Prior to Dance Initiative and The Launchpad, local dance enthusiast and visionary Peter Gilbert recognized the need to support local dancers and aspiring choreographers and rented a local venue, Thunder River Theater Company, to produce a dance performance for the community called “Dance For Us.” The first ever show of “Dance For Us” featured seven artists and lasted 18 minutes. Peter collaborated on the effort with Alexandra and Anthony Jerkunica (who performed in that first show) and Johnna Modene, all of whom were (are!) local dancers and educators. Peter took modern dance from Johnna at the Glenwood Dance Academy and ballet from Alexandra. While taking ballet from Alexandra one day, Peter met dancer, choreographer, and creative extraordinaire Deborah Colley and the two became fast friends.

In 2011, this team of dancers all sat down together (literally in a circle on the floor in Alexandra’s studio at the Third Street Center in Carbondale) and discussed the larger need for a dedicated dance organization and space – somewhere to connect, perform, develop professionally, and inspire others.

Peter and Deborah took the conversation to the next level, combining with the local theater nonprofit, Aspen Stage, adding dance to its mission. Soon it began operating as Dance Initiative (DI) with Peter and Deborah as co-founders, providing support for and promoting dance, dancers, choreographers and teachers of dance in the Roaring Fork Valley and neighboring areas of Colorado.

Original efforts were to provide a venue for the choreographers and dancers to perform original work in order to build community between dance artists. An Advisory Board was created consisting of Laura Stover, Dana Ellis (current Board Chair!), Deborah Colley, and Peter Gilbert. Emily Fifer, Meagan Shapiro, and Megan Janssen eventually joined that Board. This inspired crew helped envision some of the lasting programming that exists today... 

In 2012, DI began a grant program to support dance artists seeking professional development and introduced the Spectrum Dance Festival (SDF), a weekend of performances and workshops in collaboration with regional artists. In 2014, DI joined the Carbondale Council on Arts & Humanities (now Carbondale Arts) in a partnership remodeling, leasing, and managing The Launchpad, a facility with two subsidized state-of-the-art dance studios that are home for movement-based arts. In 2015, DI established the Artist-In-Residence Program to foster the creation of original compositions and create connections between guest artists and our community. In 2016, DI began working with local schools to provide dance education in P.E. classes.

Dance Initiative is a thriving organization today with a mission to support the art and creation of dance through education, collaboration, and presentation because of the vision and hard work of the original founders Peter Gilbert and Deborah Colley. For them we are ever grateful.