At 57, yoga coach and journalist Victoria Woodhall was part of the original raver generation, but like many women now in midlife, Victoria put her favourite weekend pastime of dancing until dawn on pause as the weight of work and family responsibility began to creep, swapping her love of raving for a passion for wellness. All that changed this year, however, when she was lured to Ibiza for the first time.
"I've travelled a lot, and Ibiza has been on my radar for decades as a wellness destination," says the Hormones and Handstands podcast host. "Ever since I did my first yoga teacher training course in 2005, my teacher has been badgering me to join her on retreats there, although it never happened.
"People always told me, 'The north of the island is beautiful,' and that Es Vedra rock is a mystical place, or that the food was so fresh – definitely not having me down as someone who would embrace the bright lights or dance til dawn. What they didn't know was that I adored clubbing in the nineties and would regularly pull all-nighters in my 20s as a young journalist in Amsterdam working on Time Out magazine. It was pure joy, and I was always the first on and last off the dancefloor," she says.
© InstagramWe've lost dancing
But after leaving Amsterdam, Victoria’s career became more "serious" as she moved back to the UK to work in a local newsroom outside of London. She found herself going to the pub with work colleagues rather than clubbing. "In my mid-30s, I had children and, quite frankly, sleep, and looking after them took precedence. I felt the rucksack of responsibility and lost the sense of freedom and the spring in my step that had taken me to the dancefloor."
After turning 50, however, she had an epiphany of sorts and was 'desperate to go' to the White Isle, explaining: "My 50-something friend Katie had been going to Ibiza regularly for years. She always had the best time and the most fun tales to recount and I wanted some of that. When she regaled me with stories of dancing to top DJs, rolling in as the sun came up, 4pm lunches at vibey beach bars, sumptuous fresh food, long chats with friends by the pool and then doing it all again, I practically invited myself!" Despite Victoria's excitement, rediscovering her love of raving in Ibiza after all these years came as a surprise to her - and her friends.
"Getting back on the dancefloor, I felt like I'd never been away. I felt like a carefree 25-year-old, as though the intervening three decades had never happened, but utterly appreciative of my body - the fact that it had birthed two children who were now delightful adults, that I was healthy and strong. Ibiza is such an accepting place that you don't feel old or try-hard. All generations party together, it's totally democratic and inclusive."
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Rediscovering the dancefloor
Victoria is the latest in a new wave of clubbers who are rediscovering their love of a dancefloor from the 80s, 90s and noughties. It has been scientifically proven that music and dance can be beneficial for our physical and mental health as we age. According to research by Dr. Lovatt, aka Doctor Dance, movement can change the way we think, bond and even alleviate the symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as Parkinson's.
© InstagramThis explains the popularity of day raves that have been set up for the over 40s by the likes of former Radio 2 DJ Annie Mac, actress Vicky McClure and DJ Fat Tony who are filling the dancefloors.
What to wear clubbing in midlife
There was only one thing that Victoria was nervous about - what to wear for her night at Pacha with the DJ Solomun. "I was well out of the sartorial loop. I brought about five different outfits and luckily there were enough old (and young) hands to advise. The consensus was my £20 Silver Primark x Rita Ora fitted sleeveless dress. It was perfect for low-key glamour and comfort. To be honest, I could have worn anything; nobody cared. It was actually quite liberating to be invisible in that sense. Like most people, I was there for the dancing."
Since returning from the Balearics, Victoria has tried to bring some of the party island into her day-to-day life, sharing that she is attempting "to bring more joy into my life at home, and not be so serious. You only get one shot at life – and I'll be going again next year!"
