about Maria Dare Dance History Collection

How the Collection began

We all knew The Ballet House guest seating area and dressing rooms had corners where walls connected to the floor - but we never saw them. There were stacks and stacks of something neatly arranged beneath dust cloths. When I needed a memory refresher about a dance, the easiest thing for me was to ask Maria. Out of the unlabeled stacks came her notes. She seemed to know exactly were everything was.

Maria Dare’s death was unexpected for we all assumed she was immortal. She left no direct heir, only distant relatives. (None were connected to the dance world.) A public estate sale was held at The Ballet House. It lasted only a few hours. We, her loyal students, arrived to see Maria’s "stacks" spread out and they consumed the entire studio. We frantically grabbed this and that which had been re-bundled for the sale in a way that would bring in the dollars, but not preserve the collection’s integrity. In an effort to keep the collection together, several of her students, pooled their resources and purchased items for the Maria Dare Dance History Collection. We madly rushed about - one hand grabbing items for the group collection while the other hand grabbed items for personal use.

The collection was then split and stored at Portland Dance Academy, Portland OR and at Quest Ballet Academy Seaside Oregon. Over the years some students have added their private collections to the group collection, and the bulk of the collection has gravitated into the hands of Rozanne of zandance, who continues to put the pieces back together.

A Special Thanks to

Original Contributors

Julianne Byrine, Rozanne, Sherry Fleming, Sandy Fuchter, Patricia Hobizal, Joe Lerma Jr, JoAnne McLeod, Mary Jane Sposito, Janet Towner.

Additional Contributions by:

JoAnne McLeod and Julianne Byrine.

Thanks Again to:

JoAnne McLoed

Over the years JoAnne has done a great deal to organize and catalog contents.

John Gardner

Who stored a portion of contents and has since provided historical information.

Nancy Beth Falloon

For her efforts to identify photos and gather information..

Shirley Orbeck

For technical and historical assistance. When I ask, “Is Spanish Dance, a Spanish Dance or is it ballet or character?” Shirley has the answer.

Note to Former Ballet House Students:

If you have dance notes from Maria's Estate Sale please contact Rozanne.

A memorial performance was held at the Imago Theatre in her honor. She would of loved the wonderful dancing that went on. At the end, we all joined together to do her reverence that we had done for decades, but this time we all knew we were doing it for the last time