SURREY — The first time Pat Trimble met Dan Minor, there was an instant connection, both on the dance floor and off.
“We just knew how to dance together,” said Trimble, “and we get along really well.”
No fights, she said.
“Yet,” Minor quickly added with a smile.
“It’s been close. She’s fine. She does everything I say.”
Four years ago, Minor brought his choreography skills to The Vaudevillians, the seniors’ entertainment troupe that has involved Trimble and her husband, “Diamond” Jim, for more than a decade.
For the past three years, the Trimble-Minor duo has strutted away with the title trophy in the over-30 category at the Surrey Festival of Dance, the springtime gathering at Surrey Arts Centre.
Their title run at the annual festival is made more amazing when their age comes into play, as Minor is 75 and Trimble will celebrate her 78th birthday this month.
“We were the oldest (competitors) by quite a bit, and we got some pretty high marks,” Minor noted.
“It certainly made me feel special, it really did,” Trimble added. “I mean, I was really nervous about entering that first time, but it sure gave me a lot of confidence.”
This week, Trimble and Minor, along with the two dozen other Vaudevillians, are prepping their latest show for Surrey Arts Centre’s main stage.
It’s called “Vintage Vaudeville,” a two-hour collection of songs, dance numbers and comedy at the Bear Creek Park venue this Saturday and Sunday (Nov. 14 and 15). Afternoon show times are at 2 p.m. Call 604-501-5566 for tickets, or visit Tickets.Surrey.ca.
CLICK HERE TO SEE VIDEO OF THE VAUDEVILLIANS
The troupe rehearses Monday afternoons at Kennedy Seniors Centre in North Delta.
“We’ve had 85 rehearsals, with more still to come,” Trimble said. “We really started working on this show back in March or February, performing the numbers at our smaller shows at venues here and there, to get them ready for the big stage.”
Minor laughed.
“And we’re still trying to figure out what we’re doing,” he said. “But we’re having fun, you know.”
Marilyn Remus has been the artistic director of the Vaudevillians since 2012.
“I have to say that they are a lot more disciplined than they were three years ago,” Remus told the Now, “because they understand a lot more theatre terms and are very quiet and respectful of others. When I came in, there was a lot of talking and it was really hard to get their attention. So I’d just not talk anymore until they quit (talking), and pretty soon they learned.”
The oldest dancer in the troupe is 83, the youngest of the bunch in their 70s.
“All the rehearsals keep us in shape, and the shows, I think,” Trimble said. “I just spend a day at home and I’m ready to go back and dance. And it’s good for our brains, to remember the routines, the steps, the song lyrics, everything. It’s physical and mental, for sure.”
Wherever they go, the Vaudevillians are deemed an inspiration, and with pretty good reason.
“Most people our age aren’t doing anything like this,” Trimble said, “and I feel really proud that I can do it, and as long as my legs hold up, it’s all good.… I’m definitely not ready to quit.”
During those three or four minutes of performance time on stage, Minor feels great.
“But,” he revealed, “the minute you get off that stage, it can be, ‘Oh, this hurts and that hurts.’ But even if your back is killing you, you don’t really feel it when you’re on stage.”
The Vaudevillians’ shows this weekend will collect additional money for the group’s $100,000 bursary, given to students pursuing the performing arts as a career.
“And it’s a funny show this year – I went for all the humour I could get,” Remus enthused.
“So many of these performers have improved since I got here, and several of them have really found talents they didn’t know they had.”
The troupe’s website is at Thevaudevillians.com.
tom.zillich@thenownewspaper.com
