S.C.R. 2 Enrolled
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9 LONG TITLE
10 General Description:
11 This concurrent resolution of the Legislature and the Governor recognizes the 50th
12 Anniversary of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company.
13 Highlighted Provisions:
14 This resolution:
15 . recognizes the 50th Anniversary of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company; and
16 . recognizes the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and its founders for 50 years of
17 performance excellence and the prestige it has brought to Utah's reputation in the
18 arts.
19 Special Clauses:
20 None
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22 Be it resolved by the Legislature of the state of Utah, the Governor concurring therein:
23 WHEREAS, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company has been referred to by the Los
24 Angeles Times as "Movers and Shakers worth remembering";
25 WHEREAS, the New York Times ranked a Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company
26 performance as "number 6 of 10 of the best events of the year!";
27 WHEREAS, the Salt Lake Tribune has stated, "The audience is rewarded by a company
28 with a clear artistic vision and dancers who convey that message with purpose and intention . .
29 . there is no question about the crème of Utah's dance crop";
30 WHEREAS, from its beginnings 50 years ago, the Company's education outreach
31 program has grown to the extent that now, in an average year, Ririe-Woodbury visits 133
32 schools in 20 districts, reaching approximately 30,888 students and teachers;
33 WHEREAS, over the last 50 years, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company has reached
34 over one million Utah school children and has performed for approximately two million people
35 around the world;
36 WHEREAS, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company was founded in 1964 with an
37 enduring mission focused on performance and education, an emphasis reflected in the interests
38 and natural gifts of its founders, Joan Woodbury and Shirley Ririe;
39 WHEREAS, during the 1950s, Joan and Shirley were involved in the creation of
40 Choreodancers, a company consisting of professional dancers and teachers in Salt Lake City,
41 Utah;
42 WHEREAS, throughout this period, Joan and Shirley were also involved as professors
43 in the dance department at the University of Utah, where they helped foster the postwar interest
44 in the arts that was occurring all across the country;
45 WHEREAS, this interest in the arts eventually led to programs established by the
46 National Endowment for the Arts;
47 WHEREAS, during the next 10 years, and in that fertile atmosphere, the Company grew
48 in stature and recognition in both Utah and on the national scene;
49 WHEREAS, in 1972, the Company did a showcase performance for the newly
50 organized National Endowment for the Arts (Dance) in New York City;
51 WHEREAS, while in New York City, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company, along with
52 20 other United States companies, was chosen by a national panel of artists and educators to be
53 subsidized participants in the prestigious national "Dance Touring" program, as well as the
54 "Artists in the Schools" program;
55 WHEREAS, for the next 12 years, more than a third of all national "Artists in the
56 Schools" tours were performed by the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company;
57 WHEREAS, this opportunity gave Joan and Shirley time and context to formalize their
58 extensive and groundbreaking education philosophy;
59 WHEREAS, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company's Education Program evolved during
60 the United States dance renaissance of the 1970s and 80s to become the national model for
61 dance education in schools, a model that still stands today;
62 WHEREAS, in an average year, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company reaches 50 -
63 60,000 people nationally and internationally through its performances and classes;
64 WHEREAS, since 2002, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company has held the honor of
65 having the longest continuous tour in France of any American dance company;
66 WHEREAS, during 2002, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company embraced a unique
67 partnership with the Nikolais/Louis Foundation for Dance in New York City to keep the works
68 of national treasure Alwin Nikolais on the stage and in the minds and hearts of a new
69 generation;
70 WHEREAS, this partnership is recognized and supported by the National Endowment
71 for the Arts and many local foundations;
72 WHEREAS, during that same time period, with a solid foundation and as a strong part
73 of Utah's cultural fabric, Joan and Shirley also wanted to ensure the Company's legacy by
74 embracing a succession plan;
75 WHEREAS, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company is now under the management of
76 Joan's daughter, Jena Woodbury, current artistic director Daniel Charon, and education director
77 Gigi Arrington;
78 WHEREAS, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company now looks toward an exciting and
79 dynamic future; and
80 WHEREAS, with the strength of its history, the vision and perseverance of its founders,
81 the extraordinary ability of its current management, staff, and dancers, and the support of the
82 extraordinary Utah community, the Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company will continue as a force
83 for innovation in the development of contemporary dance performance and education
84 throughout the world for another 50 years:
85 NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Legislature of the state of Utah, the
86 Governor concurring therein, recognizes the 50th Anniversary of the Ririe-Woodbury Dance
87 Company.
88 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature and the Governor recognize the
89 Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company and its founders for 50 years of performance excellence and
90 the prestige it has brought to Utah's reputation in the arts.
91 BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this resolution be sent to the
92 Ririe-Woodbury Dance Company.
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