When she needed to create a project in a Landmark Education program, Ruth Pillet created an activity that's unlikely to have been seen anywhere else – a team of seated, senior tap dancers, who perform numbers from such Broadway classics as "A Chorus Line" at a senior center in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, near Philadelphia.
According Main Line Media News, Pillet, 71 years old herself, wanted to bring the joy of dance to seniors. A dance performer in her youth who returned to it 11 years ago, Pillet choreagraphed simple routines and put together various costumes, such as tophats and canes, or black and white outfits for the Chorus Line numbers, for the 13 performing seniors, the oldest of which is 91.
She arranged for tap shoes to be donated from the McHenry Dance Center after getting the go-ahead from the PALM center (Positive Aging in Lower Merion) to introduce the program. The senior group has had multiple public performances, incuding at PALM's annual luncheon and The Martin Luther King Association's program at Bryn Mawr College.
Those interested in getting involved or finding out more information can contact Pillet at 610-642-9370.
1 comment
this is a wonderful idea! a lady i know (she is already in her 70’s) recently managed to pass her driver’s license for the first time. and, she told me that her next goal is to learn to tap dance! she says she would not be able to do it standing up, and asked me if i could find out for her about seated tap dancing. so, would it be possible to get more information about what you are doing and your experience? do you have a video of your performances? or an instructional video? it would be greatly appreciated. thank you.