Shrines To Dancers

Here is Adams Ballet Academy, in Mesa, AZ. I took class with this school at its earlier location in Tempe (from 1988-89). Deborah and James still do take class with Mary Moe Adams.

After a period of time, every good dance studio that prospers will erect informal shrines dedicated to the best of the dancers that receive training there. Newspaper clippings and beautiful photographs help inspire the young dancers that come into a studio to do their very best.

Peering through the windows of Adams' studio (they were still closed for holiday break when I passed through), photographs of Bonnie Moore grace the wall. Moore received her early training with Mary Moe Adams, and left to pursue ballet glory with the Washington Ballet, ABT, and the Royal Ballet.

Bonnie Moore as Juliet. Here is a link to other photographs (by James E. Strickland) of Bonnie Moore, and another link of a photo with her at ABT (Magnum photos).

Other parts of the wall space were dedicated to another, more-recent standout, Presidential scholar Renee Noelle Meiffren (I touched up the JPEG trying to bring out details, but it looks instead like I made her dance in a lemon haze).

One very impressive dancer, who deserves a wall of her own, and who received Adams' training, is Holly Cruikshank. Holly's height posed a problem for a career in ballet, so she opted for Broadway. Holly played 'The Girl in the Yellow Dress' (among other roles) in the Broadway show "Contact," as well as roles in "Fosse" and "Movin' Out." She is one of the fabulous showgirls in the movie "The Producers," starring Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick.

With students like these, Mary Moe Adams has so much to be proud of!

This is Rayn Dance, a modern dance studio, four doors down from the Adams Ballet Academy. They honor a different aesthetic over at Rayn Dance. As an example, there is a different emphasis on the role of breathing. They also dance barefoot and they have a different style of pirouettes compared to the ballet dancers. Nevertheless, if the school prospers, with time, they too will have an informal shrine to their own alumni. It's altogether fitting!

[Update: On April 10th, I took class at Mary's studio, and noticed that on the other side of the wall where Bonnie Moore's pictures are posted, where Mary has her tape player, that Holly Cruikshank has a little mini-shrine of her own!]