Long-Legged Lovelies

Terri Olsen

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:11:56 -0700

"I love to dance to R&B and Funk--'60s and '70s music. You just can't NOT dance when you hear it! I really got into doing the 'robot' in the '70s and '80s--love that stuff!"

Terri Olsen, 56, is making her Follies debut this season. Raised in Sunnyvale, California, Terri discovered dancing as a child and left home immediately upon high school graduation to pursue her passion.

At 18 she started as a singer-dancer at Marriott's Great America in Santa Clara, doing six shows a day, six days a week for two years and developing the work ethic that serves her today.

From there she moved to Los Angeles and started acting in commercials and doing voice-overs. Her first role on television was in Stubby Pringle's Christmas, with Beau Bridges and Julie Harris, and she's appeared on such diverse shows as Jimmy Kimmel Live!, General Hospital and Ally McBeal.

After an accident totaled her car, Terri took the insurance check and headed to New York, where she soon appeared on Broadway in Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, then Into the Light with Dean Jones, Starlight Express, and Jerry's Girls with Chita Rivera.

Ten years later she returned to California where she met her husband, Joe. They now live in Cathedral City with their two cats, Norton and Trixie.

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One interesting Broadway role was playing Sister Ann, the nun who tap danced around the Shroud of Turin in Into the Light, a musical that took its subject matter seriously but had a seriously short run.
Terri considers her second big break doing Seven Brides for Seven Brothers where she performed with Follies cast member Randy Doney.
After a divorce, Terri returned to California with her two year old son. Seeking a more stable profession, she started as a typist with Disney Interactive, and was quickly promoted to a senior software analyst position and stayed there for five years. She also worked as a quality assurance manager for Warner Bros. Online.
She sang backup on Carly Simon's album, Coming Around Again.
Husband Joe, a retired film industry property master and Vietnam veteran, and Terri love to hit garage sales, looking for anything and everything. "We just can't get enough clutter," says Terri.

Karrie France

Tue, 18 Sep 2012 12:07:49 -0700

"The best dance music for me is classic rock--the songs of Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Deep Purple, the Eagles and Fleetwood Mac. These artists really know how to write and perform music."

A Louisianan by birth, Karrie France, 56, was raised in Tucson, Arizona, and has spent most of her adult life there.

Discovering as a youngster that tap dancing gave her a magical feeling, she was teaching ballroom dancing at Tucson's Town and Country Dance Club by the time she was a teenager.

At 18, she headed for Los Angeles where she appeared as a spotlight dancer on American Bandstand.

After returning to Tucson, Karrie married (now Follies cast member) Dick France, who had previously founded the France Academy of Dance, where she then taught and co-directed for the next 23 years. During these years, she also appeared in Shakespeare's As You Like It with the Arizona Theatre Company and many musicals with the Southern Arizona Light Opera Company, including Westside Story, 42nd Street, Gypsy with Betty Buckley, Singing in the Rain, Best Little Whorehouse in Texas, Mame and No, No, Nanette.

Off stage, Karrie choreographed the dance scenes in the motion picture Desert Bloom and trained its stars Ellen Barkin the nuances of being a dance instructor and Jon Voight how to swing dance with a limp. She also choreographed various barn dance scenes for the television series, The Young Riders, and coached star Anthony Zerbe.

This is Karrie's first season appearing upon the Follies stage.

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In true show business fashion, Karrie danced in Tucson's annual 4th of July extravaganza Let Freedom Sing while on crutches with a broken foot. "Everyone thought I was nuts," she recalls.
Her fondest dance memory is of her mother yelling out from the audience, "That's my baby girl!" when Karrie was the only kid on stage who remembered the dance routine.
She loves to take long walks on the beach with husband Dick and dog Samson.
She also enjoys window-shopping furniture stores; her father was in the furniture business.
Her love of dance and drama includes working with students from Tucson area schools and the University of Arizona, and coaching them in competitions.

