It was a day filled with emotion, celebration and music for Villagers Jane and Jack Kolinksi.
Jane said Friday she completed her final scheduled treatment for breast cancer, after being diagnosed last year. “Right now, I’m cancer free,” she said with a radiant smile, adding she still must undergo some surgery.
Jack Kolinski is best known in The Villages for his remarkable performance in 2015 as Jean Valjean in “Les Miserables.” He was part of the talented line-up Friday in the Showcase of Talent in La Hacienda Recreation Center.
“When you go through something like this, it makes you realize how much you love somebody,” Jack said, before taking the stage and singing a powerful, uplifting “This Is The Moment,” from Broadway’s “Jekyll and Hyde.”
“We’re all so glad Jane is doing so well,” he said afterward. “She looks great and we’re very optimistic.”
“Jack has been wonderful; we’ve become closer than ever,” Jane Kolinski said after his song. “I always love hearing him sing, especially tonight. I got a little choked up after the song.”
Watch video of the performances:
Jack Kolinski will host a fund-raiser for breast cancer awareness and treatment on Oct. 1 at 7 p.m. in the Savannah Center. Marcella Richardson will also perform. Proceeds will benefit the Susan G. Komen Foundation of Central Florida and the Tri-County Breast Cancer Support Group.
Sue Schuler also gave a poignant performance. She sang “Over the Rainbow,” and it had special meaning on this night. It was for her uncle, George Saylor, who recently died in Michigan.
“That was his favorite song,” Schuler said. “Tonight, it really meant something special, and I sang it for him.” Schuler will perform Sept. 17 at 7 p.m. in the Savannah Center in a “Divas and Divos” concert. Also on the bill: Dawn DiNome, Jamie Klatt and Alex Scopino.
This talent showcase – hosted by Diana and Joe Arlt — had a little bit of everything.
Little Bekah Nolan, 10, and her sister Sidney, 8, were visiting their Villages grandparents. They made it to the stage to give the old timers in the joint some Grade A hip-hop.
The swing sisters blew it up with some ultra-cool moves on a number called “Watch Me.”
“I like dancing to hip-hop,” Bekah said after the number ended. “I like the moves and the beat.”
The same could be said for Shirley Martin, Rose Kobus and Nancy Degre who bumped and grinded their way through “Gotta Have A Gimmick,” from the musical, “Gypsy.”
Martin was dressed to kill as a horn-toting gladiator. Kobos and Degre, meanwhile, proved they could shimmy and shake with the best of them.
The 50s’ Nerds got their share of the spotlight when the Forever Plaid quartet came out. Bill Davis, Bob Stehman, Marty Butler and Woody Wood were four straight arrows in blue sport coats and white slacks, who sang “Three Coins in the Fountain.”
The harmony was exquisite and these are the kind of clean cut boys you want your daughter to go out with. “Forever Plaid,” will be presented Sept. 26-27 at the Savannah Center.
Billie Thatcher delivered her usual power-packed performance on “I Am What I Am.” Thatcher dedicated the song to “the victims of recent acts of violence throughout the world.”
Diana Arlt and Jim Beddia teamed for an upbeat “You’re Just In Love,” from “Call Me Madam.” Arlt turned more serious with a moving solo on “With One Look,” from “Sunset Boulevard.”
Beddia, though, likes to have fun, and did so with a special version of “Camelot.” He tossed in some lyrics about The Villages that made it sound a lot nicer than Camelot.
Mary Lou Merkner hit all the right notes on an exquisite performance of “Something Wonderful,” from “The King and I.” Dick Steeves also shined singing “Somewhere” from “West Side Story.”
Dance was also a big part of the showcase.
The Dancing Quad group – Armando Ocampo, Linda Bitterly, Ginny Amico and Stan Martin – kicked off the show with a hot number called “Razzle Dazzle.”
The Traveling Shoes cloggers were going full steam in heavenly fashion on “I’ll Fly Away.” Sandy Dunlap, Tom Lyons, Lynn Lyons, Linda Bitterly, Bob Grable, Kathy Byrne and Leo Bitz were on stage.
The show ended with a stirring and solemn version of John Lennon’s “Imagine,” featuring Dance Synergy. The dancers seemed almost ghost-like, covered by body-length transparent white fabric. The group included: Lee Beery, Sue Schuler, Angela Ferrigno, Tinica Moses and Laurie Scheben. They moved with grace and dignity, giving the classic song new-found feeling.