OVER 30 years ago, a friendship formed between several women, a connection that surpassed the bounds of their shared cultural identity.
Originally from The Philippines, these women, now in their 70’s, went on to form a dance troupe that is bringing delight to local events throughout Shepparton.
The Golden Ladies comprises of six members who are passionate about entertaining, share a love of dancing and most of all, bringing the community together.
“Our name comes from the fact that we are in our Golden years,” mused group member Lorna.
“I’m 73, but I still love to dance, we all do. We do this for fun and enjoyment, not for any other reason than bringing a smile to the faces of those we perform for.”
The ladies perform a combination of both line dancing and traditional Filipina folk dancing, with their dance routine to “Achey Breaky Heart,” both a group and crowd favourite. They meet twice a week at founding member Cathy’s home, where they share a meal before practising their latest routine. Cathy’s doting husband Peter is there to help support the ladies and film their practices and performances.
“Dolly is our dance instructor. We find dances we like on YouTube, then we practise them until we have them perfected. Funnily enough, we always do it perfectly in our rehearsals but have a couple of times had mishaps during performances. The crowds we have performed for are always encouraging and we just carry on and enjoy ourselves,” said group member Cathy.
The group pay for their own costumes and preform for free. Donations are welcome though and these are in turn passed on to community organisations.
“We would love to perform for more organisations and different events, our favourite has been at Sheridan Aged Care. So many residents got up and joined in, it was wonderful,” said group member Jessica.
“It is so nice when we are told by audience members that they really enjoyed our performances, we appreciate their kind words,” added group member Rebecca.
On June 23, they will perform at The Peppermill Inn, at a 125-year celebration for the Philippines Independence Day.
To get in touch with the group, please email j53cathy@yahoo.com.