Stephanie Eley

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 10:25:29 -0700

"I love JAZZ--jazz that is danceable to all the old standards as well as today's pop, that can be danced alone or with a partner, and that is complemented by awesome shoes and the right dress!"

Returning to the Follies for her second season is a petite lady with a show business resume that's anything but!

Born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma, her profession was pre-ordained as either teacher or secretary. At age 16, she received a sociology scholarship to Loyola University Chicago to do a study abroad program in Europe, where she spent a total of nine weeks in Rome, Paris and London. But she couldn't sit still and the dance studio soon became her home.

After graduation from the North Carolina School of the Arts where she studied dance, she headed to Las Vegas and joined the Folies Bergere at the Tropicana Hotel, and later opened for such stars at the Sahara as Frank Sinatra, Jr., Flip Wilson, and Rich Little.

Next, she toured the U.S., South America and Great Britain, and appeared on television in commercials and specials like the Emmy Award-winning Baryshnikov on Broadway.

Broadway itself soon beckoned, and she was chosen for the original cast of Dreamgirls and My One And Only, including understudying Twiggy in the lead role for the latter. She also appeared in the Broadway and touring productions of A Chorus Line.

For the 10 years prior to joining the Follies, she was executive director for PACT (Partnering Artists, Children, Teachers), a cultural and arts education organization with the New York City Department of Education.

Now, at age 61, this gypsy is happy to be "back on the boards!"

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From 2009–2010, Stephanie taught English in Banos, Ecuador, integrating all art disciplines--theater, dance, music and visual arts--into the core curriculum.
She's trained and/or worked with such dance legends as Michael Kidd, Michael Bennett, Ron Lewis, Martha Graham and Tommy Tune.
Stephanie appeared in the original Jane Fonda Workout concert.
Managing three children and a career was the most challenging experience of her life; surviving three divorces was the most difficult.

Greta Albritton

Thu, 28 Jul 2011 09:51:37 -0700

"During high school my parents sent me to New York for the summers where I studied with the celebrated dance pantomime team Mata & Hari, thus adding new dimensions to my dance."

Greta Albritton began dancing at four years of age in her hometown of Steubenville, Ohio. While in junior high she had already decided upon her intended profession (dance), so spent her summers in New York studying at The National Academy of Ballet. She also studied dance at Carnegie Hall.

She attended college at The Boston Conservatory of Music and earned her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Dance.

After graduation, the bright lights beckoned and she traveled the Nevada circuit from 1971 through 1989, appearing in shows in Las Vegas, Reno and Lake Tahoe. She worked for such legendary producers as Don Arden, Frederic Apcar and Harold Minsky, and in 1975, traveled to the Philippines with the Folies Bergere.

She's been a runway model, acted in TV commercials, and even earned her real estate license, selling houses "by day" and dancing "by night."

In 1988, she married fellow Las Vegas dancer Wayne Albritton, and in 2000, they headed west to Palm Springs, when he was cast in The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies. Now, at age 64, she returns for her third season at the Follies. About working together with her husband on the Plaza Theatre stage, Greta says, "Does life get any better?"

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Her favorites activities when not working are traveling to Maui, sailing, and visiting Southern California beaches with husband Wayne and their beloved dogs.
The most challenging experience of her career was learning Ron Lewis's choreography.
Greta admits that Follies costumes are sometimes uncomfortable, but says, "It's a small price to pay when doing something that you love."
During a single day while she was performing in the lounge of the Flamingo Las Vegas, Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons, Fats Domino, and Kenny Rogers and The First Edition all appeared on the same bill. What a lineup!

Jane Owens

Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:42:46 -0700

"The condo complex where I live in Florida has Saturday night dances at the clubhouse. It's great because when you're exhausted from all the dancing, you're already home!"

When you think about America's entertainment capitals, New York, Hollywood and Las Vegas immediately come to mind. But there is actually a fourth and that is where Jane Owens spent much of her career.

