Senior Idol for those who gotta sing, gotta dance

In a back room at the Charleston Heights Arts Center, performers adjust Tina Turner wigs and pull on satin gloves. Some go through the motions of their dance, mouthing the words to their music. There’s plenty of glitter and sequins — on the fedoras, the suspenders, nearly every dress and eyelid — and lots of blush.

The group includes dancers, singers, musicians and comedians. All older than 50.

A stage manager calls for the next three acts.

“So, ‘Honky Tonk,’ ‘Cry Me a River’ and ‘Rockin’ Robin!’”

The 13th annual Senior Idol Showcase is about to begin.

The dance group Razzle Dazzlers from Sun City Dance Company — they’re the ones performing “Rockin’ Robin” — line up in the wings wearing red-and-white polka-dot halter dresses. They tap and groove along to the current performance’s song.

Are they nervous?

“Maybe just a little bit,” says one. Another woman, though? “I’ve done this before.”

Moments later, the group is introduced onstage by emcee Tony Weeks. The eight women strut out and show the audience how it’s done, exiting to enthusiastic applause.

“I think we woke the audience up,” Lida Derrin, 58, says back in the dressing room.

The group Treasures of the Nile, from the 55-plus community Sun City MacDonald Ranch, is a troupe of six women who practice and perform together. They’re belly dancers, wearing gold and lime green for this show. That’s just one costume of their many, however.

Many of them have danced throughout their lives, some picking up a new style at age 40 or returning to dance come retirement.

“It’s just my passion, I do other things as well, but belly dancing is just my passion,” Sharon House, 80, says. She’s the oldest member of the belly-dancing troupe.

The June 16 showcase, put on by the city of Las Vegas annually, is meant to accommodate a variety of skill levels, from novices who have never performed before to professionals and ex-professionals. Darci Lund, Senior Idol coordinator and community program specialist at the Las Vegas Senior Center, estimates that roughly 2 percent of performers are still performing professionally, while another 15 percent are former professional performers and the rest are novices or simply hobbyists.

To participate in the Senior Idol Showcase, performers had to apply and audition. Out of 60 applicants, a panel of 10 judges then chose 25 for the showcase after a three-day audition process. Performers were judged on their costumes, their presentation and their talent.

Because the showcase is a variety show, after all, they also look for new and innovative acts as well as the classics. Among the more unusual acts in this year’s show are a dance act that incorporates lifts and a Hawaiian singing and dancing duo.

At one point, Senior Idol was a competition, but the city decided to go with a showcase instead, meaning acts compete only to be in the show.

After 13 years, the show is growing, Lund says. What began as a small performance solely put on by the Las Vegas Senior Center for those taking classes there has expanded to include anyone older than 50 in the Las Vegas Valley. Last year, the 350-seat auditorium was sold out. This year, it was nearly full with family, friends and seniors bused in from other senior centers.

“It’s always been 50 and over, but 50’s not really what it used to be,” Lund says. “More and more people are trying out.”

Over the years, the show has even been a springboard for the more serious performers, with “America’s Got Talent” asking for the taped version of the show as a source of recruits. Yep, that’s the big leagues.

It looks like it’s Las Vegas seniors who’ve got talent.