Member: Maryann Kudalis
Featured: Winter 2022 cover story
Maryann Kudalis is still having a ball. Since being featured in the winter 2022 edition of thrive. for her passion for dance, Maryann, now 72, has continued to grow as a dancer while traveling the world and spending time with her grandchildren. We recently caught up with her to talk about her travels, her experience dancing Pro-Am, and the importance of setting and achieving goals.
thrive.: I heard you’ve done quite a bit of traveling since we last spoke. Where have you been?
Maryann: Two of my vacations were dance trips — one was Playa Del Carmen, and recently at the end of February, I went to Cuba with Awakened Dance. We had a wonderful time and learned some Cuban dances. It was fun, interesting and opened me up to another view of dancing and the stories behind it. I also have traveled to New Mexico with my book club, and went to Cambodia and Vietnam last fall.
I was so worried about my trip to Vietnam and Cambodia because of all the climbing. I realized I was dependent on handrails, and so I practiced walking up and down stairs without holding on. It really built my confidence and I was going up and down stairs and in and out of boats with no problem!
thrive:: Are you still dancing regularly?
Maryann: I still dance with John. We try to dance once a week although we’ve both been traveling more, so we get together when we can.
Recently, I decided I wanted to be a better technical dancer, and I wanted to try Pro-Am dancing and be paired up with a dance professional. I thought, if I don’t try Pro-Am now, I’m never going to because I’m in my 70s. I ended up with Martin Pickering at Cinema Ballroom. Working with him, I’m getting much better at just being aware of my body, relaxing, getting in the right position, and realizing where I am in space. It’s helping even more with my balance and my muscles.
thrive.: How do you continue staying active outside of dance?
Maryann: I still deal with osteoarthritis, and sometimes I’m in pain, but what I find is that I can be pushed to go beyond what I think I can. My hips are the weakest part of my body right now, and I’ve been doing physical therapy. Since I’ve been exercising it’s made a huge difference, because we’ve made hips a focus.
I also use weight machines and have a personal trainer. I started pilates a couple of months ago, and my instructor is a dancer. I want to be strong, I want to stand up straight, I want my body in alignment just for everyday life.
thrive.: Setting goals is clearly important to you. Why does reaching them matter so much?
Maryann: I want to age gracefully. I get a little bored in general, so I want new experiences and I have more freedom at this time in my life to do what I need to do to be fulfilled. Dancing has always been in the back of my mind, and there are points where I think I’m doing really well, but I could do better. It makes my daily life even more wonderful.
I just want to enjoy life. I want to be more fit, and I’m doing the best I can with a good quality of life. My advice is to live your best life and do what you enjoy. That’s what I’m doing well.
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