After starting out in New York and doing two tours of No, No, Nanette across the U.S. and Canada and several musical productions at New Jersey's Club Bene, Jane headed for warmer climes, and settled in Florida. She performed in nearly all of the Gold Coast's top musical venues, and created her own seven-person review, Fabulous Fosse, which toured throughout South Florida.

Some of her fondest show business memories are from her two USO Tours--one to the Far East and one to Germany.

A career highlight was touring in a three-girl act entitled The Taylor Maids, under the direction of noted choreographer June Taylor. At one point the act included all three Owens sisters.

In her third season with the Follies, Jane, 64, is thrilled to be working again with her sister, Follies Dance Captain Jill Owens.

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Her first USO tour was the most memorable experience of her life. Coming through the clouds to the sight of Mt. Fuji made her wonder, "Are we landing on another planet?" The tour was very rewarding, not only because the troops were so appreciative, but she also met her future husband, comedian Danny Wald, who appeared on the same bill.
The most challenging experience of her life was finding joy after her husband's passing five years ago.
When the USO show was in Germany, Jane remembers the US servicemen were very rowdy in the German clubs. She says, "Some nights, we even had to stop performing. Interestingly, Ike and Tina Turner were in the USO show right behind ours."
Her favorite books are dictionaries and encyclopedias.
Latin is Jane's favorite musical genre. She explains, "The syncopated rhythms and drum sets are so exciting."

Joni Naber

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:03:44 -0800

"There's nothing like Big Band music--you can tap, swing, jive. In Maryland, my husband and I go to the Hollywood Ballroom where we know everyone and everybody dances the night away!"

Joni Naber, 76 years young, joined the Follies seven years ago after owning and operating a dance studio in her native Washington, D.C., for 47 years. But that followed an illustrious performing career that began with appearances on television in the nation's capital when she was in her teens.

She also shared the live stage as a dancer and singer with such luminaries as Louis Armstrong, Gordon MacRae, Eddie Fisher and Bobby Darin.

Joni toured the U.S. with the Roxyettes, a rival troupe to the Rockettes, and traveled the world with the USO as a precision line dancer. After veering to work as a singer and model, she founded an overnight camp where girls could train with master dance teachers before launching her long-running studio.

Remarried to a former Naval officer, Joni and her husband have a combined family of five children and five grandchildren.

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Joni's stint with the USO for five years encompassed travels to Greenland, Iceland and the Azores, and she relished "the applause of our servicemen and servicewomen."
Being on the road with the USO was always rewarding, but often frightening. She says, "The situations we female dancers found ourselves in were experiences we never wrote home to Mom and Dad about. Needless to say, we learned how to defend ourselves--ferociously!"
Joni's husband, Michael E. Naber, attained the rank of Commander in his Navy career and was a combat jet pilot during service in Vietnam. Currently he is a volunteer mission pilot for the Civil Air Patrol in Palm Springs.
Joni connected with the Follies when her in-laws, from San Diego, gave her husband and her tickets for a Christmas show, and she enjoyed it so much she flew back cross-country by herself, unannounced, for a successful audition.

Suzanne Vitale

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:02:42 -0800

"Since I was little I've always loved the feel and freedom you get from dancing. I especially like to dance to fast swing because I really enjoy the energy of that music."

Suzanne Vitale, 74, is returning to the Plaza Theatre stage for her fifth Follies season. Previously, she toured with national companies of Li'l Abner and My Fair Lady, eventually traveling with the latter to Canada and Russia. She appeared at the famed Paper Mill Playhouse--just across the river from Broadway--in productions of Oklahoma! and Silk Stockings. In Miami Beach, she danced at Lou Walters' nightclub, Café de Paris (a sister club to his famed Latin Quarter in New York).

Suzanne also appeared in more than 20 musicals and operettas at major stock theaters in the Midwest, including appearances at the Cleveland Musicarnival and the Muny Opera of St. Louis in shows such as South Pacific, Show Boat, Most Happy Fella, Bells Are Ringing and Naughty Marietta.

