2008, they put me on the team and I was officially an Indiana Pacemates Dancer!
Dancing for the Indiana Pacers was a dream come true.
I was 25/26 years old and eating up all of the attention that came with working/dancing for an NBA team. I felt pride in my accomplishment and the uniqueness of what I was doing.
I am not going to lie, though. I was still finding myself as an adult and I was flat out awkward. I really never figured out how to fit in with my teammates who were already comfortable in their own skin. It is hard for me to look at pictures from my Pacers Dancers days because you can see the awkwardness just oozing out of me.
My coach saw that I was not meshing well with my teammates and I was unfortunately cut from the Indiana Pacers dance team after one season. This rejection hurt far worse than being rejected by a team that does not know you from Adam. I was down and out for a few weeks but I got right back up to begin strategizing my next dance move.
TopCats - Carolina Panthers Cheerleaders
1 season, 28-29 years old
I moved to North Carolina to pursue my MBA degree at UNC-Chapel Hill when I was 28 years old and I knew that I wanted to dance for the Carolina Panthers Cheerleaders while I was there.
By the grace of God, I made that team on my first try! Again, I soaked up all of the benefits that came from being associated with an NFL team and being around all of these big name players. I also made an effort to not repeat the mistake of my first pro dance team experience.
I started bonding immediately with my newest, 24 best friends. I commuted 2.5 hours to/from practice each Wednesday with a group of four other cheerleaders which gave us the chance to really get to know each other beyond the dancing. Unfortunately, the pursuit of my MBA degree only allowed me to be an NFL cheerleader for one season with the Carolina Panthers but it was the highlight of dancing in my 20s!
Experience dancing in your 30s?
I remember being crushed after retiring from the Caroline Panthers organization as a cheerleader. I thought my dance career was over, as my priorities in life were shifting and I was heading into my 30s. However, I still remember my cheerleading coaches for the Carolina Panthers telling me that they knew this was not the end for me. And it wasn’t…
Wild Bunch Dancers - Colorado Mammoth (NLL)
2 seasons, 32-34 years old
Denver Nuggets Dancers
4 seasons – 34-38 years old
I moved to Denver for work when I turned 31 and I immediately started researching dance teams in the area. I knew a few dance friends in the city who had been dancers for the Colorado Mammoth (Wild Bunch Dancers) in the National Lacrosse League and they had said it was a fun/laid back atmosphere with the games being super fun. They were right and the ladies I ended up dancing with all came from or went to different NBA/NFL teams in the area, so it was a really talented group.
After two seasons dancing for Colorado Mammoth, I transitioned to dancing for the Denver Nuggets, where I spent 4 seasons. The Nuggets Dancers are managed by the same dance team coach as the Colorado Mammoth Dancers, so that definitely helped with the transition.
It was the best six years of my dancing career, no question. I loved the ladies I danced with in Denver, which was the best part of the whole experience.
Rosebuds Dance Team - Portland Winterhawks (WHL)
Season 1, 38 to…
At the age of 38, I knew it was time to retire from the NBA.
I was the oldest on the team by about 8 years and I just could not keep convincing myself that the age difference did not matter.
However, after sitting on the couch for 2 months after retirement, I got stir-crazy and started researching dance teams again. I had been stalking the Rosebuds Dance Team on social media for awhile, so when I stumbled on the fact that they were holding their auditions in a few weeks, I jumped on it.
At 38 years old, I am now trying to dance directly on ice for the first time. But, at least I am out there trying to slay with a couple other 30 year olds…
What are some changes that you have witnessed throughout your dance career?
When I first got into the professional dance world in the early 2000s, the internet was just starting to take off. I think our first social media platform (i.e. Facebook) was in its first or second year of existence. That being said, stalking dance teams to prepare for auditions or to learn a dance or pro cheer team’s style was not really a thing. You walked into auditions pretty much blind. Also, we did not have the technological capabilities like we do today. We did not have practice videos to learn off of when I was on the Pacemates (my first NBA dance team). You had to rely on your memory which was extremely tough.
The other noticeable difference is that the talent gets better and better every year. I think that is inevitable with any sport. Younger generations just keep bringing it. I continue to be impressed walking into auditions though, seeing ladies doing switch centers, head springs, turning discs, and things that I never in a million years would be able to do.
What are some challenges you face dancing in your late 30s?
Flexibility is always something that I struggled with, but I thought I could fake it pretty well in my 20s. Not a chance in my 30s. *If you see a girl on the Rosebuds dance team whose kicks are pretty much at her waist, that is me! It is embarrassing but at least I know it is my issue and I am not denying it!
The other struggle I have as an older dancer, is tuning out the voices in my head that say that I should be at a certain place in life at my age.
Everyone imagines a girl in her 30s to be settled down, with a husband and some kids, taking care of her family, instead of following her own ambitions. I am definitely not following that standard path. I have let my personal goals drive my life and it has landed me in the position I am in today.
I am very grateful for all of the experiences that I have had up to this point and can not imagine another path for myself but this one.
What motivates you to continue dancing?
In my 20s, my goal to keep dancing was a little overshadowed. It was overshadowed by my desire to be a part of the professional sports world and to be surrounded by all the glitz and the glam. Not to say all of that stuff is not a major perk of what we do, but transitioning into my 30s, my desire to keep dancing has really been motivated by my pure love of dance more than anything else.
As you get older, you realize that the other stuff does not matter as much as you thought it did and it really does not matter what other people’s opinions are of you for doing this. If you keep chasing this crazy dream into your 30s, it becomes a lot more personal. No one in my circle is surprised anymore when I tell them that I made a pro dance team.
At this age, single guys I meet could care less that I am a professional dancer. I am doing this now because it makes ME happy and I have also made some really great friends out of those who love to dance as much I do.
My advice to others who may be getting up there in “dance years” is: not to let age define you.
I am a 38-year-old who feels like a 20-year-old when I am dancing in front of a crowd. Do not give up on your body or your dreams just because your age says it is time.
And regardless of your age, learn to appreciate every dance you get to perform with your ladies, because you never know when it will be your last.
There is no “average age of professional dancers” or an idea of “when should I retire from dance?”
*The mentality that everything has a “time-frame” not only finds us as dancers and cheerleaders, but in so many different aspects of life. We put imaginary timelines that map out the certain years that we can be doing things. But these are “imaginary” and everyone has their own journeys - something you should embrace in yourself. There is no timeline on your passions and the things that light you up.
Live your life for YOU, do what you love - when you want to, and pursue the talents that you were given to share with this world for as long as you desire!
So many dancers struggle with this insecurity in the pro dance world, and some never find the courage to pursue their dreams because they let an idea consume them. Do not let a false narrative keep you from living out your dreams - no matter where that may be in life!
SO - TRY OUT FOR THE DANCE TEAM!
A huge thank you, to Erin. For allowing us to share your incredible and inspiring story across the dance and cheerleading world.
We admire your confidence and passion for this art! XO!
QUESTIONS or COMMENTS? Leave them below!
Make sure to follow us on our socials to stay up-to-date with all of the Sideline Secrets!