Tacoma Civic Ballet ~ Remembered ~ Anniversary of First Performance

Here are some photos and a post written by Ellida Lathrop about Tacoma Civic Ballet. These early opportunities in dance are still affecting young students in greater Pierce County...

TACOMA CIVIC BALLET REMEMBERED.

October marks the 50th anniversary of the first performance of the Tacoma Civic Ballet.
Never before did all Pierce County dance schools pool their talents to present memorable performances by blending their dancers with world-renowned choreographers.

The imaginative leadership of Marcia Pinto Moe, assisted by former ballet mistress to the Joffrey Co., Tacoma’s own Barbara Corsi Baldwin, formed a coalition of dance patrons, fans and dancers to present performances of unparalleled artistic quality. This was, indeed, a golden age of dance, augmented by the unprecedented residency of the Robert Joffrey Company at Pacific Lutheran University.

Leading dance instructors like Jan Collum, Patricia Cairns, Josephine Kurz and Jo Emery urged their students to audition, many for the first time for dance professionals. For many aspiring dancers it opened the doors to professional dance and for some a lifetime commitment to teach and aspire other young artists.

I would love to hear from and/or make contact with any of those who were a part of this historic dance event of 50 years ago. Kindly contact me though www.DTNW.org.

P.S. Yeah, I was always the one with my hand out looking for costume money.

Read more here: http://blog.thenewstribune.com/letters/2013/10/08/remembering-tacoma-civic-ballet/#.UlV-BZRSwd4.email#storylink=cpy