She has two daughters and four grandchildren.

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Her 1960 My Fair Lady tour through Russia was the first American theatrical troupe to visit that country since the start of the Cold War. They were there for three months as part of President Eisenhower's Exchange Program. Edward Mulhare, who later became known to television audiences as Captain Gregg in the series The Ghost and Mrs. Muir, played the role of Professor Higgins.
Suzanne enjoys scrapbooking and doing cross-stitch. She also loves to spend the day on the beach or in the mountains with family and friends.
Her favorite TV show is Dancing With the Stars and her favorite movie is Gone With the Wind.
Il Divo is her favorite musical group, and Phantom of the Opera and Les Miserables are her favorite Broadway shows.
A day off is spent relaxing, walking, eating and dipping in the pool.
"My life's greatest challenge was starting over after the end of my marriage and convincing myself that I was worth the effort. If only I'd known my new life would take me to the Follies!"

Jill Owens

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 14:01:11 -0800

"What kind of music do I like to dance to? Give me something classy. If it was good enough for Fred Astaire, it's good enough for me!"

The dance captain of the Follies is Jill Owens, 70, now in her 14th season as a Long-Legged Lovely.

She first made the jump from Davenport, Iowa, to the bright lights of national television as a June Taylor Dancer on The Jackie Gleason Show. Moving on to Broadway, she appeared in No, No, Nanette (with Ruby Keeler), Pippin (with Ben Vereen) and Tip Toes. She was cast in the role of "Misty Knight" on the TV show, Blansky's Beauties, with Nancy Walker, and had parts in Happy Days and Laverne and Shirley.

Jill has performed as a Bob Fosse Dancer and a Radio City Rockette, and her film credits include Pennies from Heaven, Ritzville and Young Doctors in Love.

Jill and her husband, Kenneth White, now divide their time between Palm Springs, New York, Iowa, and Los Angeles.

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Jill's interests, aside from dancing and voice training, run to such eclectic pursuits as quantum physics, tai chi and aerobics.
Her husband is an accomplished artist in wood when not looking after their two golden retrievers, Sandy and Bailey.
The most interesting experience of her career was watching the great Bob Fosse at work on choreography: "He would talk a dancer into and through a great performance."
Two weeks after the 1980 eruption of Mt. St. Helen's in Washington, Jill played the lead in a short film, Ritzville, which was a town that had been covered with ash. She wore a mask between takes to keep from breathing ash and getting hoarse.
While performing a Las Vegas-style number for Blansky's Beauties, Jill's rhinestone earrings and bracelets got hooked in the feathers of the dancer next to her, who just pulled her along. She recalls other girls getting their headdresses caught in drapes and being yanked off stage. Anything for a laugh.
To keep going, she says you need to learn something new every day.

Jill Gordon

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:57:54 -0800

"I became a dancer because I felt at home on the stage dancing. While performing in the Follies fulfills all my dance needs, I do love swing dancing."

The Deputy Company Dance Manager of the Follies is Jill Gordon, who, at 69, is in her 16th year with the show. She started on stage in the Moro Landis chorus line, touring Lake Tahoe, Las Vegas, San Francisco and Los Angeles (coincidentally with Follies Company Dance Manager Leila Burgess in the same company!).

Jill gravitated to television and danced on The Dean Martin Comedy Hour, then spent a full season on The Carol Burnett Show. In 1976, she began a 12-year professional relationship with Mac Davis, traveling the world, dancing and singing. She also appeared in his numerous television specials.

From 1988 to 1991, she produced her own '50s revue entitled Bop. During this time she began touring with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello in a nostalgic show reminiscent of the Beach Party movies. She continued working with Avalon until 1996.

