Tao Porchon-Lynch and Phyllis Sues: two dancing souls living in century young bodies
11/07/2017
phyllis sues born on April 4 1923
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tao porchon-lynch, born on august 13 1918 to a french father and indian mother
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For a few moments while reading an article about Phyllis sues, an American woman of 94 dancing tango and doing yoga, I confused her with another woman named Tao prchon-lynch who also does yoga and dances tango, and the more I read, the more I felt the sense of Deja vu, the two woman were so distinctively different, and yet so surprisingly similar, in so many ways.
Both of them have lived so long and achieved so long, their lives read like a dictionary alive.
Both of them have lived so long and achieved so long, their lives read like a dictionary alive.
A for age and agility
Age and Agility
Tao porchon-lynch: is 99 and Phyllis sues is 94, but their bodies are as agile as two angels that will never age, from the headstand asana on yoga mat to full leg split on the ballroom floor.
Tao porchon-lynch: is 99 and Phyllis sues is 94, but their bodies are as agile as two angels that will never age, from the headstand asana on yoga mat to full leg split on the ballroom floor.
B for beauty
phyllis sues in 1950s and 1960s
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tao porchon-lynch in the 1940s
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Today, tao and phyllis are just two diminutive old ladies full of wrinkles, but when they were young, both women were graced with movie star like beauty. In her early years, tao had been model for french haute couturiers including Coco Chanel, Jean Patou, Jean Dessès, etc, she was also theatre, film and tv actress, playing in films like the last time i saw paris which featured elizabeth talor.
Phyllis sues had been a successful broadway dancer for decades touring the world, before she decided to combine her beauty and intelligence creating her own fashion brand, which became another success.
Phyllis sues had been a successful broadway dancer for decades touring the world, before she decided to combine her beauty and intelligence creating her own fashion brand, which became another success.
D for dance and diet
Dance:
Tao learned african and indian dance in her childhood, and became a famous cabaret dancer in the second world war london, then in 2005, at the age of 87, she learned ballroom dancing, and so far has won hundreds of first place awards in the dancing competitions around the world.
Phyllis learned ballet at 14, and became professional dancer soon afterwards, performing different types of dances, on broadway stage, tv screen and around America and Europe, for almost half a century. At the age of 80, she was bitten by the tango bug, which has since become the love of her life.
Diet:
Tao has a very interesting and unusual diet: she does not drink water. In the morning she only drinks fruit juice, and again at night before bed together with fruits to cleansing her body.
She is vegetarian, does not eat much, and uses microwave to warm her vegetables like broccoli(so perhaps the waves of microwaves are not so bad?....)
Phyllis sues's diet seems more conservative, in the post titled what i've learned about birthday after 93 years she composed for hufftingtonpost, she described her usual breakfast as follows: oatmeal, honey, cinnamon, walnuts (for the brain) protein powder (for the joints) and espresso (for the boost). But it's obviously very health conscious, and a joyful one--see how much she enjoys playing with words!
Tao learned african and indian dance in her childhood, and became a famous cabaret dancer in the second world war london, then in 2005, at the age of 87, she learned ballroom dancing, and so far has won hundreds of first place awards in the dancing competitions around the world.
Phyllis learned ballet at 14, and became professional dancer soon afterwards, performing different types of dances, on broadway stage, tv screen and around America and Europe, for almost half a century. At the age of 80, she was bitten by the tango bug, which has since become the love of her life.
Diet:
Tao has a very interesting and unusual diet: she does not drink water. In the morning she only drinks fruit juice, and again at night before bed together with fruits to cleansing her body.
She is vegetarian, does not eat much, and uses microwave to warm her vegetables like broccoli(so perhaps the waves of microwaves are not so bad?....)
Phyllis sues's diet seems more conservative, in the post titled what i've learned about birthday after 93 years she composed for hufftingtonpost, she described her usual breakfast as follows: oatmeal, honey, cinnamon, walnuts (for the brain) protein powder (for the joints) and espresso (for the boost). But it's obviously very health conscious, and a joyful one--see how much she enjoys playing with words!
