By: Alison Gerardot
Happy Birthday to us!
They say it’s your birthday! Dah na na na na na……
Today is the Fort Wayne Dance Collective’s 34th birthday. We’ve done a lot of looking forward lately. Lots of plans for the future (soon to be revealed), lots of exciting performances and lots more classes and programs happening. And that’s all very exciting.
But we can’t look to the future, without at least looking at the past now and then to reflect on what has happened over the past 34 years! So much has happened! Over 20 Guest Artists! Hundreds of performances! Thousands of students!
Usually around this time of year, Jarin and I hear stories that we’ve never heard before about how FWDC began from Liz. All of the crazy people, all of the fun times. However, Liz is in Seattle the rest of this week, finishing up her Feldenkrais training for this session. But like clockwork, Jarin received an email this morning:
Email Subject: 1979
Jarin,
In 1979, our year’s budget was $7,000.
90% of that was to pay for the space. We had no phone, no copy machine. A single typewriter. A record player. It was freezing.
No one got paid for anything.
It was so worth it.
Liz
FWDC’s first class offering in 1979.
I’m so glad to be a part of this 34-year-old organization. And am grateful to be a part of its history and continuing stories. Take a look at these old posters from the first years of this great organization.