by Maureen E. Cavanaugh, Development Officer for Individual Giving and Events

The Joyce Theater is a well known presence in New York City, where theater-goers know to look for dance companies not only from the New York area, but also from around the country and the world. Dance troupes that have their home base outside the New York area have been extremely successful with The Joyce’s audiences, and we love having our friends, old and new, come back to visit us year after year. Now in our 25th year, what better way to celebrate our silver anniversary than by traveling across the country to visit our friends and colleagues on their home turf and say “thank you for helping The Joyce become New York’s home for dance.”

Our first stop was to San Francisco, CA, where the sun was shining from the moment we stepped off the plane. Truly, the weather could not have been nicer, but the real joy from our trip was the warm welcome we received everywhere we went. On Friday, March 7th, we were fortunate enough to attend a reception hosted by one of our Trustees, Jim Herbert of First Republic Bank, and his lovely wife Cecilia in their San Francisco home. Executive Director Linda Shelton, Director of Development Larry Henry and I arrived at Jim and Cecilia’s home, and were greeted with a glass of champagne and a lovely view of the bay. We were then joined by several choreographers that we have worked with at The Joyce and Joyce SoHo, as well as members of other performing arts presenting organizations and supporters. After some fantastic hors d’oeuvres and lively speeches from Linda, Jim, and fellow Trustee, Jane Goldberg, we were on our way to see the San Francisco Ballet. The program included such pieces as Carousel (A Dance), a beautiful pas de deux from After the Rain, the premiere of On a Theme of Paganini, and a daring new piece entitled Eden/Eden. It was a fantastic program, and I think all our guests truly enjoyed it. Having never seen the San Francisco Ballet perform before, I was in total awe. The grace and skill of these dancers is immeasurable, and they deserve every word of praise they receive.

The following afternoon, we headed across the Bay Bridge to the University of California Berkeley campus to see the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater. Their program included The Groove to Nobody’s Business, the new work by Camille A. Brown which was recently commission by The Joyce through the Stephen and Cathy Weinroth Fund for New Work. Once again, we were joined by a group of enthusiastic supporters and artists for this event. The sold-out performance was filled with an indescribable energy from the audience, which could obviously be felt by the dancers on stage. The show great, as is standard with Ailey performances, and their closing number, Revelations had the audience jumping to its feet. Following the performance, we headed up the steep Berkeley hills to the home of Brad Inman and Veronica Barzelatto, great friends and supporters of The Joyce Theater. We were immediately wowed by the unbelievable view they have from their hilltop home, and I would ultimately spend half my evening taking pictures of the sun setting over the bay. The guests were welcomed with passed snacks and Brad charmingly talking about how for years he has been in love with The Joyce in New York, and visiting us every time he was in the city, and now his friends could finally know who this “Joyce” was that he was always talking about, and the details of his “love affair” were now clear. And as we watched the sun set from the back porch, and exchanged stories with our new friends, we knew that the trip had been a great success.

You know, it is always nice to be able to give something back to the community of artists, friends, trustees, and colleagues that have helped to make your organization so successful. I think it was proven on this trip, however, that what we get from all these people is more than we could ever truly say “thanks” for. Those who have a passion for the arts, and who work to keep the art of dance alive and thriving are so important in the world. Working for an organization that recognizes all the forms in which members of our community play a role in our success is both refreshing and gratifying. Personally, I would like to say “thank you” to our hosts and guests that gave us such a warm welcome in San Francisco. To the new friends that I met on this trip, I look forward to seeing you again soon at our theater in New York!

Look out, Chicago! We’re coming for you next!