🩰 Do you hear that? The stage is calling

If you stopped by the Aliante Casino, Hotel, and Spa’s theater in Vegas last month, Anna Bailey could be found rehearsing to perform in an anticipated revival of the musical Follies. And after being retired for more than 50 years, the 97-year-old former Vegas showgirl was excited – albeit nervous – to finally return to the stage.

⏪ The journey: Anna moved to Vegas in March of 1955, after a successful few years dancing in NYC, her hometown. She was one of the original dancers at the Moulin Rouge – the first venue where performers and patrons of all races could dance and socialize together in a deeply segregated Las Vegas.

• While "The Rouge" closed down unexpectedly six months later, Anna went on to become a pioneer for the Las Vegas civil rights movement, helping to integrate the strip by becoming the first black dancer in an all-white chorus line at The Flamingo resort.
• “I never had any problems with the other girls,” said Anna, reminiscing on those times fondly. “We were all so glad to be working.”
• She also befriended celebrities like Frank Sinatra and Smokey Robinson, who fought alongside her to integrate the entertainment industry – and she watched history change before her eyes.

But, as they say, all good things must come to an end. Anna retired in the '70s, and hasn't performed since. So she was understandably shocked to receive a call earlier this year from Metropolis Theatricals, a nonprofit theater company producing a limited engagement run of Stephen Sondheim's Follies. They wanted the 97-year-old to be in two numbers in the show, along with 11 other former Vegas dancers.

• Anna doesn't drive anymore and has some arthritis in her knees, which made her hesitant to accept. But she decided one last time on the stage could do her some good. And her children were her biggest supporters.

Come showtime, the dancer floated across the stage, the eldest of all the women, beaming ear-to-ear to be in the spotlight again. 

💬 What she's saying: “I think this will maybe be my last gig,” she told the Washington Post. “But I’ll see what the future brings. I don’t know what might happen tomorrow.”