Cynthia Yee, dancer, is the recipient of the Bay Area Jefferson Award. Yee is the founder of the San Francisco-based Grant Avenue Follies, a group of dancers from the Chinese Hospital Auxiliary, a volunteer charity and fundraising group that benefits the Chinatown hospital
Two years ago, at age 58, she formed a dance troupe to entertain people who were sick or shut in. The initial group included four other dancers from nightclubs. The troupe has now 12 members.
Yee, the youngest of four children, grew up in San Francisco's Chinatown. She lived in the same apartment building as famed dancer Dorothy Toy. As a girl, Yee saw Toy dance and got hooked. Six years later, before she even finished high school, Yee was hired by Toy, who performed all over the country. (Source: Marsha Ginsburg, San Francisco Chronicle, Dec. 24, 2005).