For Joy Williams Bell, 75, being in ballet class brings full circle a life made rich by dance. From her early days as a summer stock dancer in Louisville, to starting her own dance studio, to reemerging at Louisville Ballet in character roles (with a brief stint along the way as Miss Kentucky), Bell has always loved the grace and demand of ballet.

Through it she even made a lifelong friend, Cami Rule. As teenagers, the pair took dance lessons together and shared rides as they earned their driver's licenses. Now, after decades of lives in different cities, marriages, divorce, and careers, these women have reunited at Louisville Ballet for more of their first love.

These days, Bell loves her adult class, where until recently, five women over 60 held their own against the majority demographic of mid-40s. Bell's favorite part is the final 10 minutes, when ballerinas make leaping passes across the length of the studio. "I've always been a jumper," she says. "Those last ten minutes, we do those big flowy motions across the floor with some jumps... I really love to do that."

< Back to Come Dance with Me [0]