Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
Dancin’ queens
Sophisticated Ladies tap for education
A dance show will span genres such as cabaret and rock ‘n’ roll next weekend.
The Sophisticated Ladies of Bella Vista Dance Group will perform Saturday and Sunday at Riordan Hall. The shows will feature selections from the previous four shows, which were 1920s cabaret, 1950s rock, dances inspired by New York and Broadway, and the tap and jazz dance show called the Heart of America Dance Tour, said Barbara Frye, co-director of the Sophisticated Ladies. The group performs a show every two years.
The show benefits the Cooper Elementary School music department and Courtesy Van of Bella Vista, Frye said.
The 20-member group will perform 24 dance numbers. There are a few jazz numbers, but the majority of the performances will be tap routines, Frye said. The whole ensemble will perform in some numbers, such as “All That Jazz” and “New York, New York.” Other songs include “Razzle Dazzle,” “42nd Street,” “Shake, Rattle and Roll,” “Rock Around the Clock,” “God Bless Texas,” and “Viva Las Vegas.”
The show is about an hour and a half long.
Some of the members of the Sophisticated Ladies started out as beginners, and others came into the group with dance experience, Frye said. Ceata Oberhofer of Bella Vista has been part of the group for seven years. She had never done tap or jazz before but always loved dancing. She decided to join because it looked like a lot of fun, and she also wanted the exercise. Her favorite parts of being involved are the camaraderie between the ladies and getting to entertain people.
She noted that she hasn’t met one person who has joined the group who doesn’t love it. She thought she wouldn’t be able to do the steps at first since she had never danced before, but she said the instructors show members the basics and take them through the routines pretty slowly.
“Anybody can do it,” she said.