It’s a long

way from Las Vegas

but former showgirl likes
calling West Vancouver home

IT’S A long way from the glamor and bright lights of Las
Vegas to the relative tranquility of the West Vancouver
Recreation Centre, but Summer Cooper has no intention of

hanging up her dancing shoes.

For over eight years Cooper was
a big-time dancer working all the
major hotels in Las Vegas and
Reno and performing overseas.
She kicked up a storm in shows
that had the works: dazzling dance
routines, glittering costumes and
uptempo music.

Cooper, 29, wants to make it
clear that she wasn’t one of the
six-foot plus women wearing
monstrous headdresses who parade
around stage topless in such
shows.

“The showgirls were just props.

STEPPING OUT in a number from A Chorus Line, Summer Cooper
leads a jazz dance course at the West Vancouver Recreation Centre. The
former Las Vegas hoofer feels right at home on the North Shore — as

long as she can keep dancing.

By CHRIS WONG
Contributing Writer

We were the ones who did all the
work,’ Cooper said. ‘‘We had
beautiful costumes too, but not the
elaborate headdresses.”*

Cooper uses the past tense to
describe her career, as her present
connection to dance is being an in-
structor and heading a new com-
munity dance group, Razzmatazz.

But her memories of life as a
full-time dancer are still vivid.

NEWS photo Stuart Davis

She started dancing at 10,
beginning with jazz and eventually
taking up ballet and tap.

MEMORIES VIVID

During her teenage years in
Scotsdale, Arizona, Cooper stud-
ied under Glenda Falk, who danc-
ed with Fred Astaire, Gene Kelly
and Bob Fosse. ‘‘She taught me
that every dance step you dr,
should be your best.’’

By the age of 18, Cooper had
her first professional dancing job
in The Great American Revue, a
show staged in 1976 to celebrate
the U.S. bicentennial, which trav-
elled to Japan. But her stage debut
was less than auspicious.

On opening night, the long
beads she was wearing for the
Charleston number -broke loose all
over the stage, causing (wo dancers
behind her to trip. ‘It was just
awful. | felt so bad being my first
time. The band had to play some
music while someone came out and
swept the stage.’’

From that show she went on to
become a featured dancer in a
number of major shows including
Moulin Rouge, in which each ‘per-
former wore a costume valued at
$40,000. She also performed on
television specials and in United
Service Organization shows in
Asia.

BIGGEST HIGHLIGHT

Her biggest highlight was danc-
ing behind Suzanne Somers, who
played Chrissie on the sitcom,
Three’s Company.

Cooper ended her career in 1983
after getting married to a Cana-
dian she met in the bar at the Las
Vegas Hilton.

She never tired of the deman-
ding work and accompanying
lifestyle she had to adopt during
her performing years. “I never
could believe I was getting paid for
doing what | loved night after
night.”’

Now she keeps busy teaching 26
dance classes a week at West Van-
couver Recreation Centre and
Eagle Harbour Community Cen-
tre.

Razzmatazz is also starting to

perform regularly, with Cooper in
the front line — a place she hopes
to stay for wwhile. *‘l know there
will come a day when I'll have to
step aside. Hopefully that will be
way down the line.”’
Cooper will be performing at Expo
today at 2 p.m. at the Plaza of Na-
tions and at 5:30 p.m. at the
European Bandstand.

Freshtastiks Food Bar
54,59

(by itself} *

Gourmet Burger s
(5% oz. ground beet patty) 5.59

*4,99
*6.99

Country Fried Steak
{Seasoned breaded ground
beet, deep-ttied, wit!)
chicken gravy)

Chopped Steak
{6 02z.}

Sirloin
(Tender, no fat}

54,99
*5.29
85,29

Deep Fried Fish

(5 oz breaded sole tillets)

Golden Fried Shrimp

(15 preces of shrimp)

Chicken Fillet

{5 oz. of strips of boneless
breast of chicken, breaded
& deep fried, served with
sweet and sour)

$6.99

Tender Ribeye

(requiar 5% oz. ribeye,
Very tender)

$5.99
Chicken Monterey

(2-3 oz. pieces of boneless

breast of chicken, (rarinalec $7 99
in our secret Sauce.) .

Barbeque Half Chicken $6 99

(approximately 16 oz.)

Broiled Halibut

(6 cz. halibut steak)

56.99

Steak & Shrimp

{5 oz. top sirloin with 10
shrimp)

Grill & Galley

(5% oz. ribeye with 3-1 oz.
surf legs — white lish &
crab meat-served with
lemon and butter)

87.99

Steak &
Chicken Monterey

(5 oz. top sirioin & 3 oz.
boneless breast of chicken
Matinated in secret sauce}

°7,99
Seafood Trio
(Combination of shrimp,

$5.99

scallops and cod)
Super Sirloin
57,99

{9 oz. Best steak we have)

Steak & Crab

{5 oz. sirloin with 8 oz. of
crab legs)

57.99

Juicy T-Bone
(12 02}

58.99

All meals include the Freshtastiks Food Bar and
Sofi Serve Dessert and choice of baked potato,
french fries, or rice pilaf.

bade tie ory

Hours: Open 7 days a week
Sunday thru Wednesday Itam-9pm
Thursday, Friday, Saturday tfam-10pm

1070 MARINE DRIVE
NORTH VANCOUVER