43
Senior Dance Divas kick up their heels
IF YOU GO
What: The Judy Conti Senior Dance Divas will perform during a luncheon, “Merry Month of May,” which also will include a guest speaker. Hosting the gathering is the Youngstown South Christian Women’s Connection.
When: 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 13.
Where: Avion on the Water Banquet Center, 2177 W. Western Reserve Road, Canfield.
Cost: $13 per person. Reservations should be in by Wednesday and can be made by calling Connie DePierro at 330-788-2340 or Sue Mirto at 330-793-6676.
By Sean Barron
BOARDMAN
When it came to dancing, Diane Scacchetti was ready to expand her move from being one of the dance mothers to dancing with others.
“I never danced before this experience,” the Canfield woman recalled. “I always enjoyed watching my kids dance.”
Scacchetti was referring to being one of an estimated 20 women age 60 and older who make up the Judy Conti Senior Dance Divas, a troupe that formed last fall. Twice a week, members get together at the Judy Conti Dance Studio, 1393 Boardman-Canfield Road, to learn a variety of tap, jazz and ballet moves.
Thirteen of the women were at the studio Tuesday for a 90-minute rehearsal to polish some of their steps for their debut appearance at “Merry Month of May,” a two-hour luncheon set for 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 13 at Avion on the Water Banquet Center, 2177 W. Western Reserve Road in Canfield. Hosting the event is the Youngstown South Christian Women’s Connection.
As Conti led their session, the women worked on timed, rhythmic ballet moves to piano music, then launched into slightly faster turns and gentle jumps to the popular 1979 Kool & the Gang hit “Ladies Night.” Also on the agenda was footwork in sync with an instrumental big-band selection.
Scacchetti explained that her sons, John and Jarrett, also began dancing at an early age and that John has appeared in several Broadway productions in New York City, including “Gypsy.”
Some octogenarians may have curtailed their physical activity, but 84-year-old Betty Yozwiak of Canfield, who also was a figure skater, has no intention of slowing down.
“Old dancers keep on dancing,” Yozwiak said with laughter.
Yozwiak, who joined in January and is the oldest of the dancing divas, also takes Zumba fitness classes three times each week. In addition, being one of the divas gives her another outlet to pursue her love of exercise and fitness, said Yozwiak.
“This is fabulous,” she said. “It is a 11/2-hour class, and I wish it was two. We meet two days a week, and I wish it was three.”
“Physically, I feel better; mentally and emotionally, it lifts my spirits,” said Rosemary Memo, who is a longtime friend of Conti’s.
Memo, of Poland, recalled having danced from childhood through college. A 45-year hiatus, however, did nothing to dampen her enthusiasm toward returning to the dance floor.
Another member for whom dancing and childhood went arm in arm is Patti Shears of Boardman, who also started with the Dancing Divas in January.
In 1988, Shears, who was a figure-skating coach, appeared as a dancer in the musical “42nd Street” at the Youngstown Playhouse. And like Memo, Shears quit for a while before again donning the tap shoes.
Conti noted that the group is available to perform at nursing homes and for various community events.
“I tell the ladies that if you can count to eight and walk, you can dance,” she said, adding that introducing new routines and steps also keeps members sharp.
The Senior Dancing Divas are scheduled to perform in a dance recital June 11 and 12 at Stambaugh Auditorium, Conti said.