In conversation with Greta Mendez, we are reminded that creative ageing is not a tidy progression but a radical and often turbulent process. Greta’s story begins with dance as salvation, a lifeline that carried her from an unhappy childhood in Trinidad to a career that challenged exclusion and opened new spaces for Black dancers in Britain. Yet her reflections reveal that ageing brings another layer of resistance, not from society alone, but from the body itself.
What strikes us most is Greta’s courage in refusing invisibility. When her body no longer resembled the athletic dancer she once was, she made the radical choice to place it on stage, belly and breasts unapologetically visible. This act embodies what we at CADA mean by “radical acts” – creativity that makes the heartbeat quicken..
Greta also reminds us that creative ageing is not simply personal. It carries responsibility towards the generations that follow. Her call is clear: young artists must be supported to nurture their creativity without sacrificing their wellbeing, so that they may enter later life with resources and health intact. This is as much a structural challenge as it is an individual one.
Finally, Greta leaves us with uncertainty and hope. She describes herself as being in an “incubation period”, waiting for the next radical shift. At CADA, we believe that this pause is itself a vital part of creative ageing: the stillness before transformation. Greta’s voice affirms that ageing does not mean retreat but reinvention, and that radical creativity can continue to emerge, especially in later years.
Creative Ageing: Development & Agency 