CORAL SPRINGS, FLA. (WSVN) - The New Florida Follies, a nonprofit dance group that caters to senior citizens, are set to hit center stage for the first time in two years.
7News cameras captured members of the 35-member dance troupe in the middle of rehearsal, Saturday.
Don’t let the performers’ age fool you. They’re very much in step.
“We are having fun. It’s our passion to dance, and we love bringing it to the audience,” said Cheryl Steinthal, the Follies’ director.
All of them are dancers a certain age.
“We are 56 through 98,” said Steinthal.
And they have been performing across South Florida for more than 20 years..
But when the pandemic hit in 2020, the Follies were sent home..
“We didn’t get to have a season at all in 2021. We had to cancel our last two performances in 2020, and I said, ‘This is not going to be the end of us,'” said Steinthal.
Steinthal said she got creative.
“I choreographed the whole new show that the audience is seeing this year in my sneakers, in my living room,” she said.
If anyone knows dance, it’s Steinthal. At just 19, back in the 1970s, she was a Rockette performing in New York City.
These days, she teaches. She even gave 7News reporter Brandon Beyer a couple of pointers.
Steinthal can help almost anyone get the hang of it. Still, it wasn’t enough to whip Beyer into shape.
“I don’t think i have what it takes. Not like you guys,” he said.
But the Follies do have what it takes, and they love to dance.
“It’s definitely keeping us young. We feel that by continuing to dance, we’ve been able to stay young and healthy,” said Steinthal.
And when they put on a show, all the money raised is donated to charities that help children across South Florida.
“It’s a wonderful thing for us, but it also helps in the community, and that’s what makes it so special,” said troupe member Joyce Listro.
Maybe they’re on to something here. Dancing and giving back might be the magical combination that has one of the dancers still doing splits at 93 years old.
The New Florida Follies have tour dates booked through March. For more information on showtimes and tickets, click here.
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