Once a dancer, always a dancer is a familiar motto among movement artists.
It’s a catchphrase that speaks to the fact that dance is more than a job. It’s a lifestyle.
Though ballet artists typically retire by age 40, contemporary dance doesn’t have a fixed shelf life and it remains a good fit for Cecily Holcombe, who, at 51, is flourishing as a dancer and choreographer.
Holcombe joined San Diego Dance Theater as a company member in 2014, and she also works with independent choreographers Khamla Somphanh and Lavina Rich, the artistic director of Push Process Movement.
Dancer-choreographer Cecily Holcombe at a photo shoot at a San Diego Trolley Station. Holcombe is a dancer who will perform at San Diego Dance Theater’s 2023 Trolley Dances Sept. 16 and 17.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“I savor things more. I have more gratitude for my body and the fact that I can still move it. I think I criticize myself less, and I’ve learned to be more careful about choosing the work I want to do, rather than taking any gig. I take better care of my health.”
— Dancer Cecily Holcombe
Last month, Holcombe met Rich to rehearse a solo for Rich’s “Calm Waters,” a dance inspired by the challenges women face and strive to overcome. When finished, it will be a part of an evening-length work for a performance next year.
Rich, who chose Holcombe for the solo because she was always “mesmerized by her artistry,” stood with her back against the mirrored wall to watch Holcombe move and offered choreographic suggestions.
“As you push yourself up, keep that going … yeah, yeah,” Rich said.
Holcombe has a dancer’s physique.
Her thick, auburn hair was tied back in a ponytail and her slender, athletic frame was dressed casually in black pants and a sleeveless black shirt, revealing long, muscled arms.
She reached up toward the ceiling as if stretching after waking. Then, she clasped long elegant fingers behind her head, turned with arms outstretched, twirled and dropped gracefully to the floor.
A component of dance that offers its participants a unique avenue of self-expression is the transferring of emotion and ideas into physical movement.
Dancer-choreographer Cecily Holcombe at a photo shoot at a San Diego Trolley Station. Holcombe is a dancer who will perform at San Diego Dance Theater’s 2023 Trolley Dances Sept. 16 and 17.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“One thing I love about working with Lavina is that she is such a storyteller,” Holcombe said, following the rehearsal.
“I connect to her themes, whether it be a struggle or falling down and getting back up. I have always been able to take her movement and make it my own, and she allows the freedom for that.”
Holcombe takes dance class a few times a week and said that she has acquired a deeper appreciation for her career.
“I savor things more,” she confessed. “I have more gratitude for my body and the fact that I can still move it. I think I criticize myself less, and I’ve learned to be more careful about choosing the work I want to do, rather than taking any gig. I take better care of my health.”
Holcombe came to dance later in life. She had a background in gymnastics and went on to become a physics major at University of California San Diego. Her interest in physical fitness prompted her to sign up for Jean Isaacs’ modern dance class.
At first, she didn’t like it.
“I was shy and embarrassed and Jean was wild,” Holcombe remembered about her teacher, now the retired co-founder of San Diego Dance Theater.
“I never met anyone like her. She seemed so unafraid, and she made me believe I could actually dance. She was so encouraging, and when I saw how her company dancers moved, it inspired me to wonder if I could be like them.”
Though she has proved herself intrepid and skilled among dancers, Holcombe wonders how she is perceived. There are cons to being a mature dancer, mostly psychological.
“I think I have a bit of impostor syndrome when I’m dancing with younger dancers,” Holcombe confessed. “I wonder what they think of me and I sometimes feel like I’m running out of time. One thing that hurts me is I feel like I’m pointed out as an older dancer. I just want to be valued as a dancer, rather than using my age as a qualifier.”
Recently, Holcombe’s dance career was further enriched.
Dancer-choreographer Cecily Holcombe at a photo shoot at a San Diego Trolley Station.
(Nelvin C. Cepeda/The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Two years ago, Terry Wilson took over as San Diego Dance Theater’s artistic director and she encouraged Holcombe to choreograph a dance. Holcombe accepted the challenge and created a work titled “Holding Pattern,” which was showcased last year at Live Arts Fest.
“I started choreographing because of Terry’s support and her belief in me that I could do it,” she said. “Without Terry, I would never have tried it. I was really happy with it.”
Holcombe lives in Solana Beach with her husband and three children — twins, ages 16, and a son, 18.
“I dance a lot more now than when my kids were younger,” she said. “Now that they are in school, I have more time to take classes than ever.”
Holcombe will perform in Trolley Dances next weekend. Now in its 25th year, the site-specific event transports audiences to unique San Diego locales via the trolley line.
Presented in partnership with UCSD and the Metropolitan Transit System, the fun starts Saturday and features choreography by Wilson, Kim Epifano, DanzArts, bkSOUL, Blythe Barton and Isaacs, who originated the event.
“I have performed in most of the Trolley Dances, taking time off for babies,” Holcombe said. “I love it because audiences who wouldn’t normally come to see dance in the theater will come to that. People can bring their kids, you don’t have to sit in one place and you get to go on the trolley. It’s very accessible and I enjoy that.”
Holcombe added that she has every intention of continuing her dance career.
“I love it,” she affirmed. “I always feel I’m learning. I love training and the process of putting together work. I love to perform. I don’t feel that I’ve reached the end.”