DO40’s December 12th Holiday Luncheon a Boffo Hit!
The Second Annual DO40 Legacy Awards brings
Tears and Cheers for our Honorees
Dancers Over 40 proudly honored five of its members Sunday, December 12th at a holiday luncheon that was filled with laughter and melancholy, song and – a little nudity (tasteful, of course…)!!! This event brings together members, friends of our honorees and the general theater crowd, many of whom haven’t seen each other in, well, ages! Even DO40 founding member John Mineo was in the audience. John moved to Japan with his wife and son a few years ago.
Richard Korthaze, producer Ed Gaynes, Fred Curt, Harvey Evans,
DO40 President John Sefakis, Ken Urmston and Stuart Hodes
Honorees Fred Curt, Harvey Evans, Stuart Hodes, Richard Korthaze and Ken Urmston come from a variety of backgrounds, each with a special charm, a diverse dance history, and a story to tell. Also, producer Ed Gaynes, who helped DO40 launch its popular yearly panels by donating St. Luke’s Theater on West 46th Street for our use, was honored. Ed performed on Broadway in GREENWILLOW and FIG LEAVES ARE FALLING and a variety of other shows before going into producing. A very special DO40 Thank You to Ed!
The effervescent Nicole Barth charms the DO40 audience explaining the importance of the Legacy Awards
The lovely Carol Channing (Richard Skipper) sang, and opened the show with “Elegance,” dedicated to the honorees, and then DO40 president John Sefakis welcomed the crowd. But it was 2009 Legacy Award winner Nicole Barth who stole our hearts – and minds – with a moving, extemporaneous speech about why the Legacy Award was so important to her, and to tonight’s winners. Nicole said she keeps her award near her door, so that when she comes and goes from her apartment, she always sees it – a reminder of her dance career -- past, present and future and what a part of community DO40 provides for her, and all members. (Video clips of the Legacy Awards are now on DO40’s youtube channel, www.youtube.com/dancersover40. Nicole’s clip is first up on the channel. Click Playlists and chose 2010 Legacy Awards to watch the other eight clips.)
Jane Coleman speaks fondly about her friend, honoree Richard Korthaze.
Left to right: Richard Korthaze, Fred Curt, Harvey Evans, Jane, Stuart Hodes and Ken Urmston
Jane Coleman regaled the audience with a touching story about her friend and honoree, Richard Korthaze, and their mutual friend (and DO40 member) Terry Violino, who died a few years ago. I don’t think Richard was ready for such a poignant, yet funny story about Terry. The audience roared. Other notable speeches were given by Kurt-you-beat-me-for-the-part-in-Dames-At-Sea-Peterson, for Harvey Evans, and Harvey’s own acceptance speech comparing tap dancing to another form of pleasure (again, go to the videotape!l).
House Left at the Luncheon – see Father Ben Urmston center right
Larry Fuller and Gemze de Lappe lovingly spoke of their friends Ken Urmston and Stuart Hodes, and Virginia Seidel was adorable speaking about Ed Gaynes. Harvey Evans talked about fellow nominees Fred Curt and Ken Urmston, about how instrumental they were in Harvey’s early career. Harvey then went on to acknowledge all the honorees for their contributions to dance – and theater. Also, Ken Urmston’s brother, Fr. Benjamin Urmston flew in from Cincinnati for the occasion, and Ken’s PIPPIN castmate, Diane Duncan, flew in from California to speak about him.
The lovely Carol Channing (Richard Skipper) presents DO40’s new “mascot” -- a very young Harvey Evans.
At this point Harvey (right) doesn’t know “who” the mascot is!
But the night would not have been complete without that important visual – the “unveiling” of DO40’s new mascot – a 3 foot by 4 foot B/W photo of a young Harvey Evans on the cover of AFTER DARK magazine, circa 1971 – naked -- except for a sailor hat (see Dames at Sea!) which conveniently had the DO40 Logo on it! DO40 donated the picture to Harvey, and he immediately took it home and put it in his closet – hoping for a Dorian Gray moment, no doubt!
The 2010 Legacy Awards “Marquee,” with lucite awards
and special individualized cakes for each honoree. And a top hat, of course,
upside down because the names of the honorees are inside
- so they can be announced in random order!
These incredibly talented men have shared their History, their Legacy and their Lives with Dancers Over 40 over the years, volunteered for DO40 and just about every other service organization in the arts, and just plain made the world a better place for being here. DO40 was honored to honor them this year at our second annual awards event.