Utahn, 90, to kick up heels on 'Leno'

PROVO — When a 90-year-old dancer does the splits during an NBA half-time show, it's bound to attract some attention. And that is how Jane Petty of Provo landed an appearance tonight on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno."

"I'll just probably shake I'll be so nervous," Petty said with a laugh, just minutes before she headed to Salt Lake International Airport Thursday. "It'll be a new kind of dance."

Petty has been dancing for the past 10 years as a member of Jean's Golden Girls, a dance group from Provo for women older than 50.

"It's just a great bunch of girls," she said. "We just have fun every place we go."

The group has traveled across the United States, even to Hawaii, to perform their jazz, tap and western-style dances.

One of Leno's producers saw the women perform during half time at a Los Angeles Clippers game in March. Duly impressed, he made some calls, and Petty — the oldest member of the group — was invited on the 10:30 p.m. show on KSL-TV.

She's used to showing off her high kicks and signature splits — but this is the first time she'll do so on television.

Asked what she's looking forward to the most, she said, "I don't know, it's all exciting.

"To meet Jay Leno, see Ed Asner. They're picking us up from the airport in a limousine. Things like that ... are new to me."

Petty and her dance-class instructor are the only two traveling to California for the show, but there are lots of excited people in Utah. Petty's daughter, Pam White, was at Petty's house Thursday afternoon helping her mother get ready for the trip.

"I'm as excited as anybody," White said. "It's fun for her, you know, at that age. And it is an inspiration to other people — (it) brings joy to other people."

White said her wisp of a mother — at 5 feet 3 inches and about 94 pounds — is in much better shape than she is. Especially to do the splits.

"I hope I live that long," she said. "(But) I won't be doing the splits."

Petty does the splits front to back. "There's no way I'd try the other (way) at my age," she said.

"It's kind of strange," she said. "I had never done them until I was 85. I didn't know I could do them."

She said the first time she tried to go down into the splits, she went down almost the entire way.