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Shall We Dance?

Assisted-living residents move to the beat of the music.

SHELLI DORFMAN
Editorial Assistant

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6/1
1999

42

Detroit Jewish News

n a warm spring evening,
music was working its
magic. As the Sam Barnett
Trio played songs from the
past, guests arrived at the Elan
Village Spring Ball, held May 27.
Some of the family and friends
invited by residents entered through
the front door. But most of the
evening's guests came from within
the building, leaving their rooms
and going down the hall to the din-
ing room of the assisted-living com-
munity in Southfield.
For Simon Plaskin, 95, waltzing
with Marjorie Olson, Elan's director
of community services, this was his
first dance in 50 years. Elizabeth
Lipton, 81, and James Wilkins, 78,
were enjoying a much-awaited first
dance together. He called her "a
good dancer and the prettiest girl in
the place.
But people didn't have to be in

Sarah Sharpe could have danced all night.

pairs to move. Sarah Sharpe, 82,
swooned and swung, sometimes with
a partner, sometimes not, as she
weaved her way between dancing
couples. If there's no one to dance
with, she'll dance alone, she said.
Anne Roberts, 86, agreed, explain-
when
ing that she "can't sit
the music is playing, even when
she has no dance partner.
During the evening, the 33 resi-
dents clapped to Barnett's rendi-
tion of "Fiddler on the Roof" on
the viola, laughed during the
"Hokey Pokey" when told to "put
your big head in and shake it all
about," and watched staff members
prove
that they had rhythm, too.
Sam Barnett entertains the crowd.
Alicia Nucilli,
director of activi-
ties, described
the night as a
way for the group
to socialize in a
different way
than usual. She
said of the resi-
dents, "They
enjoy being
social, and enjoy
dancing, but can't
get our, so we
brought the night
out here.,,
Pearl Z. Schiffman shows how to move to the music.

•