By Genevieve Hand The show must go on. The phrase is ubiquitous in virtually every staged production, and it’s one that the founders of Farnsworth Dance Academy have adopted as their school’s slogan. What’s more, it seems to hold a particular symbolism in their lives. Farnsworth Dance Academy opened in 2017 and is owned and operated by mother-daughter duo, Carla Farnsworth and Juliet Farnsworth-Perry. The Farnsworth women are part of three generations of performers, starting with Elizabeth “Honey” Farnsworth – Carla’s mother, who just celebrated her 93rd birthday – and her two sisters, Donna and Eleanor. Honey, Bunny, and Sunny, as they were affectionately nicknamed, performed in various dance forms professionally for 10 years all over the Midwest before each opening dance schools of their own in the 1950s, one of which is still operational as the Cole Academy. Honey’s school was the original Farnsworth Dance Academy. It’s where Carla recalls spending much of her youth – and where she realized what a chore running a dance studio can be. Casting out any desire to own a studio of her own, she instead pursued her performance career. A move to New York brought her success when she was quickly picked up as a dancer for Bob Fosse. From then, she never went longer than three weeks without a gig – quite a feat for any kind of performer in NYC. Her resume includes five Broadway shows, appearing as an original cast member of shows like “Chicago” and “A Chorus Line,” as well as many national tours. At age 36, she decided it was time to hang up her dancing shoes and move to Los Angeles, where she met Juliet’s father. Carla and Andy’s work moved them to various locations until they eventually settled in Benicia, where they raised Juliet. “I never wanted to push her to dance,” says Carla, and she didn’t have to. Juliet joined Stage One Dance Center when she was six and showed an early love of, not just dance, but the community and friendships that the studio gave her. When the owner learned about Carla’s background, she asked her to join the studio as a teacher. As Juliet grew as a dancer, she also began teaching and even headed her own competition team as a teen, coming into her own as a choreographer. However, Juliet’s primary passion was performing. She danced and toured with the Tremaine performance program for five years, attended a performing arts college in Los Angeles with some of the same girls she grew up dancing with, and performed at Six
22 • Benicia Magazine
