Dance: Moving to the Beat

Master drummer and dancer Fara Tolno of Guinea, West Africa

›› When Cowboy Preacher James Norvell tried to stop the good citizens of Steamboat Springs from dancing in 1901, the Routt County Sentinel newspaper, in step with its readers, rose up in protest. Since its inception, this city has moved to the music.

From modern dance and classical ballet at Perry-Mansfield Performing Arts School and Camp – now in its 109th year – to hip-hop and jazz, dance is at the heart of who we are.

When Charlotte Perry and Portia Mansfield founded a summer dance camp in Strawberry Park in 1913, cowboys hid behind the aspens to watch the dancers sway to the wind. Today Perry-Mansfield boasts an unparalleled list of alumni, ranging from Isadora Duncan and Agnes DeMille to Jessica Biel and Mandy Moore. After a devastating COVID-19 hiatus in 2020 and a subsequent 2021 rebound, the dance camp is presenting a vibrant 2022 season.

Like every aspect of the arts in which Steamboat is involved, local dancers build upon tradition and add their own delightfully unexpected twist. The dance community is everything you’d expect from a city where arts are at the center of the scene, from holiday performances of the “Nutcracker” to two-steppin’ cowboys – plus an unlikely affinity for African dance.

Robin Getter introduced the study of African dance and drum to Steamboat in the 1980s, and her passion has been passed down through generations of aficionadas. Local dancers have formed strong bonds with their counterparts in Ghana, Guinea, Mali, Senegal, Congo, the Ivory Coast and Zimbabwe. Steamboat has seen a regular influx of African master teachers like Youssouf Koumbassa, Moustafa Bangoura, Mariatou Camera and Lucky Moyo, on stage for the 50th anniversary production of Steamboat Dance Theatre in February.

One born-and-raised local African dancer, Abagail Fritz, has taken what she started learning in Steamboat to all new levels, dancing her gorgeous style on international stages and teaching in Los Angeles. She is only the latest Steamboat star to shine on the world stage. ■

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Mar. 27

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