Interviewing Sara Burke, above, founder of The City Studio Dance Center at 8 N. Euclid, was like going to the grocery store without a list…I left the visit with so much more than I expected. My hope is that this post will introduce you to yet another fascinating CWEnder with a wonderful, and completely unexpected, story to tell.
Sara moved to St. Louis from Green Bay, Wisconsin in the 70's to attend graduate school at SLU where she earned a masters degree in urban planning (her undergraduate degree is in dance & theater). When I expressed surprise at her choice, she quickly responded, "don't ask me why."
In 1981 Sara opened a dance studio in a space next to the Majestic on Laclede. She was one of first women in the arts running her own business in St. Louis. At that time it was very difficult for a woman in business to be taken seriously, especially in the arts. Later when she was recognized with Grand Center's Visionary Award as outstanding arts professional in 2012, she advised the audience not to overthink an idea, she said if she had thought twice she might never have opened her own dance studio.
In 1986 she purchased two condominium units on the northeast corner of Newstead and Laclede (one fronts on Newstead, above, the other at 4397 Laclede). With the help of two architects who gutted the space in exchange for dance classes, she combined the two units into an L-shaped dance studio.
Sara's desire from the beginning was to create an environment with a welcoming atmosphere where adults of all ages can be comfortable learning to dance, because, as she says, "It can be intimidating." The instructors at The City Studio are professional dancers and choreographers who offer a variety of classes from jazz to hip-hop. In addition, CWEnder Jane Fitzgerald holds very popular yoga classes at the studio several times each week. The schedule for all classes is here.
Sara still teaches a master class now and then but is mainly in a mentoring role now, providing a place for instructors to get their start and helping young dance companies get established. Currently The Ashleyliane Dance Company is in residence at The City Studio Dance Center.
In the opening paragraph I mentioned the "unexpected" facet of this interview, which the photos above and below will explain. When Sara first moved to St. Louis she lived in Laclede Town, which was a "storied" community located east of the SLU campus on Olive Street. One of her neighbors was from Senegal and was Katherine Dunham's drummer at her dance studio in East St. Louis. Dunham, who was originally from Chicago, had closed her dance company in New York and moved to East St. Louis where she created, as Sara described it, "an anthropologically-based mecca for cultural dance." In 1976 Sara became the first Caucasian dancer to join the company.
In the first photo shown above, taken in 1981, Sara Burke is shown with Eusebio Da Silva, whom Miss Dunham brought in to teach Brazillian dance. The following photo shows one of Miss Dunham's original dance partners, Mr. Archie Savage, who appeared with Lena Horne in the film Cabin in the Sky.
Shown in the first photograph above are drummers Monduel Banessia & Sara's husband Jack Burke, who taught Sociology at Harris-Stowe and is now president of the board of the Lift for Life Academy. The second photograph shows Dunham dancers Theo Jamison, Keith Tyronne Williams and Andrea Smythe.
Katherine Dunham chose two tough places to live, Haiti and East St. Louis. She called the Mississippi River "the ocean," because in the '70s that's what the divide between St. Louis and East St. Louis seemed like. Sara describes Dunham as one of the first community arts trainers. Some of her dancers were people she took out of jail. Everyone who studied under her was required to learn a second language and because of the level of excellence expected, Sara credits Dunham with saving many lives. In fact, some of Katherine Dunham's students went on to careers on Broadway.
When Sara opened The City Studio Dance Center she promised Miss Dunham that she would always offer a Dunham class in order to keep her memory alive. Sara said she can die happy knowing the diverse population the Dunham classes attract, and watching blacks and whites become close friends. Some of the students have said these friendships have changed their lives and also changed the way they raise their children.
She's understandably proud that Mayor Francis Slay visited The City Studio Dance Center to present a Mayoral Proclamation recognizing her contribution to the arts in St. Louis. She received an Aldermanic Decree at the same time. Mayor Slay appointed Sara as a commissioner of the Regional Arts Commission where she and Jack have endowed the Katherine Dunham Fellowship in conjuction with Jill McGuire, Executive Director at RAC, with the goal of changing the complexion of arts organizations in St. Louis. The fellowship offers someone who would not normally be exposed to an arts organization, a six-month internship to work at one. The assignment is accompanied by a generous stipend.
The Katherine Dunham Fellowship is now in its fourth year. The first intern in the program is now employed at Stages in Kirkwood, another is working at COCA and getting her Masters in Arts Administration at Webster University. For more information, visit the Regional Arts Commission website.
Contact Sara Burke, [email protected], to learn more about The City Studio Dance Center, or visit the website for classes and information about studio rental and rehearsal space.