I have been doing a lot of research about my very first visit to the Twin Cities, trying to identify the year I collaborated with Zoe Sealy and the Minnesota Jazz Dance Company on a project dreamed up by Bonnie Brooks and the Minnesota Dance Alliance. We would each do a work of our own (I did Lost life – Four Scenes from the Life of Art Pepper) I made a new work on Zoe’s company ( the first version of Pithecanthropus Erectus with great music by Charles Mingus). We collaborated on a new work with music by J.D. Steele and his family of amazing singers. It was called Child’s Play. I don’t remember what work Zoe presented. Linda Andrews, Artistic Director of the Zenon Dance Company, saw the concert, visited me in the dressing room and invited me to return and set a new work on Zenon. This began a regular series of artistic/choreographic visits.
I created Tanguedia in 1988 and Impending Bloom in 1989. I became Co-Artistic Director of Zenon 1n 1989 and subsequently created six more works. My contract was for three years. I decided to leave in the middle of the third year. I wanted to see if the community would support a rebirth of JAZZDANCE. They would and they did. Our first concert was at the O’Shaughnessy Auditorium at the College of Saint Catherine in St. Paul in April 1993. JAZZDANCE closed it’s doors in the spring of 2005. It was off to Dallas and SMU. That makes nineteen years from 1986 – 2005.
Those are the facts and only the facts. What is missing are all the extraordinary people that helped along the way, making for an ongoing love affair with the Twin Cities.
I would begin with Cynthia Mayeda. When I was hoping to restart JAZZDANCE, I had lunch with Cynthia. She was the head of arts funding at the Dayton Hudson Foundation. She was very positive and said I should apply. We were funded. Years later, Cynthia moved to New York and rented a lovely basement garden apartment from Trevor Lewis and Mathew Goulet on 18th Street. They all became great friends.
Our first concert at the O’Shaughnessy was supported by the then programming director, Susan Federbusch. She was a big fan of my work and wanted to help in any way possible. She gave JAZZDANCE a lot of financial breaks. We would negotiate what the box office split would be. She was married to Barry Graceman. They personally donated on a regular basis. Susan got a job as director of the Reif Center for the Performing Arts in Grand Rapids, Minnesota (the birthplace of Judy Garland). She bought the company there once.
Small city life was not for Susan. She came back to the Twin Cities. She and Barry now live in San Diego.
The McKnight Foundation played a huge role in the success of JAZZDANCE. Neal Cuthbert was the head of the arts program, marries to Louise Robinson, head of the Dance Alliance. He was a passionate supporter. When we did the all live music program of Among These Cares, 21st Century Stride and Ezekiel’s Wheel, he broke with foundation protocol and sent me a personal note remarking that it was was the best dance performance he had ever seen in the Twin Cities.
Individual supporters were interesting. Sage and John Cowles were very generous. John was the former owner of the Minneapolis StarTribune. Many said that asking for their support was tricky. It worked out great for me, multiple year continuous support.
Their were small family foundations that gave small grants to dance companies. Among them were the Sewell Family Foundation (James Sewell of the James Sewell Ballet) and the David Moore Family Foundation. David’s grandfather (maybe – someone in the family, wrote The Night Before Christmas. The royalties are still substantial.