New Exhibition Honors Legendary Local Dancer

Frances Smith Cohen has built an astounding career as a dancer, educator and director in Arizona for more than 60 years. That legacy is now being honored by Scottsdale Arts Education & Outreach with a special exhibition in the ArtReach Space at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts from Nov. 30 through Jan. 8.

Cohen, 86, began training as a dancer in 1935 when she was only 4 years old. She choreographed her first dance when she was 12, teaching the movements to younger children, and went on to create a life filled with arts enrichment initiatives.

From 1961-63, she trained under Martha Graham Company resident dancer Ethel Butler and went on to co-found the University of Arizona Dance Department in 1971 and created Center Dance Ensemble in Maryland in 1981.

She first began working with Wolf Trap Foundation for the Performing Arts in the 1980s as choreographer for Wolf Trap Opera, and she now directs Arizona Wolf Trap through Scottsdale Arts Education & Outreach. Cohen said her early experience with Wolf Trap "codified" her movement teaching experiences to connect dance with classroom curriculum.

"Dance education encompasses more than learning a technique," Cohen said. "A good dance education should include the history of the style being taught (and) the connection of the emotional, as well as physical, response to the movement. A good teacher of dance would also emphasize the connection between what they are teaching and the social, historical and cultural background that created the technique."

Locally, Cohen co-founded Dance Theater West in 1987 and brought the Center Dance Ensemble to Arizona, where it became the resident dance company at the Herberger Theater Center in 1988.

"More than Movement" examines the impactful arts education programs with which Cohen has been involved through the years, including Scottsdale Arts programs like Cultural Connections: Dance and Arizona Wolf Trap, as well as Center Dance Ensemble's "Snow Queen."

"(Dance) involves so much more than just the physical," Cohen said. "It also stimulates our mental and emotional senses. It can communicate the joys and sorrows of life. It can give hope and beauty in a world that is often so difficult. It can bring joy."

Brittany Arnold, arts education coordinator for Scottsdale Arts Education & Outreach, curated "More than Movement." She said Cohen has had an enormous impact on the Arizona dance community.

"We wanted to highlight all the incredible work she has done throughout the Valley, and especially with our own programs, as a prime example of how beneficial dance education is for developing new skills," Arnold said. "We could not be prouder to represent such a well-rounded and influential person."

Scottsdale Arts Education & Outreach is a branch of Scottsdale Arts. ArtReach is a community gallery that showcases work in response to social issues and concerns and also offers a window into Scottsdale Arts and City of Scottsdale arts programs. It is located in the south hallway of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, across from Stage 2, at 7380 E. Second St., Scottsdale.

Through its partnership with the City of Scottsdale, the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts (formerly known as Scottsdale Cultural Council) creates diverse, inspired arts experiences and educational opportunities that foster active, lifelong community engagement with the arts. Since its founding in 1987, Scottsdale Arts has grown into a regionally and nationally significant, multi-disciplinary arts organization offering an exceptional variety of programs through four acclaimed divisions - Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts, Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA), Scottsdale Public Art and Scottsdale Arts Education & Outreach - serving more than 400,000 participants annually.

Scottsdale Arts' Education & Outreach initiatives build a strong, vibrant community through the arts. The high-quality exhibitions, programs and events foster dialogue, promote tolerance, invoke wonder and build connections to each other. Matinee performances, guided museum tours, hands-on workshops, artist residencies and creative aging programs serve more than 50,000 students and adults annually.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts is located at 7380 E. 2nd St. in downtown Scottsdale. Free parking is available in the public parking garage located to the west of Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts on Wells Fargo Avenue. Additional free parking is available at the Old Town Parking Corral at East Second Street and Brown Avenue and at the Civic Center Library parking garage located on Drinkwater Boulevard at East Second Street.

The award-winning Store at Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts supports the mission and diverse programs of the nonprofit Scottsdale Arts. The Store's unique selection of merchandise includes artist-made jewelry, stylish furnishings for home and office, unique creations by Arizona artists, fair-trade and upcycled/recycled global crafts, music, books, greeting cards and imaginative toys. Purchases are tax free, and members receive a 15 percent discount. Gift wrapping and shipping are also available. The Store is open seven days a week: Monday - Saturday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon - 5 p.m.; and throughout most evening events. Phone: 480-874-4644.

Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts
7380 E. Second St.
Scottsdale, AZ 85251
www.ScottsdalePerformingArts.org
480-499-TKTS (8587