Strutters dance down memory lane June 7

The Strutters will be performing on Tuesday, June 6 and Wednesday, June 7, at 7 p.m. at Drendel Ballroom celebrating their 20th anniversary. Dancing, romancing, and more, the Sun City Strutters will be delving into two decades of memories.

Nancy Kutska, General Manager of the Strutters said, “The Sun City Strutters started offering tap with Jackie Cesarone in 2003. The group added ballet in 2004 with Mary Wyatt and jazz in 2007 with Valarie Stroud.”

Cynthia Church, one of the Strutters instructors said, “I started taking tap and Mary convinced me to try ballet. With tap, my feet are more grounded, with ballet, it was expected that my feet left the ground.”

Stroud said, “Our theme for our 2023 spring show is ‘Memories.’ We are revisiting our 20 years of dancing. We will be going through the years featuring dancing routines from various shows.”

The group couldn’t even begin to pick a favorite memory.

Strutters’ Instructors (L to R): V. Stroud, S. Tenggren, T. Plaminek, J. Pollack, C. Stone, N. Kutska, C. Church, M. Wyatt.

“They are all special. We put a lot of work into each of our performances with a lot of investment of time and energy,” Stroud said.

Church said, “The Cabaret theme was a favorite. It had a nightclub theme with a cash bar, and it was a fun performance.”

Teenah Plaminek, an assistant instructor said, “They are all excellent shows and it is so much fun! Dance helps strengthen muscles and increase flexibility that helps prevent poor posture.”

The group expanded throughout the years; they now offer classes in tap, ballet, and jazz at all levels. Besides showcasing the talent here in Sun City, the Strutters showed off some of their moves to residents in nursing homes, assisted living senior centers, and other venues.

Stroud said, “We encourage everyone to try our classes. You don’t have to have any previous experience. We have entry-level classes and if you have some experience, we have a level of classes that will meet your needs.”

Church said, “We keep our classes simple. I try to introduce just a couple steps each class. And we encourage all to ask if you don’t get it.”

Kutska said, “And you don’t have to be in our shows if you don’t want to participate. Just come and dance with us with no commitment to be in our shows.”

The routines are modified for residents with bad knees, hips, or any issues that someone might have performing the steps. Tenggren said, “Our goal is to make everyone look good.”

Kutska said, “We are very much a family, we love to perform and we are proud of our group.”

Ticket sales for “Memories” start on May 1, at $10 each, and can be purchased through Member Services.

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