By David G. Pace “Dancing in our heads… We dance for laughter, we dance for tears, we dance for madness, we dance for fears, we dance for hopes, we dance for screams, we are the dancers, we create the dreams.” ~Albert Einstein One of the great pleasures for me while working at Repertory Dance Theatre was its studio. I was a desk jockey most of the day—writing grants and reports and always prospecting for new donors as Director of…
The story is now iconic. It has the quality of an urban legend, but it is indubitably true. Repertory Dance Theatre’s original home in the army barracks at the University of Utah was being demolished. RDT was homeless. Going here, going there . . . at one point “squatting” at the old Salt Palace. That they ended up in an old restaurant equipment warehouse on west Broadway (300 South) in Salt Lake City was indeed fortuitous. Who knew that the…
Can you believe it’s been 20 years since the Rose Wagner opened its doors? A Rose is a Rose. . . but there’s only one Rose Wagner, the arts complex of dance studios and small to mid-sized theaters in Salt Lake City, home of Repertory Dance Theatre. Affectionately known as “The Rose,” the brainchild of the Performing Arts Coalition formed in part by RDT’s own Linda C. Smith, turns 20 this year. Since then, the Capital City of Utah has…
Repertory Dance Theatre has always been a revolutionary dance company, ever since a group of Salt Lake City dancers beat out the big city stalwarts and were awarded a Rockefeller Foundation grant to establish the first repertory dance company in the nation. The same can be said of of its innovative approach to fundraising galas. Thirteen years ago, RDT dancer and now Artistic Associate Nicholas Cendese came up with the idea of a choreographer competition in the spirit of TV’s…
by David G. Pace Pilar Davis admits to being an adrenaline junkie. She loves art and she loves live art, and you can tell. In a planning meeting late last year for RDT’s annual choreographer competition and fundraiser, she talked fast, expressively, and yet somehow maintained a gracious coherency as she factored in the needs and opinions of others. Still, sometimes when you’re working with Pilar you feel like you need to wear a helmet. Dont get me wrong: it’s…
by Stephen Trimble The leaders of the Bears Ears Inter-Tribal Coalition use the word “healing” whenever they define their relationship with the redrock of Utah’s public lands. Eric Descheenie says, “By protecting these sacred ancestral lands we can take an important step towards healing.” Descheenie, a Navajo, emphasizes this “indigenous truth” as the foundation for all discussions about why the newly-proclaimed Bears Ears National Monument needs our attention. For Navajo leader Willie Grayeyes, “protecting Bears Ears is not just about…