It was an afternoon full of laughs and smiles at The Howard Beach Senior Center as they held their first of two talent shows this year.
Over 200 people, including Assemblymember Phillip Goldfeder, attended the show, which featured a variety of acts, from singing to belly dancing to stand-up comedy.
Mark Frey, the executive director of the senior center, said it’s just one of many events that they hold throughout the year.
“We’re very active here,” he said. “Seniors over here play cards, belly dance, do Tai Chi and some even play Wii bowling.
The show began with much of the audience singing along with Jimmy Di Napoli as he sang the “Howard Beach Song,” a song about life in Howard Beach.
The Tai Chi class led by Elaine Fleischman, who teaches Tai Chi for People with Arthritis – sponsored by the Arthritis Foundation, performed a sequence of movements which were followed by the audience. According to Fleischman, some of the Tai Chi performers have been in the class for over three years.
The act that garnered a rousing ovation was the belly dancing performance of Anita Lombardo. Once her dance ended, many of the people in the audience cheered for more. One senior yelled, “Bring it on,” while another said he was going to definitely sign up for the belly dancing class.
Ninety-eight-year-old Max Stern, the center’s oldest senior, lit up the room as he told jokes and played songs on a ukulele. Even Frey took part in the show as he sang his rendition of the Beatles hit, “Let It Be.”
“It was excellent,” said Theresa Brodsky, who was at the senior center for the first time.
“The show was beautiful and all the performers were very good,” said Libby Schmier.
