‘It keeps me going’

Mathis Winkler

NEWPORT BEACH -- The band had barely begun to play when the eager

crowd made a run for the dance floor.

About 150 seniors at the Oasis Senior Center -- the men dressed in

suits, the ladies wearing everything from blue satin cocktail dresses to

elaborate sequin ensembles -- seemed like they were celebrating Christmas

all over again.

For about 15 years, dance enthusiasts have gathered at the center each

Friday to follow their passion. The usual parties don’t get as fancy as

last Friday’s event, where a magician and a fortune teller entertained

the group during dance breaks and a buffet with salads, sandwiches and

little dessert cakes nourished everyone.

For Violet Dellar, a Balboa Island resident and former professional

dancer for Hollywood musicals, the fancy dance was especially tough to

watch. As a volunteer in the center’s gift store, she suffers each Friday

because she can’t join in the fun.

“I stand there [in the gift shop] and watch them and I wanna dance so

badly,” said Dellar, whose coiffed ash blond hair and false eye lashes

made her bear a striking resemblance to Lucille Ball.

Helping out in the kitchen at the far end of the room, Oasis volunteer

Ruby Wisman Suikki said that the dance sessions help her stay young.

“It keeps me going,” she said, adding that the jitterbug was her

favorite dance step. “I’m not gonna tell you how old I am, but I’m beyond

75.”

Taking a brief break from all the excitement, Agnes “Dolly” Vlach said

that she and her dance partner -- “He’s a retired high ranking Marine

officer,” she confided -- never miss a Friday at the Oasis.

“It’s good exercise,” said Vlach, wearing a golden sequin coat and

matching golden pants that she’s had to hem twice over the years “because

I got shorter.”

Dancing “uplifts you so,” Vlach said. “It’s something special.”

Vlach’s dance partner could only agree.

“It’s the most painless form of exercise that I can imagine,” said

Arthur Christ. “I do it at least three times a week.”

Those organizing the dance said they were desperately looking for more

people to join in during the year.

“We’re trying to get singles to come,” said Ray Gootgeld, Friends of

Oasis’ first vice president. “Women in particular.”

Some at the party said that they’d just come to watch.

“We’re taking a Spanish class at the center,” said Marycile Moore,

who’d come with her husband of 61 years, Richard F. Moore.

“At 90 -- and my wife is 80-plus, we like to watch,” said Richard, who

won a gold medal in sailing in the 1932 Olympics.

But while the Moores took it slowly on Friday, they said that they

were more than ready for the new year.

“2001 is the happy year,” said Richard.

“Have fun in 2001!” added Marycile with a smile.

FYI

The dance parties at the Oasis Senior Center take place every Friday

from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. The cost is $4 and includes snacks. For more

information, call (949) 644-3244