10
Spring 2025
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sai-national.org
Alumnae
J
oan Colée is no stranger to the stage. She discovered
her love of singing over eighty years ago, a passion
that inspired a career in coaching and performance.
She received both Bachelors and Masters degrees at
Oklahoma City University, where she was an affiliate of the Alpha
Zeta chapter. She spent over twenty years in Hollywood, both
performing in musicals and coaching up-and-coming stars in her
vocal studio. "I sang 'No, No, Nannette' I don't know how many
times," she remembers. When she was 83, she drove to Texas to
perform on America's Got Talent, showcasing her operatic singing
with Puccini's "O Mio Babbino Caro" and "You Make Me Feel So
Young" alongside a tap dance routine.
That love for performance didn't diminish when retiring from
Hollywood. After moving back to her hometown of Oklahoma
City, she found no musical opportunities for seniors. So she created
her own—the Oklahoma Seniors' Cabaret. Joan ran an ad in the
paper seeking local talent, and forty-five people responded to the
call for "funny, talented, and creative seniors." After a round of
auditions, the Cabaret was officially created in 2009 with thirty-
three performers. Joan continued to teach performing arts in
Oklahoma City, coaching members of the newly-formed cabaret
and opening a private studio for voice and tap. She loves leading the
cabaret, providing seniors like herself not only with an opportunity
Oklahoma Seniors' Cabaret
The Oklahoma Seniors tap dancers The Oklahoma Seniors tap dancers
