EDGE Ft. Lauderdale

For decades, Florida has been a popular destination for seniors looking to slow down. But, you won’t catch the 45 performers of the Florida Follies playing shuffleboard or canasta in some dusty retirement community. Instead, these dancers and entertainers, aged 60-90, can be found on stage, doing what they love most.

"I’m exhausted watching them dance," sighs Doug Gorab, president of the non-profit organization that stages the group’s annual reviews. "Nothing stops them. They have hip surgeries, knee surgeries and they come back dancing. You’d never know it."

Gorab, who has led the organization in recent years, became involved at the behest of his partner, Ron Plotkin, who is a tap dancer.

"Ron always told me, ’I’ll never move to Florida, it’s God’s waiting room," Gorab recalls with a chuckle. "Well, we’ll never make it (to heaven) because we’re just too busy!"

This spring, the sprightly group, founded in 2000 by former showgirl Cathy Dooley, introduces another new production, Dancing Down Memory Lane, a two-act musical review that takes audiences on a journey through the popular songs of the 1920s and ’30s to today.

Gorab credits Dooley with the crowd-pleasing shows.

"She’s 81 and sharp as a tack. It all comes out of her brilliant mind," he says of the choreographer and director. "Every year we keep increasing our audiences because the show gets better and better."

This year’s production includes music from the big band era, the glory days of Broadway and the silver screen, and classic rock ’n roll, with songs like "Those Were the Days," "Ain’t She Sweet," "Jeepers Creepers," and "Rock Around the Clock." Later, the show even pokes fun at the disco era with a spoof of the Village People.

The first act will also include a set of vintage television commercials, including the Follies’ own "Mr. Clean," who Gorab points out is 81, "but he looks pretty good with the padding we gave him."

And, of course, every Follies production is not complete without the showgirl parade.

"The youngest is 63 and the oldest is 88 and, let me tell you, she has a figure that is better than some of the younger girls," Gorab says.

Every year, the group has drawn larger audiences, resulting in bigger shows, and yielding more funds for the organization’s mission.

Over the past 12 years, more than $400,000 has been raised for Children in Need. Last year, the group raised $30,000 and the dancers were able to take 406 children to J.C. Penney to purchase new school clothes. Some of the children had never been shopping for new clothes.

Seeing the joy on the children’s faces is a highlight for Gorab and his fellow volunteers. The planning and production of each show begins just weeks after the curtain falls on the last show, but the effort is worth it when they "get to see the joy in the kids’ faces. The icing on the cake is watching these kids go shopping."

"My partner got involved first and I started selling t-shirts," Gorab recalls. "Now it’s a full time job we get no pay for, we’re busy all year, but we all love it so much."

"Dancing Down Memory Lane"
Florida Follies
Feb. 26, Miramar Cultural Center, Miramar
March 11 & 18, Olympic Heights Theater, Boca Raton
March 25, Parker Playhouse, Fort Lauderdale
All shows begin at 1:45 p.m.
Tickets $28 at (954) 956-2626 or TheOriginalFloridaFollies.com