âWe wanted to spice up social events here at The Woods,â said an energetic Feliza Poling, a retired school principal, during a recent rehearsal of the Dancing Divas.
Blame it all on actress Diane Keaton. After a group lunch in 2018, Poling says the six friends saw the movie Poms starring Keaton, whose character starts a cheerleading squad at her retirement home. Inspired by the can-do message, the Beavercreek friends decided to start their own cheerleading squad to help keep fitâand to keep neighborhood parties fun.
âWe wanted to get together and do some fun exercise,â adds Karen Notestine, a retired office manager.
With a high school cheerleader for coaching and choreography, the women learned basic cheering moves. When the community hosted its annual Halloween party that year, the squad was ready to debut a cheer for their neighborhood.
The reception was so positive, says Mary Hughes, a retired music educator, they knew they had to keep going.
Hughes, who also taught dancing earlier in her career, took on the role of choreographer and the cheerleading squad became a dance troupe.
âSo there was not so much jumping around,â explains Notestine.
The Dancing Divas now perform at every community partyâwith costumes and music. They donned butterfly-like wings and swayed to âWitchy Womanâ and dressed ala 1960s for âDancing Queenâ at clubhouse Halloween parties. Their âBoot Scootinâ Boogieâ meant cowboy boots and hats. They try to prepare two dances for the annual Christmas party.
âWe try to get the audience to dance with us,â said Poling. âWe want to make sure others have fun too.â
That means getting the fellows up on the dance floor as well.
âSome of the men here are pretty good dancers,â said Judy Hart, who before her retirement, was up on her feet a lot as an ICU nurse.
Currently the Dancing Divas are putting the final touches on their routine for the Derby Day Party. Twirling in Spring dresses and hats to âPretty Woman,â they rehearse every Monday.
Poling and Hughes generally select the songs but are always open to ideas.
âEach time the dance is a little different,â said Hughes. No one else in the group has any dance experience beyond childhood ballet and school musicals, so Hughes notes she keeps the moves simple. âItâs just dance. Sometimes itâs a little jazz. Sometimes fast. Sometimes slow.â
But always fun. They all note they spend as much time laughing as they do rehearsing. Disagreements are rare. In fact, when they arenât rehearsing, these neighbors â several who have lived in The Woods for more than 20 yearsâmay be part of neighborhood Mahjong, Euchre, Pickleball or group lunches or dinners.
âNobody here is a Prima donna,â said Hart. And while there were a few butterflies before early performances, the Dancing Divas say their receptive audiences at their clubhouse performances keep nerves from flaring up.
âWeâve been doing this for so long now, itâs not hard,â said Cheryl Conley, a retired professor and researcher.
âThese are our friends,â said Mary Wiesert, who retired after years in military sales.
Now, the Dancing Divas are planning to take their message about happiness through dance to a wider audience. Poling says the troupe made it their 2024 goal to take their dances to nearby nursing homes.
âDancing works your whole brain,â said Hughes. âWeâre trying to keep you going.â
Poling dances by. â
Yes. We have great brains.â
And all the Dancing Divas laugh.
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