MEMBERS ONLY - CLICK HERE!
DO40’s song and dance event with
hostess CAROL LAWRENCE and special guest CHITA RIVERA
returns March 12th to benefit
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and The NYC HIV Vaccine Trials Unit
DO40 is bringing together a very special reunion of the six merry murderesses from the original 1975 CHICAGO! Gypsies Graciela Daniele (Uh-uh!) Chita Rivera (Cicero!),Michon Peacock (Six!) Cheryl Clark (Pop!) Pam Sousa (Lipchitz!), and Candy Brown (Squish!) (pictured above left to right) will appear together for the first time since - -1975!!! They will take part in a special rendition of Cell Block, staged for and by the Queen Mum of the NYC HIV Vaccine Trials Network, Stella D’oro.
And yet another reunion will collide like the spheres in the universe do on occasion – host Carol Lawrence, Chita Rivera 
(right) and George Marcy – all on stage – and all from the original Broadway West Side Story! History in the re-making decades apart!
These incredible reunions will take place on Monday, March 12th at the Ailey Citigroup Theater/The Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 55th Street in NYC. Like our first event, this one will benefit Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Project Achieve & Columbia University -- the NYC HIV Vaccine Trials. DO40 Advisory Board Member Carol Lawrence (left) will be hosting the event and guests from the ballet and modern world, some appearing for the first time in NYC, will be adding to the star studded line up. Amy Seiwert, from the Smuin Ballet of San Francisco will present a work, as will JT Horenstein (“The Question” below left) from Los Angeles. Choreographers Mark Stuart, Thomas/Ortiz Dance, Sasha Spielvogel and Joy Serio Dunbar will also be presenting their work. Director Choreographer Larry Fuller will recreate his hit number, Ode to a Dance Belt, and open the show with a newly created DO40-member number, It’s Not Where You Start…. Broadway’s Hottest Gypsy, Rachelle Rak dances, and performance artist Claire Porter is back, as is George Marcy. And DO40 board member Mary Lou Barber will debut her talents as a mature dancer dreading the clock turning 8pm. 
Tickets will be available by telecharge, at $30.00, $50.00 & $100.00. And the good news is DO40 members will now enjoy a 20% discount on your ticket to the show, no matter what price point you purchase!
Members call 212-947-8844 or www.broadwayoffers.com. Non-members call the regular telecharge number, 212-239-620 or www.telecharge.com. Tickets may also be purchased at the St. Luke’s Theater box office, 305 West 46th Street, 1 – 6pm daily. Tickets will be on sale early February. We look forward to seeing members, friends of DO40 and the dance and theater community come together for this important benefit! If you would like to volunteer at the event, call the DO40 Hotline, 212-330-7016 and leave us a message!
(Above: Mark Stuart’s “Libertango” to be performed March 12th)
DO40's Legacy Awards - The Biggest Hit of 2011!!
STUDENTS, FANS AND FRIENDS TURN OUT on December 11th
to HONOR PHIL BLACK, LUIGI, BELLA MALINKA, FRANK PIETRI &
JOE TREMAINE at LIPS RESTAURANT
Talk about a tough room! Host Lee Roy Reams called it a “horde of hoofers!”
CLICK HERE to view more 2011 DO40 Legacy Awards Photos.
Dancers of every generation arrived to honor their teachers – and their teachers’ teachers at DO40’s 3rd annual Holiday luncheon and awards event, held this year at the over-the-top LIPS Restaurant on the East Side.
Lee Roy Reams began by giving his 2010 Legacy Awards speech about Harvey Evans, since he was unable to honor Harvey when he got HIS award last year due to planes and the damn weather. Our board members told Lee Roy to keep it “classy,” and that lasted about 30 seconds, and it was uphill from there! (or the other way around, depending on how you look at it!).
The only honoree not present was first up -- Phil Black. Although in good spirits and doing well, Phil could not leave the Actors Home in New Jersey where he now resides. So DO40 went to NJ in November and taped a segment with his “kids” giving him the Legacy Award (with “drumsticks” in hand!), which DO40 presented first up at the luncheon.
Mary Menting (photo at left), Phil’s sister, accepted the award for Phil at the event, and told tales of the old dance studio on 50th Street – above the dance hall hostesses on the second floor! -- and some GREAT Phil stories. Lisa Mordente, a Phil student from her teen years also spoke about Phil, as did Daniele Brisebois, who flew in from LA for the event. Daniele was Phil’s youngest tap student, whom he made teach the ADVANCED class one day, when she was six – yes, six years old. Daniele went on to be the youngest dancing orphan in the original ANNIE, and to LA with Archie Bunker’s Place and many other TV appearances. She is now an award-winning songwriter, and was with the group The New Radicals in 2000 and wrote one of their hit songs. Daniele saw Phil from an entirely different perspective, being the youngest – and probably, one his smartest students!
The Love Fest continued alphabetically with Luigi (photo at right, with DO40 President, John Sefakis). Susan Stroman and Francis Roach spoke for Luigi, and in his acceptance speech, Luigi uttered the first expletive of the evening, which had host Lee Roy Reams and DO40 President John Sefakis follow suit! It was all about Facciuto, that’s all, just Facciuto!
Our only female teacher was next, and as if our program didn’t have enough information on her, student Steve Boockvor proceeded to give the history of Bella Malinka, year by year… and managed to be humorous at the same time (some might say…). 2010 Legacy Award Honoree Stuart Hodes then spoke of his professional relationship with Bella when both were teaching together.
