REFLECTIONS

by Katie Butler Johnson

My Mom was a professional dancer.

I was never going to be a professional dancer because I was built chunky like my Dad. But,I always loved to dance.

When the Evening Stars Tap Troupe started in McKinney nearly 30 years ago, I got a second chance to visit being a dancer. I knew I’d never be another Ann Miller, but I also knew that I’d have a lot of fun trying. So, when the Evening Stars began in McKinney the fall of 1998, I was one of the first to sign up.

It all happened when a group of us from the Heard Museum’s Volunteer Guild were gathered in the museum’s kitchen just to pass time till the end of the first course of a luncheon fund-raiser we were catering so we could clear the plates and bring out the main course.

One of the volunteers, Janebelle Crow to be exact, began telling us about this tap dance class she was taking at Collin College. Our ears perked up when she added she really wanted to join a senior tap group but was told she was a few years shy of the minimum age.

Someone, I don’t recall just who, suggested she start a new group and set the age requirement lower. And, right then and there, she said something like “Great Idea!! Who’s in??” And, many of us, including me, said “I am.”

Since our new troupe would include some who had never tapped, the first thing Janebelle did was get us a teacher. That’s when the gifted young man who’d been teaching Janebelle at Collin College, Joseph Jones, came on the scene. He took up the challenge of molding this hodgepodge of wannabes with varying dance skills and abilities into presentable tappers. He became and remains today our tap teacher, choreographer, costume consultant (with final say in the squabbles between the apples and the pears) and the glue that’s held our troupe together for nearly 30 years.

Joseph grew up in California where he’d directed another senior tap group, “Young at Heart,” that was invited by the Chinese Government to come to China in 1989 and do a performance tour.

They had a great experience performing and mingling with friendly Chinese up until the Tiananmen Square Massacre occurred. That’s when the Chinese government responded by cutting off all communications both inside China and internationally.

Joseph and their troupe were left not knowing what would happen to them and unable to find out. The Chinese people who’d been so friendly before the massacre, were avoiding interaction. Thankfully, Joseph and Young at Heart were eventually allowed to complete their performance tour (perhaps because the Chinese Government had initiated it by inviting them in the first place) and fly home.

Once we’d hired Joseph, we needed a name for our troupe. There were many suggestions: Silver Steppers, Fancy Foot Works, Shuffle Squad, Tappin Titans, Dancing Divas, Groovy Grannies, Hot Flashes, Evening Stars and others. We voted and “Evening Stars” won.

The Evening Stars have performed at many places including the Ballpark in Arlington; Collin Collage’s Tribute to Seniors; on stage outside Dallas’ Fairpark Music Hall; in Plano for Naional Tap Dance Day; for numerous women’s clubs, senior facilities and the Veteran’s hospital in Bonham. (I confess we always get a kick out of the whistles and hoots the vets shower us with during those Bonam shows.} And, we’ve had special performances in McKinney and Fairview for just friends and family.

My favorite performance will always be the one the Stars did over 25 yrs ago for my 60th birthday. My husband invited friends from all over the country to come help celebrate my 60th with dinner and an Evening Stars performance. And they came and filled the venue. I have a scrapbook bursting with pictures that proves it!

The troupe’s membership changes over the years. Some move away; new ones join. Joseph molds us all together. With his dual degrees from UC Irvine, one in performance arts and the other in psychology, he knows how to help each member reach their performing potential in their comfort zone. He’s used those same skills to help many not in our group prepare for their auditions for scholarships, musicals, theater parts, and even the talent part of pageants.

The Evening Stars Troupe feels like family to me. It’s a happy place where we support each other through our challenges and celebrate together our good news all while singing and dancing together along life’s way.