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Jill grew up in Los Angeles and went to high school in Burbank. "I survived Catholic school, but just barely!"
Her most memorable career moment was performing on the Fourth of July with Frankie Avalon in a park in Ohio with 30,000 people assembled there for the show.
The biggest challenge she has encountered: "Shoving a size 8 body into a size 4 costume."
With the Follies, she discovered the secret to staying thin: "Riff Markowitz (the taskmaster)."
After a Follies performance, her feet and body ache "only when I'm awake."
Raising her daughter, Amy, was Jill's greatest experience in life. Amy works in the unusual occupation of midwife in Switzerland where she recently married.
The best part of performing in the Follies, she says, ". . . is being part of a joyous, elegant show that is well respected and has a positive effect on the people out front."

Leila Burgess

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 13:52:08 -0800

"My funniest dance memory? Doing a dance recital with my sister while we were teenagers. I didn't like the music so I just walked off and left her to finish. She's hated me ever since!"

As Company Dance Manager and Creative Consultant, Leila Burgess contributes to all Follies production numbers and wardrobe design, and manages the entire cast, no easy task considering the group's "seniority." She's also out front performing. At 77, she is in her 21st Follies season.

After attending New York's High School of Performing Arts, Leila danced professionally in New York's famed Latin Quarter, and made special appearances on television's Colgate Comedy Hour and Naked City. After marriage she became the managing director of Latin Quarter Showgirls West and produced three Latin Quarter revivals from 1989 to 1992, the proceeds of which went to abused and missing children's charities.

She also established the Newport Beach Parks and Recreation Department children's dance program where she taught and choreographed for 12 years.

Leila has two children and three grandchildren.

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Perhaps synchronous to her first professional job, "Latin" has remained her favorite style of dance.
Her mother revealed that, as a baby, Leila started walking on her toes as soon as she progressed from crawling, and she began taking dance classes at the age of five.
Latin Quarter proprietor Lou Walters once told Leila, "Notwithstanding your superb dancing skills, you are also a showstopping entertainer," and that's still true to this day.
The physical challenge of being in the Follies is met "by getting extra rest during working days" and the mental by "not thinking about it much, just doing it. It's oh so natural." As for staying in shape, "the show is an automatic exercise program."
What she likes best about performing in the Follies: "I love dancing, wearing makeup and dressing up, with lots of laughter. What more can one want?"

Judy Bell

Fri, 08 Jan 2010 11:21:01 -0800

"The fondest memory from my youth is swing dancing in high school with our 'Fonz' and clearing the floor! I still like to go anywhere there's a live band that plays swing music."

Since she came yodeling out of the hills of West Virginia, Judy Bell has enjoyed an impressive career spanning nearly her entire 75 years.

Her own musical comedy revue, The Judy Bell Show, was featured at the MGM hotels in Reno and Las Vegas; Harrah's hotels in Lake Tahoe and Reno; the Flamingo, Sahara and Frontier hotels in Las Vegas; and the Cinegrill at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel.

The veteran songstress has played the lead in stage productions of Annie Get Your Gun, The Unsinkable Molly Brown and Lily Langtry at Disneyland. She was also voted "Best Las Vegas Female Performer" four times.

She has raised a son and a daughter, and revels over her five grandchildren.

This is her 19th season at the Follies.

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Her son, Dan Bell, is a famous stuntman. Her daughter, Beverly Bond, owns and operates a day spa in Helena, Montana. Cody Kaufman, one of Beverly's five children, is a cadet at West Point Military Academy.
Judy's mama provided her favorite quote: "Life is like a roll of toilet paper; the closer you get to the end, the faster it goes."
In 1991, along with vocalist Nancy Wilson, Judy was inducted into the West High School Hall of Fame in Columbus, Ohio. "I've lived a Cinderella life," she says, "with more blessings than I would have ever thought."
Exercise changes the entire complexion of the day when she's sick or feeling down.
When Judy was a small child her grandmother used to pick her up and place her on the dining table, "where I started singing and dancing --and waiting for the applause."
Her favorite songs are those Follies solos she warbles each season. Her favorite TV shows are Dancing with the Stars and American Idol.
Her advice to fellow old folks: "Life is full of things to do on a continual basis. There is no such thing as quitting."