Ballet Helped This Mother and Daughter Bond — and Bring Strength to Others Who Needed It: ‘The Profound Impact Is Unbelievable’

Elizabeth and Susan Jacobson realized that adding ballet movements into older women’s daily routines would be impactful on their health and bring them joy as well

It was in early 2018 when Elizabeth Jacobson started noticing her decline in mobility after she injured her ankle during vacation. Simple tasks like walking across her home or balancing on one foot had become increasingly difficult, and she feared falling with each step. Her foot ached so intensely that standing for even a few minutes became nearly impossible. 

Jacobson was in her 70s and sure her bones were not as strong as they had been when she was 25, but as someone who had been practicing Pilates for over 25 years, the decline she experienced felt drastic. “By the time I got back [from vacation], it was really damaged,” she says. “I had an X-ray and they said, You’ve really got to do exercises to strengthen it up.”  

Instead of heading to a physical trainer, Jacobson called her daughter, Susan, a ballerina and ballet teacher with decades of experience. For the next two years, Susan instructed her to do pliés and sautés and other ballet exercises. Slowly, her mother’s feet—and her whole mobility, really—improved. Standing on her tippy toes became a breeze. So did jumping. Before long, Jacobson was doing things she hadn’t been able to do in years. 

Seeing Jacobson’s mobility improve inspired her sister (Susan’s aunt) to also start incorporating ballet moves into her routine. And then a few other older adults joined. Soon, Susan had a WhatsApp group chat full of post-menopausal women looking to improve their bone health via ballet. And from there, Ballet Based Movement was born. 

What started as a few one-on-one sessions between mother and daughter blossomed into a growing movement of women in their 50s to 70s discovering the benefits of ballet for their bones. Susan developed livestream sessions and online programs to make the exercises accessible to anyone, anywhere. 

“The profound impact [ballet] has had on the body is unbelievable,” Susan, who is based in London, says. “Every single week after class without fail, one of our dancers has something to say about how better they are in their body from ballet.” 

Typically, one doesn’t associate bone strength with ballet. Sure, the dance form requires flexibility, grace, and poise, but it’s not often considered a go-to for building bone density. However, most ballet exercises require strength from your glutes, quads, and legs, says Susan. For example, practicing tendu—a movement where you slide the foot along the floor—works your feet, quads, and legs. Which in turn, “squeezes the muscles [and] the bone and signals it to create more bone,” she explains. 

Most dancers at Ballet Based Movement begin with the Level 1 class, where they learn gentle movements through livestream sessions. More experienced clients often progress to the Signature BBM course, which introduces higher-impact exercises like jumps. Initially, many older women are hesitant to attempt these higher-impact movements due to osteopenia or osteoporosis. That’s why Susan incorporates gradual progressions, allowing students to build strength and confidence at their own pace.

“It’s amazing how many women around 70 years old say, ‘When I started class, I could never jump,’ and now we’re all doing 16 to 32 jumps in a class,” she says. 

And even if one can’t perform a particular movement, there are alternatives. The true premise of Ballet Based Movement is to have fun, with no pressure to be perfect. It’s why Jacobson encourages everyone to take breaks when needed—or even quit early if you want to! “Sometimes I don’t do all of [the exercises]” she says. If my body’s tired, I don’t do them all. I’ll sit out for a bit or come back in again.” 

You don’t even have to turn on your camera. In fact, some clients have remained loyal for nearly three years without ever turning their cameras on during the livestream sessions. 

Even if you can’t make the livestream, they offer a variety of programs for participants to practice right at home. There’s their YouTube channel, which features a range of exercises, along with 5-minute routines and daily mobile exercise plans you can follow at your own pace.

“These bite-size programs are for those people who don’t have exercise in their body and want to build up,” Susan explains. “Sometimes, if you’re going to start something, don’t set the bar high. Make it a really easy bar, so five minutes is all [you] need.” 

Thanks to Susan and Elizabeth, what started as a simple mother-daughter collaboration to restore mobility has become an environment where older women feel empowered, supported, and confident as they build up their bone strength and improve their mobility. One of their clients, an older woman with neck issues, was able to stand on one leg and balance—something she hadn’t been able to do in 30 years.

For the Jacobsons, their program is about building your physical strength and rediscovering what your body is capable of, but also having fun. 

“Let’s have fun, for everybody to just enjoy themselves,” Jacobson says. “A time and space in your day where you can just listen to music—that’s the most important thing.”