After an eight-number performance by the line dancing Antique Kids last Tuesday at Covenant Shores to celebrate the group’s 20th anniversary, one of its original members, Fay Christensen, announced that she would be retiring.
“It’s good; you don’t know how good it is,” she said. “Twenty years is a long time to be dancing every week, but I’ve enjoyed every moment of it.”
The “slow motion, age-adjusted Rockettes,” as dancer Nellie Cutler-DeVries referred to them, have been dancing at the Evergreen State Fair for 20 years. They also perform for free once a month at local senior communities.
Comprised of 15 residents between the ages of 62 and 91, Antique Kids is the longest running of the 50 resident-run programs at Covenant Shores. Age is irrelevant as they dance to music from the ’50s, ’60s and ’70s to stay healthy, socialize and entertain people of all ages.
Christensen had been part of the group since its founding in 1996 by Claudia Young, a former resident life director at the retirement community, and former resident Martha Fitch. Dancing helped Christensen recover from a stroke two years ago, but she said she was ready to retire.
“It’s been a wonderful experience, but I’m going to hang up these shoes, just like Martha did,” Christensen, age 89, said. “They’re all worn out.”
To celebrate their big anniversary and honor longtime members, the Antique Kids held a special performance on Aug. 9. Tom Tang, who participated in the Kids for 15 years, was recognized, along with all Covenant Shores residents who had a birthday in August. The Antique Kids even had their picture printed on a cake.
Chaplain Greg Asimakoupoulos said that the Kids are young at heart — “children at an ever-increasing age” — and represent a model to be admired and emulated.
Performing dances like “Tennessee Waltz,” “It’s a Small World” and “I Want to Be a Cowboy’s Sweetheart,” the Kids “keep the music that has shaped our lives, part of our lives,” Asimakoupoulos said.
Young continues to dance with the group and choreograph its numbers. Group leader Sylvia Toland runs practices and workshops once a week, and has expanded the Kids’ repertoire to 26 dances.
The group’s camaraderie is apparent and its coordination is artful. The dancers wear matching black pants, long-sleeved white shirts and red sashes with the words “Antique Kids” in white letters, and have helpers for everything from transportation to music to props.
Dancer Olga Wiegert talked about the technological transition from audiotapes, to CDs, to digital music played on a tablet as the group evolved. But most important is the mental and physical exercise and the friendship, Wiegert said. Dancing with the Kids is “a pleasure, and fun,” she said.
