90-year-old tap dancer June Vine still stars with Roslyn Hendy group
JUNE Vine always knew she was meant to be a dancer, so there’s no surprise she’s still tapping away at the ripe old age of 90.
Each Friday, the Tullamarine woman practices her moves at Flemington Community Centre with the Roslyn Hendy Dancers, who perform their tap dancing routines across Moonee Valley.
On Sunday, they dedicated a special show for her 90th birthday with a celebration at Windy Hill.
“She’s a very inspiring woman,” Ms Hendy said. “She’s just a beautiful dancer.
“She said to me, ‘I want to die on the dance floor’ — that’s her attitude towards dancing. She just loves it and lives for it.”
Ms Vine started dancing at the age of seven after a boy asked her to be his partner — and for the next 12 years, the duo kept in step together.
“We danced all over Australia at that time,” she said.
“We were known as the juvenile Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers.”
Ms Vine took a 40-year break from dancing after she married, but the rhythm took over once more when she turned 60.
“It’s just like I never left,” she said. “I’m meant to be a dancer and that’s the best thing I ever did.”