Ginger Roberts (50 over 50 Vol. 2)
Tap, tap, shuffle. Click, stomp, shuffle. The sounds were rhythmic, reminding me of an instrument of sorts. Momentarily, I found myself unable to do anything more than just listen. A pause in sound broke the spell and I quickly recalled that my mission was to photographer her. But then the spell swept over me again as I put my camera in front of my eye and watched Ginger, age 88, energetically move and flow across the background in my studio.
“I’m so happy to be alive,” she said. “ Tap dancing give me energy, keeps me mentally alert, and it’s something to do. I love it and I love sharing it.”
Ginger began tap dancing in 1941 at the age of four and a half. She took ballet and tap classes both, but it was the shiny black patent leathers and the tapping that stole her heart.
She is in love with the original black tap dancers like the Miller Brothers and more recently, Gregory Hines. Visions of black and white checked floors, and dancers wearing top hats and suits with long coattails flood my mind as she describes the greats.
Eventually, she joined a USO troupe to regularly perform at Seattle’s downtown USO building. These performances turned into performances at other Army, Navy and Marine service forts and hospitals.
Fast forward through life—marriage, kids, hit and miss tap performances and teaching. Life continued to happened. Eventually retirement presented itself and tap returned more consistently. Ginger was hired to teach tap and soon her students were performing in retirement facilities almost weekly.
After being married for 60 years, Ginger and her husband moved to Richmond to be near their daughter Kelly. Eventually windowed, Ginger has continued teaching to anyone with a passion to learn tap. In fact, it was by way of her Richmond dance students that she wound up in my studio. Seeing her as the perfect woman to celebrate, they pooled their money and gifted her a 50 over 50 photography session.
“When you learn from someone who lives and breathes tap, that passion is contagious. Spending an hour with this group every week is the thing I never want to miss. It’s been my chance to learn from the expert that had created a love of tap for so many members of the local community. My favorite thing is to tell people I can only meet with them until two on Friday because I can’t miss my tap class with my favorite 88 year-old teacher, said Erica Kretchman, an endocrinologist at Reid Health.
Ginger knew all I ever wanted was to tap on stage. If Richmond Civic Theatre had a tapping role, she made a lesson for me to prepare. It took time but I finally had the chance to make her proud as a tap dancing egg in the musical comedy ‘Something Rotten’. She has given me the ability to always love creating a song with my feet. She is more than a mentor; she is an incredible friend”.
Ginger hopes by way of sharing her story that it will touch someone in a positive way. She reminds me that age is only a number and that she has never thought of anyone in their 50’s or any age really, as old. And as we wrap up our session, she offers the suggestion that we should enjoy the various “seasons” of our life, and learn to say “no” more often.
Your life will not go unnoticed—because I will notice. Your life will not go unwitnessed— because I will witness it. Ready to take the leap? Let’s create something extraordinary together. Book your photoshoot today, and let’s bring your vision to life!