DO40 President John Sefakis had to assist both Luigi and Bella (photo at left) with the microphone to make sure the audience heard every word. And with Bella, well, she almost got lost behind the podium! But she perservered, continued for about five minutes at which time Sefakis reminded her she hadn’t even LOOKED at the 20 hand-written index cards she brought to the podium with her!
Founding DO40 member Frank Pietri (photo below, right) had a loyal following at his tables. Actor/singer/producer Kurt Peterson (did we leave an adjective out?!?!?) extolled Frank’s virtue as a teacher. Frank’s life-long friend, director/choreographer Graciela Daniele then spoke of Frank’s largesse when they were young struggling dancers in the big city, and how Frank and his mother always looked after her.
Last, and proverbially certainly not least, it was West Coast DO40 member Joe Tremaine’s turn to be honored by two of his loving “leading ladies,” Lisa Mordente and Karen Prunzik. Not to be outdone -- by anyone, Joe took to the stage in a verbal tour-de-farce, honoring others, thanking some and taking the audience through this Louisiana boy’s journey to the big city and fame and fortune, in sort of a Shecky Greene, Don Rickles-inspired monologue.
DO40 also recognized tap teacher and long-time member Jerry Ames, who died last February. He was an extremely affable and cordially dapper man, who carved out a tap niche for himself in NYC, and also had a very loyal following.
The food was great, the room, extremely theatrical in both design and attendees. As with all DO40 events, friends found old friends, met new ones and potential DO40 members were spawned. Everyone was in and out in the allotted three hours (and, well, seven minutes!).
The impromptu finale included a rousing tap duet by that infamous comedy team of Reams and Evans. Or is it Evans and Reams? (YOU ask them!). Host Lee Roy Reams cajoled and prodded DO40 board member Harvey Evans to join him on stage for an old tap duet they learned in Cincinnati back “in the day.” They tapped, sang, and fortunately did NOT collapse when it was over!
Joe Tremaine
The Legacy Awards will be available for viewing on DO40’s NEW MEMBER-ONLY page on thiswebsite. Right now, Phil Black’s appearance with his students in New Jersey is up, as are the videos from our October West Side Story event, hosted by Harvey Evans.
The Legacy video clips should be up in the next few weeks. Yet ANOTHER good reason (as if there weren’t a ton already!) to join DO40, wherever you are!
Click on a photo below to see the enlarged tribute
CLICK HERE to view more 2011 DO40 Legacy Awards Photos.
Dancers Over 40 - Plans for 2012!
We’re already gearing up for our second DO40 CARES dance concert to benefit Broadway Cares/EFA and Project Achieve and Columbia University & the NYC HIV Vaccine Trials Unit. Our venue has moved to midtown, to the Ailey Citigroup Theater, The Joan Weill Center for Dance, 405 West 55th Street. Director/choreographer Larry Fuller again joins in the choreography duties along with some newly minted DO40 member/dancers and choreographers. Our dance committee includes Fuller, DO40 member Joy Serio Dunbar and Equity VP Kim Jordan. Tickets will be on sale in January through Telecharge.
Monday, March 12, 2012 - DO40 Cares II
Monday, May 21, 2012 - TAP!!
Our last event of the season – our big Spring event is TAP!, hosted by DO40 member Mercedes Ellington. TAP – like you know it and like you don’t. TAP through the eyes of history, and our members’…. It’s about time! (steps!) This event is tentatively scheduled for Monday, May 21st at St. Luke's Theater and will also be available through Telecharge. St. Luke’s Theater, 308 West 46th Street.
Please join us as a member or Friend of Dancers Over 40 to help support us in producing these incredibly important events. We simply cannot do it alone! Membership dues are just $45.00 annually for NY/NJ/CT residents and $35.00 out of the area. And if you don’t live in NYC, we videotape all events and put them on our youtube channel. We will eventually turn to a member-only site, so it will be increasingly important to be a member – wherever you live! We’re working to get you the best “bang” out of your dance buck in these tough times! And this year, the DO40 membership discount code will be on the back of your membership card, and it will be good for all events THIS season! It will be important for members to have their membership cards available at all events or when purchasing tickets!
Telecharge has a special number for DO40 members, 212-947-8844. Mention your DO40 Discount Code and you’re ready to go! Non-members can call 212-239-6200. Both members and non-members can use the website, www.telecharge.com for tickets. Tickets will be available in January for the DO40 CARES dance concert and TAP! event.
In Memoriam: Jerry Ames, Crandall Diehl, George Martin
In Memoriam: June Havoc - DO40 Board Member passes at 97
Dick Andros Memorial Service - SRO, just as he planned it
Patrick Wenning offers DO40 members Physical Therapy discount
DO40 continues its ARTSLegacy series honoring all of our members. These written transcripts will also be donated to the Jerome Robbins Dance Collection at the New York Public Library for the Performing Arts at Lincoln Center, and eventually into a compilation suitable for publishing. This is an added benefit for people who do not live in the tri-state area, or who are in NYC and might not be able to participate in our panels. This month we present DO40 memberand volunteer extraordinaire, LeniAnders.We invite other DO40 members to volunteer their writing/interviewing skills and join us in this new venture. These interviews can be done by phone, so no need for interviewers to travel – or for members wherever they are in the country to dress up for the interview! Call the DO40 hotline at 212-330-7016 or email us at 
