Fosse & Verdon Book No. 10 - Connecting with Dancers Over 40
When I set out to write this book, it was very important to me that I gather absolutely as many personal stories about Bob and Gwen as possible, and put them in one place, to create a giant resource for dancers to turn to in the future. This means taking stock of alllll the Fosse and Verdon information that has already been produced and published and finding ways to bring it all together. This starts with reading memoirs and biographies, reading oral history transcripts at the library, reading old magazine and newspaper articles, and watching old television interviews that have been made available on YouTube.
I don’t pretend I’m able to find out everything about Bob and Gwen on my own. In fact, I rely on, and celebrate the authors, historians, and dance enthusiasts who have done their part to preserve these records. One of these groups is called Dancers Over 40–a non-profit organization founded in 1996 to provide a community of support in response to the needs of mature dancers. Its a community of aging Broadway performers who come together to support each other, educate each other, and preserve their history!
They’ve held dozens of moderated panel discussions with original cast members of Broadway shows. They record them and archive them so the stories aren’t lost to time. Back in April I approached the president of Dancers Over 40 and he invited me to speak before the board and make my case for wanting access to their rich archives and sharing how I would like to respectfully incorporate the stories they have into my project.
Happily, I was received warmly and given support to access and share their stories.
You can find some of their panel discussions on YouTube:
Comments