A Colorful Life

Legendary dancers such as Fred Astaire or Gene Kelly are proof that dance training is a lifelong exercise in fitness and flexibility. Their careers spanned decades and they danced well into their 70’s and 80’s. Memphis is lucky to have its own star dancer, Gail Cockrell, a formidable lady who is dancing through her retirement years.

Gail, a Memphis gal and graduate of the University of Memphis, took a couple of detours along her academic way to have two children but got her degree and became a teacher in the Memphis school system for 22 years. She taught sciences in several different schools in the city, retiring in 2002 and quickly pirouetted into a new pastime—dancing.

She began dance training as well as voice lessons, all of which put her in line to audition for several local theater productions. She got a role in “Annie Get Your Gun” which led to other shows and she has appeared in most of the standards of the American Musical Theater—Showboat, Music Man, South Pacific to name a few.

During her theater gigs she met people involved in ballroom dancing which led to her performing in that genre while actively taking lessons in ballet, tap and ballroom. Her resume would fill more space than this column allows but she has danced in front of audiences at the Mid-South Coliseum, the AgriCenter, Creative Agency on Aging, and the Buckman Theater.

In theater parlance she would be known as a “triple threat”--she acts, sings and dances. She came to this interview with several photo albums showcasing her long and varied career and also provided a long listing of all of the people who have taught, coached or encouraged her along the way.

The albums contain shots of her many lavish costumes. “I particularly enjoy performing at retirement centers,” she said. “They love seeing the costumes, all those sequins and glitter.” Gail proudly disclosed that on her 50th wedding anniversary she wore her original wedding dress (it still fit perfectly!) and sang to her husband to whom she credits with keeping things running at home. “Gerald is the rock in our family,” she said. “He does the cooking, grocery shopping and gardening. He keeps everything in order so that I can dance.”

And dancing is not all that this busy lady does. She models in fashion shows, is active in politics and works the polls at election time, teaches ESL at her church and sings in the choir. She is an avid reader and particularly enjoys reading up on political candidates.

She related one of her favorite quotes from author Lance Wubbels. “I believe I was born to dance, created by God to make a difference in people’s lives.” Gail literally is dancing through her retirement years, bringing joy to others, keeping her passion alive with exercise and hard work.

When asked about any sort of formal fitness training other than dance class she laughed and said “Well, when I brush my teeth each day I put one leg up on the counter while I brush, then switch to the other leg. It helps keep me flexible.” It is doubtful of how many folks in their 70’s could start their morning with that!

Joyce Miles writes an occasional column about mature adults who live colorful lives in retirement or during later years. Colorful lives could include people following their passions, acting on novel ideas or pursuing something unusual. Contact her if you or someone you know lives a colorful life and would like to share the experience. Email her at [email protected]