LAS VEGAS, Nev. (FOX5) – Passion, drive, and a whole lot of personality is at the core of the Sun City Summerlin Dance Company’s mission to prove there’s no age limit to dancing.
Mary Lee is one of the company’s most experienced members. At 95-years-old, she says she’s used to being busy.
During the Great Depression, she was sent to live on a dairy farm with her grandparents.
“I used to help milk the cows. I remember when we got electricity in 1935,” Mary Lee said.
In high school, she says she lived with a doctor’s family, working for her room and board.
Now, at 95, she is still working hard. This time, she’s doing something she loves.
For 20 years, Lee has been dancing with the Sun City Summerlin Dance Company.
“It’s just something I always wanted to do,” Lee shared. “I get up in the morning and think, ‘oh, no, I don’t know if I can dance today,’ but I go to class and I do it. When I get home, I feel good.”
She is making friends along the way, too, like 94-year-old member Alene Janis.
“I don’t want to sit around and be alone. You got to be with people, you have to have friends,” Alene Janis said.
Janis agrees, staying active is essential.
“Oh boy, you don’t want to sit around and do nothing,” Janis expressed. “You have to be social and keep your mind alert, and keep active.”
Janis and Lee are two of the more than 80 members at the company.
Director, Joelene Carter, says there’s no age or experience level required. She says anyone who lives in Sun City Summerlin is welcomed.
“Our classes are very welcoming. No one should feel intimidated when you come into a class, there’s always someone to greet you and make you feel welcome,” Carter says.
Assistant Director, Jane Ross describes her position with the dance company as the most satisfying job she’s ever had.
“They get up on stage, and they just light up like a light, and they go, ‘this is fun,’” Jane Ross said.
Right now, the company is working toward their annual performance. Both Janis and Lee say they’re expecting a big turn out from the people they care about the most, their families.
“My children, my grandchildren and the great grandchildren, they’re all coming. Got 20 some coming,” Janis shared.
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