Seniors bring their Follies to Antioch next month

By Roni Gehlke
By day, four East County women are your ordinary active seniors. They go to work, take care of their family, and spend time with friends.

But twice a week, they exchange their everyday clothes for leotards and tap shoes, and show the world that you don't have to be young to kick up your feet and dance.

Cindy Leong, Angela deVictoria, Kate Belback and Cathy Romo are just a small part of the senior dancing group, the Golden Follies, that will perform at the El Campanil Theatre on May 3.

"People hear that we are a group of seniors and say, 'How boring, how slow," Leong said. "A lot of people are surprised when they see the show. It is refreshing to know as you get older, you don't have to sit in the background."

Leong and her friends have been active in the well-known Bay Area Golden Follies group for several years. They are the only East County residents in the group that travels throughout the Bay Area putting on their Follies at theaters, for nonprofit benefits, and even senior centers.
"Usually, we have to go at least an hour's drive to get to the places where we perform and where we practice two days a week," Leong said.

The ladies travel together, not only sharing expenses but also spending their extra time in the car having fun chatting about family, dancing or any subject that comes up.

"We are happy, though, that we get to be doing a show in Antioch where we are right here," she said.

The Golden Follies program is the conception of two sisters, Susan Bostwick and Diane Tembey-Stawicki. The sisters act as teachers, choreographers and directors of each production that the group stages. At the El Campanil, there will be a total of 20 dancers, all women except for one man, Leong said.

The sisters started the Golden Follies 18 years ago, and have been working together producing shows throughout the country and the world ever since. Leong said that most of the songs that are presented through the approximately 1-hour, 45-minute production are recognizable show tunes from Broadway productions.

"The songs are recognizable oldies but goodies, but the sisters add a different spin on the songs, making them lively and fun," Leong said.

Leong explained that being part of the production is incredible. She said that when the dancers start out, they each put all of their costumes neatly in a suitcase at the beginning of the show. There are several costume changes throughout the show.

"The sisters made all the different hats for the production themselves so they look just so," she said.

As the production continues, the suitcases quickly turn into a mess. "There are always different shoes to wear and different hats, and you have to have the right hat so that it all looks right during the production," she said.

Leong said the ladies have had some great laughs over missing clothing and losing everything from one shoe to underwear.

"This is a continuum of a little girl's dream for me," Leong said. "All of my children are grown-up, and now I'm doing this just for myself because it is something I've always wanted to do."

Leong said that it is good for people to see that as seniors these ladies aren't just sitting home alone knitting. "We make room in our busy schedule to have this time. It has become a great bonding experience for the four East County ladies," she said.

The Golden Follies is described as a fast-paced, high-energy, Las Vegas-style revue featuring senior performers ages 55 to 85, strutting their stuff as they tap, kick and smile to musical sounds from Latin, vintage movies, nostalgia and Broadway.

If you go
WHAT: Golden Follies
WHEN: 2 p.m. May 3
WHERE: El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. Second St., Antioch
TICKETS: Reserved seating is $22 for adults, $20 for seniors, and $15 for youths under 18. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the ticket office at 604 W. Second Street, next door to the theater. The ticket office is open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday through Friday and one hour before show time. For tickets by phone, call 925-757-9500.