They have enviably taut bodies, fitness levels that surpass most 20-year-olds and the unmistakable elan that comes only with vast experience.

The 16 ladies and gents possessing those laudable characteristics are the cast of the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies, an energetic troupe of California hoofers and singers who serve up potent three-hour matinee and evening performances as many as nine times a week.

Each of them is between the ages of 55 and 85; 13 are at least 65 years old.

“I’m afraid to slow down. I’m afraid what would happen if I did,” laughs follies singer and dancer Joni Naber, 72, a three-year veteran of the show who spent decades as a USO precision line dancer. She also has taught dance in her studio near Washington, D.C., and shared the stage with famous singers such as Eddie Fisher and Bobby Darin.

The Fabulous Palm Springs Follies holds the Guinness record for being the oldest professional chorus line in the world, and one of its performers, Dorothy Dale Kloss, holds the record—at age 85—for being the oldest “still-performing showgirl.”

“I just don’t understand the concept of retirement,” says Judy Bell, 71, who starred in stage productions at Disneyland; had her own comedy revue in Las Vegas and Reno, Nev., for many years; and was voted best Las Vegas female performer four times before joining the follies 15 years ago. “The day may come when I wake up and think, ‘Well, I’m done,’ but I can’t conceive of that yet. I knew when I was 6 or 7 that I was going to be this woman.”

All of the follies performers arrived at their current gig with decades-long resumés—Broadway, Vegas, national touring companies, movies or television. Two had been Radio City Music Hall Rockettes; one had performed with the Folies Bergere in Paris. Some had spent time in the spotlight with Carol Burnett, Frankie Avalon, Dinah Shore, Dean Martin, Eddy Duchin, Bob Hope or Jackie Gleason.

And that’s just what follies producer, cofounder and master of ceremonies Riff Markowitz wanted for the splashy, lavish and authentic blast-from-the-past production. He came up with the idea in 1991, when he and partner Mary Jardin embarked on a painstaking renovation of the historic but down-at-the-heels Plaza Theatre. His vision was to produce shows that would celebrate the music and dance of the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s—and what better way to reach that goal than by hiring people who had firsthand knowledge of those years?

Crazy notion, some might have said. But public response was positive. For 18 years, the Fabulous Palm Springs Follies has played to often full houses and are sometimes sold out well in advance.

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