Columnist Susan Snyder: Group shows the old soft shoe

Friday, Oct. 20, 2000 | 10:16 a.m.

Susan Snyder's column appears Fridays, Sundays and Tuesday. Reach her at snyder@lasvegassun.com or 259-4082.

When 69-year-old Fern Jennings tells her peers to grab their canes, most people would envision a cluster of fragile old ladies ambling across the room.

And they would be wrong.

These "canes" are the black, white-tipped variety used in dance numbers. Jennings and her eight cohorts call themselves the Happy Hoofers.

Yes, Hoofers. They tap dance.

The youngest Hoofer is 56. The oldest is an 80-year-old former Radio City Rockette. They are among dozens of over-50 Las Vegas Valley women who relish cavorting across a dance floor or stage in tap shoes.

"It's a big senior thing now," Jennings said.

"It certainly beats sitting on your rear playing bridge, which is what a lot of my friends are doing," Hoofer Yvonna Ross added. "This is my retirement. This is my chosen activity."

Of the half-dozen or so senior-tap dance troupes, the Happy Hoofers is the smallest -- or close to it. It typically has eight to 10 members, compared to huge groups such as the Nevada State Troopers.

The big groups are widely recognized. But the smaller groups offer something the big ones can't, Jennings said.

With the Hoofers, everyone gets to dance in the front line. That's the reason eight of them left one of the big groups 12 years ago and created this one, Jennings said. It's never had more than 10 dancers.

Some are gone, for obvious reasons. Others sit out a portion of the year because of illness or injury. The former Rockette, for instance, is nursing a back injury but expects to be tapping in time for Christmas performances.

Osteoporosis? Ha! That's for old folks. These women don't let the threat of a little stress fracture here or there keep them from doing what they enjoy.

Jennings pointed to the hardwood dance floor of VFW Hall 1753, where they practice twice a week.

"We had one of our members fall down and break an arm here," she said. "We do it and hope."

This time of year the Hoofers are rehearsing the Christmas show. They've done some of the dances for years. Others are new.

"OK, you've got only four counts to get to your spot," Jennings said during Monday's practice. "We do two sets of shim-shams, then we've got to start right away."

Jennings and Nancy Blum, another original Hoofer, choreograph the numbers. They refresh their memories or make changes by looking at tapes of old shows. "This is a really old tape," Blum said as they watched one during practice. "I have hair!"

The Hoofers perform at least 65 free shows each year, dancing at nursing homes, day-care centers, malls and community events.

They used to dance at McCarran International Airport each year as part of the airport's holiday greeting program for visitors. Officials canceled this year's shows because it's too crowded, Jennings said.

Still, they keep busy. A local Optimists Club booked them last year for a show they are to perform in 2001, Jennings said.

"I told the woman, 'You're really optimistic that we'll still be here in two years.' "