Family tap dances for Ohio mom's 80th birthday

[May 13, 2011]  NEWARK, Ohio (AP) -- Four generations of an Ohio family have learned a routine to help the clan's matriarch tap dance her way into her 80s.

Eight family members ranging all the way down to a 6-year-old great-granddaughter joined Jean Ivers in a dance to the song "Tuxedo Junction" at an American Legion post in Newark in central Ohio on Wednesday.

When Ivers turned 80 in February, her three daughters gave her a card promising tap dancing lessons with family members followed by a group performance. Daughter Carol Dean tells The Advocate of Newark her mom got "really teary-eyed" over the gift.

The newspaper reports Ivers has been dancing since age 8, performing on local stages and at her daughters' weddings. She says the show with the family was one she'll never forget.

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Information from: The Advocate, http://www.newarkadvocate.com/

[Associated Press]

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