E for entrepreneurship
These two women are beautiful and intelligent, but they are also entrepreneurs.
tao porchon-lynch:
phyllis sues:
In 1968, she created her own fashion brand specializing high end sportswear for women, which enjoyed more than 20 years of success.
tao porchon-lynch:
- In 1967 she assisted in the establishment of the American Wine Society (AWS) with her spouse.
- In 1970 she was selected the Vice-President of the AWS in Southern New York and later became the publisher and editor-in-chief of the wine appreciation magazine, The Beverage Communicator.
- In 1982 she set up the Westchester Institute of Yoga in New York.
phyllis sues:
In 1968, she created her own fashion brand specializing high end sportswear for women, which enjoyed more than 20 years of success.
tao and phyllis, two spirits of entrepreneurship
L for longevity and languages
longevity:
Tao has had three hip replacements, phyllis admitted she has osteoporosis and arthritis, but other than that, both still enjoyed robost health, they both have full head of hair, beautiful teeth and limitless energy.
languages:
They are both multilingual. Tao was born speaking french and an Indian dialect, learned english after moving to america, and now she speaks perfect english.
Phyllis's native language is enligh, but at the age of 70, she decided to learn italian as well as french!
Tao has had three hip replacements, phyllis admitted she has osteoporosis and arthritis, but other than that, both still enjoyed robost health, they both have full head of hair, beautiful teeth and limitless energy.
languages:
They are both multilingual. Tao was born speaking french and an Indian dialect, learned english after moving to america, and now she speaks perfect english.
Phyllis's native language is enligh, but at the age of 70, she decided to learn italian as well as french!
N for nonagenarian and non conventionality
.Nonagenarian:
According to wiktionary, a nonagenarian is one who is between the age of 90 and 99, inclusive. And it looks both are going to become centenarians!
Non conventionality:
When looking at their long wonderful life journey, it's not hard to see they share a very unusual pattern: both chose their career in response to their calling: tao found yoga at the age of 8, fell in love with it and started to teach others yoga while still a MGM contracted actress out of love. After deciding to become professional yoga teacher, she has never stopped, and is still teaching 8 yoga class every week in her home town New York. Phyllis fell in love with ballet at age 14 and danced her life away in bliss for decades until she had to retire in 1968. But she continued to dance-dancing her way into being a fashion designer of vision. Now she is a passionate musician composing tango songs and playing piano, but nobody knows what will be her next career choice, not even herself......
Both women married for love, outlived their husbands and never had children. I don't know if it just happened or they have chosen not to be a mother, perhaps it's divine choice of god to allow these two wonder women to devote more time to growing and blossoming into the flowers of miracle they are today.
According to wiktionary, a nonagenarian is one who is between the age of 90 and 99, inclusive. And it looks both are going to become centenarians!
Non conventionality:
When looking at their long wonderful life journey, it's not hard to see they share a very unusual pattern: both chose their career in response to their calling: tao found yoga at the age of 8, fell in love with it and started to teach others yoga while still a MGM contracted actress out of love. After deciding to become professional yoga teacher, she has never stopped, and is still teaching 8 yoga class every week in her home town New York. Phyllis fell in love with ballet at age 14 and danced her life away in bliss for decades until she had to retire in 1968. But she continued to dance-dancing her way into being a fashion designer of vision. Now she is a passionate musician composing tango songs and playing piano, but nobody knows what will be her next career choice, not even herself......
Both women married for love, outlived their husbands and never had children. I don't know if it just happened or they have chosen not to be a mother, perhaps it's divine choice of god to allow these two wonder women to devote more time to growing and blossoming into the flowers of miracle they are today.
tao and phyllis, two young flower girls
P for philosophy
After living such an extraordinary and extraordinarily full life, the two women have learned and cultivated their own philosophy and are more than willing to share with others.
