Once a week, Trina Robbins, 69, heads to San Francisco's ODC Dance Commons, where three hours later she emerges from a soul-satisfying trifecta of tap, hula, and yes, ukulele. She does water aerobics twice a week, but that's really only to keep her knees pliant for tap.
Robbins has been tapping for nearly 30 years. A self-confessed Art Deco nut, she wanted to pick up the dance that embodies the glamour and light touch of that period. Without a smidge of background, Robbins laced up some tap shoes. "Anyone can tap," she says. "If you have two feet, even if they're both left feet, you can learn. Just don't expect to learn it all immediately."
As it turns out, Robbins is also a Hawaiianophile. "The hula is so beautiful," she says. "I always wanted to take it." Not only do the exotic undulations soothe her soul, but they do her body some favors as well. "Hula's really good for your knees and hips," she says. "It gets them going." Adding ukulele two years ago seemed the easiest choice in the world. "In addition to being very Hawaiian, uke has elements of Art Deco in it," she says. Twice a year, Robbins performs in recitals with her senior class and has never been happier. "I have greasepaint in my veins," she says. "And it's never too late to be in showbiz."
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