2022 was another good year for the tappers – A couple of big performances and some great parties. The holiday party in December was another huge success with great food, lots of fun and games, and general good cheer and friendship.
2023 is already off to a great start. We began rehearsing for an upcoming show on January 4 (before classes even started). In this show on February 14, we have 22 tappers performing a total of 7 dances – all from Broadway shows. Most of these dances we have performed before, but we will also be premiering a new routine to “The King of New York” from the show Newsies. My inspiration for this dance came when a group of us attended a performance of Newsies at the Candlelight Pavillion back in 2019. It may be a stretch to think of a group of 50+ ladies playing the part of young newsboys, but the tappers are always up for a challenge, and I have been really impressed with the enthusiasm shown for this difficult routine. I am hoping that we will be able to repeat this entire show at the LA County Fair in May. As if we weren’t busy enough, we have begun another new routine which will be performed in the 2023 ALDA Recital in June.
Also new for 2023, we have expanded the Young @ Heart program by adding a ballet class. We offered a couple of “sample classes” back in November and December, and I was overwhelmed with the positive response. Like the exercise classes, this class will not be performing. Designed specifically for seniors (age 50+), it will be concentrating on strengthening, stretching, improving balance and learning basic ballet technique and simple movements and short combinations. Our first class was Tuesday, 1/10 in the middle of an uncharacteristic downpour and I was more than a little worried about the attendance. I was thrilled to see 10 out of 14 ladies made it to class. Looks like this ballet group may be as dedicated as the tappers and I am really looking forward to working with them.
Young At Heart Tappers 