S for sensuality
Their muscle tones may have lowered, their skin may have thinned, their height may have shrunken over the years, but they have never allowed the gravity to take away their sensuality. Perhaps that is part of the reason why they both took up with dancing tango, the most sensual ballroom dance in the world. When you look at them dancing with partners decades younger, you can feel the electricl charge transmitting from their dynamic bodies, making you feel like crying.
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V for versatility and vitality
Tao is model, actress, activist, yoga instructor, award winning ballroom dancer and writer. Years ago she wrote a book titled reflections: the yogic journey of life, and has just written her autobiography: dancing light with the help of her student teresa kennedy
In the author introduction of the blog column she writes for hufftington post, phyllis sues is defined as dancer & musician, but she is much more than that.
From ballet dancing to broadway dancing to ballroom dancing, she is a dancer through and through, like she said herself: I was born dancing. But she also composes and sings, she plays piano and tennis, she jumps ropes and hikes, she swings on the trapeze and dives into the sky.
In one of her post the thoughts of an aspiring writer, phyllis asked herself: I am a writer? I think she is. All of her posts were written with the clarity and fluidity that belong to a natural born or a professional one, particularly at an age of over 90.
And they are doing everything with such proficiency and vivacity that you realize there is nothing these two ladies are not willing to try and nothing they can not do.
In the author introduction of the blog column she writes for hufftington post, phyllis sues is defined as dancer & musician, but she is much more than that.
From ballet dancing to broadway dancing to ballroom dancing, she is a dancer through and through, like she said herself: I was born dancing. But she also composes and sings, she plays piano and tennis, she jumps ropes and hikes, she swings on the trapeze and dives into the sky.
In one of her post the thoughts of an aspiring writer, phyllis asked herself: I am a writer? I think she is. All of her posts were written with the clarity and fluidity that belong to a natural born or a professional one, particularly at an age of over 90.
And they are doing everything with such proficiency and vivacity that you realize there is nothing these two ladies are not willing to try and nothing they can not do.
Y for yoga
for two, yoga is her life, from an 8 year old girl who decided to learn yoga because she refused to accept that yoga is only for boys, to the oldest yoga instructor in the world, yoga has given her joy, strength, an incredibly flexible body, boundless energy, and dancing light.
Phyllis met yoga when she was 85, and in her first class her body told her: I am actually liking this......and since then she has never stop practicing and loving yoga. Together with her passions of dance and music, it inspired her to write and compose this beautiful poem: listen.
“Yoga is not just a pose.
Music is not just notes.
Dance is not just steps.
The quality and the beauty of the pose,
The notes and the steps,
Depends on the transition from one to the other.
In yoga and dance, I listen to my body.
In piano and composition, I listen to my fingers.
These are my tools.
What is born from this is a miracle.
Don’t wait to expire,
Grab hold of the wire,
And fly with me.”
Music is not just notes.
Dance is not just steps.
The quality and the beauty of the pose,
The notes and the steps,
Depends on the transition from one to the other.
In yoga and dance, I listen to my body.
In piano and composition, I listen to my fingers.
These are my tools.
What is born from this is a miracle.
Don’t wait to expire,
Grab hold of the wire,
And fly with me.”
I wish these two blessed dancing angels keep flying, for years to come.
photo credit:
Tao porchon-lynch photos taken in Central Park are by Robert sturman, please contact me if you are the artists of other photons and wishes to be credited properly.
Tao porchon-lynch photos taken in Central Park are by Robert sturman, please contact me if you are the artists of other photons and wishes to be credited properly.
further reading:
tao porchon-lynch official website:
http://www.taoporchon-lynch.com/
phyllis sue official website:
http://phyllissues.com/index.html
tao porchon-lynch official website:
http://www.taoporchon-lynch.com/
phyllis sue official website:
http://phyllissues.com/index.html
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