'I didn’t want any special treatment': Dancer Joanna Banks on touring Ireland aged 86

86-year-old dancer Joanna Banks who is travelling around Ireland as part of Philip Connaughton’s production of TROJANS. Picture: Luca Truffarelli

At the age of 86, she literally has the world at her feet after making a name for herself as one of Ireland’s oldest and most revered professional dancers.

However, Joanna Banks, who lives in Dublin and is currently touring Ireland with the contemporary Irish dance company Luail, has revealed that extreme anti-social behaviour forced her out of her previous home. 

The heartbreaking experience left her with no choice but to relocate to sheltered living accommodation. It might have left Joanna broken, were it not for her steely determination. 

The unwavering support from her fellow residents was also hugely motivating. News of upcoming shows including Philip Connaughton’s revival of TROJANS, which she is currently performing in, features regularly in their community WhatsApp group.

“My old home was in a lovely little community,” said the former prima ballerina, who moved to Ireland in the 1970s to dance with the National Ballet Company in Cork. “I came to live in this house around 1985. At that stage, you could leave your door unlocked and go into town without a second thought. 

"Unfortunately, drugs infiltrated. It's a scourge of our time and something that destroys communities. I can remember a particularly nice neighbour of mine turning to me and saying 'Jo, you’ve just got to get out of here because it’s not a place to grow old anymore'."

The turning point came when the house next door to her was petrol bombed.

She said:

It was terribly sad to see a community just really disintegrate. 

“Various friends of mine who were living on the same street informed me they were moving because of everything that was happening. I lived near St Patrick’s Cathedral and I knew the dean quite well from attending the morning service. He gave me a number for what he described as a wonderful sheltered community in Rathmines.” 

The founding member of Dance Ireland took a leap of faith.

“It was such a small cottage so I was able to fit everything in a van which my friend hired. That same friend drove me to the sheltered community. I remember thinking 'I’m not looking back'.

"I was gutted at having to leave. It took me a while to settle in even though this is my home now. There was one night where I got very morbid and was thinking that my new place would be like a waiting room to death but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’m really happy here.” 

Joanna, who danced with the Royal Ballet as a teenager, refused to let the setback get in the way of her ambition.

Joanna Banks: 'If I was a young dancer in their shoes I would be wondering how this old woman can just waltz in and get all the publicity, even though it’s the younger ones who are doing all the hard work and tough physical dancing.' 

“I didn’t feel it would alter me professionally because at that point I was running the College of Dance fulltime. Wherever I lived I was still going to work. Where I am living now is run as a commercial entity and I do pay rent, but it's obviously not the sort of rent one would pay on Palmerston Road, which is just around the corner.” 

The octogenarian enjoys the supportive environment.

“Our last performance of TROJANS in Project Arts Centre was a matinee on Easter Saturday. I think there were about eight people who live alongside me in the sheltered accommodation who all came in taxis to see me in the show. They all enjoyed it immensely, which surprised me because the material is so strong and meaty. 

"I was absolutely thrilled that they loved it so much. The best piece of feedback I got was from a wonderful artist, who is 89 years old. He told me that he wanted to go to the bar after seeing the show, think about it for a half hour and then go back and watch it again. The show is all about migration, war and obviously displacement. 

"Strangely enough, we did it in 2023 after the unrest in Ukraine had kicked off. Now, the world is in an even greater mess so it resonates even more.” 

Joanna likes to stay active in other areas of her life too.

“I'm on a bog standard basic pension which is okay because I'm not complaining. As a dancer growing up in England after the war, when we had ration books, I can live frugally and extremely happily. My extravagance is probably going to the theatre. 

I love the Irish Film Institute and will be down there in the afternoons in winter because it's cheaper to watch a movie there than run a heater at home. 

Joanna’s colleagues have been very supportive.

“If I was a young dancer in their shoes I would be wondering how this old woman can just waltz in and get all the publicity, even though it’s the younger ones who are doing all the hard work and tough physical dancing. Fortunately, it hasn’t been like that at all. They have been absolutely super and we've had a lot of fun together. 

"I told Philip from the start that I didn’t want any special treatment. I would be there for all the rehearsals whether I was needed or not. It’s really nice to be part of such an extraordinary success.” 

As a child, Joanna, who grew up in Oxford, never believed she would have such a long dancing career.

“I was very, very lucky to be born in England and have access to that training at such an early age. I was as a junior associate at seven which meant travelling into London. I did that on my own, which definitely wouldn't be allowed these days. 

Joanna Banks during her younger days as a prima ballerina.

"I do remember being slightly scared but at the same time, even at age seven, knowing that I needed to access this training. As a teenager my plan was to become a ballerina and dance till I was 30. After 30 I would be far too old to dance so I would go to Oxford and study English literature. 

"Looking back it’s difficult to believe the arrogance of it all. I ended up pushing my ballet career out and dancing classical ballet until I was 48.” 

Despite being born in the UK, the 86-year-old says her heart will always be in Ireland.

“I just got captivated by the madness of it all, the pioneering spirit. When I first came here the brief from the Arts Council was to tour the length and breadth of Ireland, taking ballet everywhere we possibly could. It was wonderful and it was also crazy. I could write a book about touring in Ireland in the 70s. 

"We didn't have the wonderful venues that we have today. There were a lot of church halls, schools, colleges and community centres. However, the spirit in the company was incredible, and we had actually quite an interesting repertoire. 

"They were short pieces but I treasure those memories. By the time it came to leaving I had fallen in love with Ireland. I had thrown down roots, unbeknownst to myself and am glad to still be here all these years later.”