Every week the Town Crier blog will look back at Seattle’s near forgotten Town Crier magazine to see what was happening then and talk about what’s happening now. One of the largest sections of the original Town Crier was “What People Are Doing,” highlighting things like, “Mr. Guy Manners, writer, soldier, and poet will speak before the Fine Arts Society,” and, “Sverre Mack is leaving Seattle shortly for Norway where he will make his home.” In this new series we’re revisiting the old column and tying it to our community’s current happenings, asking: “what are people doing?”
Today’s entry…
“Dancing feet need expert care,” noted a Frederick & Nelson ad in the February 15, 1919 edition of the Town Crier. “Dancing feet need expert care to keep them always well-groomed and graceful, whether one dances barefoot or in slider silver slippers.” The ad continues, “The foot that is properly cared for knows no discomfort; it is conscious only of its daintiness and good grooming.”
There are plenty of feet dancing in Seattle. Here’s a (by no means comprehensive) list!
ARC Dance Company. Operating a 9,000 square foot dance facility in North Seattle, ARC supports community dance education programs and performances through ARC Dance Company and ARC School of Ballet.
Khambatta Dance Company. Since arriving in Seattle from New York in 2001, KDC’s programming has been seen throughout the west coast and abroad by over 40,000 people with works ranging from site-specific pieces to staged, full-length interdisciplinary productions.
Pacific Northwest Ballet. One of the largest and most highly regarded ballet companies in the United States, PNB was founded in 1972. The Company of nearly 50 dancers presents more than 100 performances each year of full-length and mixed repertory ballets.
Spectrum Dance Theater. Founded in 1982, Spectrum was founded to bring dance of the highest merit to a diverse audience composed of people from different social, cultural, ethnic, and economic backgrounds. They’re under the artistic leadership of Donald Byrd.
Velocity Dance Center. Velocity is Seattle’s award-winning art center dedicated to contemporary dance, fulfilling an un-duplicated role as an incubator and forward-thinking laboratory for new dance in the Pacific Northwest.
Whim W’Him. Whim W’Him is an award-winning contemporary dance company founded in 2009 by Olivier Wevers, former Pacific Northwest Ballet principal dancer and choreographer, that showcases innovative dance in collaboration with global artists.
